Catholic life and good wine go hand in hand

A Reflection for Friday of the Second Week of Lent

Find today’s readings here.

There is a lot of wisdom to be had in this particular Gospel passage from Matthew, but I want to spend this reflection talking about the importance of wine to the Christian tradition.

It has always been one of my favorite things that we in the Catholic faith treasure our relationship to wine. It is so important to us: It is a central part of our liturgy, as the wine is transubstantiated into the blood of Christ. Wine is also a central element in many of the Gospel stories: At the wedding at Cana, Jesus’ first miracle is turning water into wine, and in this parable, wine is important enough to the common people that servants are beaten and killed over ownership of vineyards. Clearly, we can infer that wine is a crucial and significant part of Jesus’ daily life.

In many ways, this significance within Catholic communities continues to be true—and contributes greatly to the richness of Catholic social life. A big part of why I love being part of the Catholic Church is how alive it feels. It is largely a culture that prizes gregariousness and extroversion; the Mass is a solemn time for reflection and storytelling, but afterwards (ideally) there is always a group of people willing to partake in the consumption of food and drink together as a community.

That this is the ideal for the local Catholic community says a lot about what God promises us in eternal life: joy and plenty, bereft of the need to worry about earthly things and the freedom to enjoy the people around us. Images of heaven often refer to a feast or a banquet: A well-prepared meal, one worked on with love and care, is one of the best ways for one to show one’s love. That Christ would be the one to prepare such a feast for us in heaven makes perfect sense, and given the subject of his first miracle, that feast would almost certainly include some very good wine.

So, the next time you think about whether or not you should go to that mixer after Mass, remember how much Jesus emphasized the importance of wine! It is a tool, when used properly and appropriately, that can bring us closer to other brothers and sisters. It cuts through differences and really emphasizes the universality of our church.