A Good Meal

7/29/2018

Step #1: Lectio / Read

Click the link below or open your Bible to the passage and read through the reading at least once, paying attention to what is happening in the text.

John 6:1-15

Step #2: Meditatio / Meditate

Use the following meditation to help you reflect more deeply on the Scripture (you may want to read the passage again).

Everyone likes a good meal! And good meals are important physically speaking and spiritually. After eating and cooking a lot in my life, I’ve noticed three consistent components to a good meal:

Good meals require sacrifice. Whether grandma, mom, or the local chef, they all have to put in their time and effort to make a tasty meal. It is a work of love; shopping, cutting, cooking, and washing dishes are all part of the sacrifice that make a good meal.
Good meals also bring people together. In all my days of cooking meals for people one of my favorite results was that good food brings people together.
Good meals are nourishing. Perhaps the most basic element of a good meal is that it satisfies a longing within us. Our stomachs are hungry and food fills that hunger, gives us energy, and sustains us throughout the day.

Now, today we begin our reading of The Bread of Life Discourse from the Gospel of St. John. In this story, Jesus provides a good meal for the large crowd. It prefigures the incredible meal Jesus provides to us in the Eucharist. The neat thing is that the Eucharistic meal that the Lord provides for us also contains these three components present in any good meal.

When we gather for the Eucharist, we gather for a sacrificial meal. Jesus laid down his life for us, and from that act of love, we have received food for our journey.

Good meals also bring people together. One of my favorite realities of Daily/Sunday Mass is that people from all walks of life – the healthy; the suffering; the young, the old; the rich, the poor; the happy, the sad – all come together and receive the Lord’s Body and Blood. The Eucharist brings people together.

And, last but not least...good meals are nourishing. In the Gospel, the many present are fed with a simple meal of bread and fish and it was certainly satisfying! We are told, “They had their fill.” The Eucharist doesn’t fill an empty stomach, but it does satisfy a longing soul.

Are you looking for a good meal made with love? Stay close to the Eucharist.

Step #3: Oratio / Pray

These questions are to be used to talk to God; have a conversation with the Lord about these questions and what is going on in your heart as you pray today.

How does your general experience of going to Mass reflect the good meal we talked about above?

When you are at Mass, what is your experience like? Are you finding yourself connecting with Christ and being nourished? If not, what do you think is holding you back?

Would you describe your life as being "close to the Eucharist?" If not, how can you make your life more centered on this sacrificial meal?

Step #4: Contemplatio / Contemplate

In this step, you listen. Stop talking, let God speak to your heart. You may repeat one of these short phrases to focus your mind on the Lord.

"You are the Bread of Life."

"You sustain me."

"Keep me close to You."

Step #5: Actio / Act

In light of today's reading and your time spent in prayer with the Lord, what concrete action or actions will you take to let this encounter with the Lord bear fruit in you today?

This week at Mass, whether today or another time, give yourself some time after Mass to sit and pray. Reflect on God's presence at Mass, and invite Him to keep you close to His Eucharistic presence always in your life.

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The following image is here for you to save and use as a background or lock screen on your smartphone or device to help you carry today's Lectio Divina with you the rest of the day.

Today's prayer was prepared by Fr. John McNamara, priest of the Diocese of Rockford.

If you have anything you'd like our team to pray for, please go to the page of our website called "Prayers" and let us know how we can pray for you today.

CARPE VERBUM