The extraordinary joy of breaking bread

A Reflection for Saturday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time

Find today’s readings here.

I dream about something my family calls “Up North Dinner” all year. Sweet peaches and ripe tomatoes, salad greens from the farmer’s market and, if I’m lucky, corn and pancetta risotto (my favorite) with fresh Michigan corn and herbs from my aunt’s garden. Each night for a week in mid-August, fourteen of my extended family members and I prepare dinner together. It’s my favorite tradition from my favorite time of the year.

My dad and Uncle Jack are the designated grill masters, my cousin Caroline is on cocktail duty and the rest of us Whatley women divide and conquer. We prepare the appetizer, entree and dessert (likely a cherry pie or those triple-chocolate Ghirardelli brownies you can only find at Costco). A cheese board or veggie plate is the first to come out, providing sustenance for all working parties. Up North Dinner is never rushed. The Temptations’ soulful sound plays in the background, and sometimes a dance party or karaoke session ignites mid-prep (obviously we all stop and dance). The meal eventually gets made. Uncle Jack sits down and inevitably flashes his hands open and closed, announcing “Open shut ‘em!,” a giddy smirk lighting up his face, reminding us of the preschool prayer we’re about to pray. It’s the same one we always say at Up North Dinner and which will also probably be said at my wedding. Then we dig in. It’s loud. It’s boisterous. It’s human. It’s absolutely delightful.

I like to imagine that God also delights in Up North Dinner, because each of us shows up as our authentic selves and contributes our unique gifts to the meal. As today’s first reading reminds us, it is exactly this kind of active, full participation that we are called to as we break bread during Mass and participate in the Feast on Sunday as well. “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the Blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the Body of Christ?” Breaking bread may seem like a routine event for us Catholics, but it’s worth taking a second to remember just how extraordinary it is. In breaking bread, we are called to play a role in God’s work on earth—authentically as ourselves. God doesn’t need us all to be grill masters or on cocktail duty, just to do whatever we uniquely do best.

I’m not insinuating that Up North Dinner is church (though I wish risotto was part of the Mass!), but I do find spiritual nourishment in the way it unifies my family through fellowship and participation. It bears much fruit because each of us recognizes its beauty and plays a role in its creation. Likewise, when we come to the Feast, we get to be team members co-animating God’s creation. We get to be God’s sous chefs. But just as in any professional kitchen, we have to show up ready to take on the task at hand and do the work of envisioning the bigger picture. That requires spiritual humility, genuine fellowship and active engagement, including questioning and reflection.

What does active participation in the body and blood of Christ mean for you? Talk about it with someone you love this week. Have this conversation over a meal. Invite a group of people over and make your own Up North Dinner. Make it fun. Maybe make some risotto, cherry pie or Ghirardelli triple-chocolate brownies. Then, turn your conversation into action. As today’s second reading tells us, “the one who listens and does not act is like a person who built a house on the ground without a foundation.” Make sure you build the house with a sturdy foundation. Otherwise, you won’t have a kitchen to make Up North Dinner, and that would be a real shame.

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