"Let me feed you"-- a grandmother's mantra

"Let me feed you" -- a grandmother's mantra

"For who can love what he does not know? . . . You know not His sweetness if you have never tasted it; let then your heart but taste the Bread of Life, that coming to know its sweetness you may be able to love it." St. Gregory the Great

Every once in a while I have the opportunity to visit a dear friend - you know, the Italian grandmother type who hugs and kisses and pinches cheeks to let you know how happy they are to see you.

Always, after greeting me with a fanfare at the door, her first words are, "Come! Let me feed you!" Usually I pause, hesitant to accept such an offer - one that would require work on the part of my friend -- but today I found myself saying, "Yes, I would like that." I had to admit, I was hungry - not only for the food, but for something in our relationship; the something that only she could give me.

Her delight was palpable; happiness radiated from her beautiful face even as she struggled with the pots and pans. And God forbid I should lift a finger to help! As her friend I had come to realize that this was her greatest treasure, to offer and prepare food for those she loved. She was a nurturer. She was a lover, in the best sense of the word.

To say yes to an invitation such as hers is a two-fold gift. First, it allows her the opportunity to offer her gift, to do what she believes she was meant to do, and, secondly, in acknowledging our need to be fed we receive nourishment of both body and spirit. There is something incredibly beautiful and healing in having a friend who delights in your presence and, also, in giving you theirs.

But sometimes we don't see the meaning or the value behind the gift, or the giver. I was reminded recently during a powerful dream that followed an emotionally difficult week.

The first thing I recalled of the dream were my friend's words, "Come! Let me feed you."

It was her voice, emanating from a bent and aged frame, but behind her stood the Lord, and as she spoke, he spoke. Their mouths moved simultaneously, and then another person became visible, standing between them one in front of the other. It was my own father, and his mouth moved together with theirs as they all spoke the same loving invitation to me - Lord, father, friend.

I woke immediately and sensed a peacefulness that had often escaped me of late. It was a dream that, for a moment, took my breath away as I experienced a multitude of emotions all at the same time - love, grief, joy and gratitude - realizing that all those feelings were flowing from the same source.

God is the source. God is the love in the heart of the giver and the love that takes the form of the gift. They are all bound together, flowing one into the other. We only need reflect on Christ, our Lord, both on the cross and in the Eucharist, both Giver and Gift, to understand it all.

There is no better place than before the altar to hear Christ's loving invitation, "Come. Let me feed you," or to envision our Lord standing behind the priest, their lips moving simultaneously as they say, "Do this in memory of me."

This is the reason for our Eucharistic celebration - to be nourished, to be loved, to know that our God is delighting in our presence and delighting, also, in giving the divine presence in return; to be gift-ed.

And once we have the dream, it seems we can never get enough of the Gift.

__________________________

Mary Morrell is the Associate Director of the Office of Religious Education for the Diocese of Metuchen, NJ, and the mother of six sons. She is also the author of Angels in High Top Sneakers from Loyola Press; Things My Father Taught Me, a bi-weekly column that appears in several Catholic newspapers, I'll Walk With God, a monthly newsletter published by the Metuchen Diocesan Office of Religious Education, and a writer for Real Faith TV, produced by the Diocese of Trenton, Office of Communication.

Contact

Diocese of Metuchen
http://www.diometuchen.org NJ, US
Mary Morrell - Associate Director, Office of Religious Education, 732 562-1990

Email

mmorrell@diometuchen.org

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