In one Resurrection account (John 21), Jesus prepares breakfast for His disciples. Having fished all night without success, they are weary, frustrated and hungry. First Jesus directs Peter to throw the net over starboard, which results in a large haul. Then Jesus cooks up some fish. "Come," He says to His disciples, "have breakfast." Once again, the Master becomes the servant, sensitive to the needs of his friends and responding to them with loving attention. They're hungry – what else to do but cook them a meal, which is precisely what our Lord does, simply and humbly. Do we realize that Jesus treats us the same way? Each and every day He invites us, "Come and eat."
When are hearts are heavy with care and sorrow, when our bodies are weary with pain, when we feel we can't take one more step and just want to sit down and call it quits, Jesus says to us, "Come and eat."
When our days are drab and dreary and our nights dark and long, when our friends fail us and our enemies hound us, when we are distracted by the passing fancies of the world and have no hunger for spiritual things, Jesus says to us, "Come and eat."
When our passions frighten us and our sins disgust us, when our lack of progress and growth discourage us, when life overwhelms us and self-pity and resentment creep in, Jesus says to us, "Come and eat."
When we think that nobody understands us, when our lives appear to be useless and we doubt our ability to make a difference in this world, when we wonder why life has to be the way it is, Jesus says to us, "Come and eat."
When the future looks bleak, when the unknown terrifies us, when fear and anxiety beset us, when our problems confound us, when peace eludes us, Jesus says to us, "Come and eat."
Knowing full well the hungers of our human hearts, Jesus provides for them all, carefully, tenderly, lovingly. In His Word, He feeds us with His truth and wisdom. In the Eucharist, He feeds us with His body and blood. In Reconciliation, He feeds us with His forgiveness and healing. In our human relationships, He feeds us with His friendship and joy. In our Father's creation, He feeds us with His beauty and delight. Day after day, we hear Jesus say to us, "Come and eat." Let us feast with Him at the table of love He sets for us in our daily lives. Then we will shout for joy, as did the first disciples of Christ, "It is the Lord!"
When are hearts are heavy with care and sorrow, when our bodies are weary with pain, when we feel we can't take one more step and just want to sit down and call it quits, Jesus says to us, "Come and eat."
When our days are drab and dreary and our nights dark and long, when our friends fail us and our enemies hound us, when we are distracted by the passing fancies of the world and have no hunger for spiritual things, Jesus says to us, "Come and eat."
When our passions frighten us and our sins disgust us, when our lack of progress and growth discourage us, when life overwhelms us and self-pity and resentment creep in, Jesus says to us, "Come and eat."
When we think that nobody understands us, when our lives appear to be useless and we doubt our ability to make a difference in this world, when we wonder why life has to be the way it is, Jesus says to us, "Come and eat."
When the future looks bleak, when the unknown terrifies us, when fear and anxiety beset us, when our problems confound us, when peace eludes us, Jesus says to us, "Come and eat."
Knowing full well the hungers of our human hearts, Jesus provides for them all, carefully, tenderly, lovingly. In His Word, He feeds us with His truth and wisdom. In the Eucharist, He feeds us with His body and blood. In Reconciliation, He feeds us with His forgiveness and healing. In our human relationships, He feeds us with His friendship and joy. In our Father's creation, He feeds us with His beauty and delight. Day after day, we hear Jesus say to us, "Come and eat." Let us feast with Him at the table of love He sets for us in our daily lives. Then we will shout for joy, as did the first disciples of Christ, "It is the Lord!"
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