IMAGES OF A MAGNIFICENT BANQUET
In the Mass we have an image of the magnificent banquet of
heaven.
The prophet Isaiah
paints a picture of the great day of the Lord with images of a magnificent
banquet "of rich food and choice wine." The splendid meal will be as
joyful as it will be sumptuous, for "He will destroy death forever. The
Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces" (Is 25:8ab). In the Mass
we have an image of the magnificent banquet of heaven. The image, however, is
already the reality by anticipation. In the Eucharistic Liturgy God provides
for us, His people, not a feast of rich food and choice wines, but the
spiritual nourishment of Jesus Christ's Body and Blood of Jesus which gives us
great hope during this Advent season.
In the Mass the Lord
wipes away the tears from our faces, for in the Eucharist, the Sacrament of the
death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have a guarantee of our own
resurrection from the dead. Jesus said, "He who eats My flesh and drinks
My blood has life eternal and I will raise him up on the last day" (Jn
6:54). How fitting is our proclamation of the Mystery of Faith: "We
proclaim Your Death, O Lord, and profess Your Resurrection until You come
again."
Jesus our Redeemer has
brought us great hope. "The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all
faces." In today's Gospel we read that while along the Sea
of Galilee, Jesus' heart was moved with pity for the crowd.
"The crowds were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the deformed made
whole, the lame walking, the blind able to see, and they glorified the God of
Israel" (Mt 15:31). And yes, He feeds them to help give the crowd of
people strength to continue on their journey. Yes, He did wipe away the tears
from their faces. Our prayer in the Responsorial Psalm brings us to this truth:
"The Lord is my Shepherd" (Ps 23:1).
The trust and hope we
have in Jesus Christ and which we can by our lives and words share with others
is what ultimately opens us or any person to genuine fulfillment. As we prepare
for Christmas we will enter the holy birth of our Lord with peace and freedom
from pain and death. Our trust and hope, too, show the world around us that
there is more than having a lot of gifts under the tree, for the Mass is God's
Christmas gift to us today and every day.
In order for the Mass
to mean what it should, our faith must be more than a proclamation on our lips.
It must penetrate our whole being and transform our entire outlook. Yes real,
deep faith is what we need whether Mass is celebrated within the quiet
simplicity of a weekday in our own chapel or amid the impressive splendor of a
special feast in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome,
it is the spiritual Meal which anticipates the glory of eternal life. In every
Mass we can say, "Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us! This is
the Lord for whom we looked; let us rejoice and be glad that He has saved
us" (Is 25:9)!