“You Cannot Eat Your Way to Jesus”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
July 27 – 28, 2024
Gospel: John 6:1-15
Our good Lord gave people an Introduction to the Eucharist course, but they sort of flunked it. They realized Jesus had the power to do what He said, and He did it out of love. They flunked the course because when they saw what He could do, they wanted to make Him a bread king. We do not have a bread king . . . We have a King of love, and He gives Himself to us. But the people thought He would give them everything they needed, which would be the perfect social welfare system. “If we make Him a king, everybody will get free bread, free housing, and a free computer.” They flunked the lesson terribly. They said He was a prophet. They got that wrong too. He was the Son of God. They were asking for the wrong thing from our Lord.
He came so that they might have life and have it to the fullest. He came to fill the hole in the soul. He gave them the means for salvation and peace in their souls. But they all wanted something less than what He was. And that happens in the Church. “If we have a gym, people will come. If we have a youth ministry, people will come. If we buy them pizza, they will come.” In the Army, we had a program called “Eat Your Way to Jesus.” They would buy pizza for these bible studies they held. The soldiers would come, eat the pizza, and leave. You couldn’t keep them there. They ate the free food, and they were outta there. “Well, if we had pools, saunas, and entertainment we could compete.” No. We can give them what we have which is the best . . . we give them God. It’s not what we give them but Who we give them.
People call or come by the church all the time to ask for money, and they come up with some incredible stories about why they need money. We know it’s all fertilizer. Their power is about to be shut off or they need money for a mortgage payment. Some of them show up at night, which is why the cops recommended that I have a handgun. So, if you need to stop by the rectory at night, call beforehand to let me know. When I answer the door at night, I always have a gun behind my back because there are a lot of not-so-nice people around after dark. “Oh, I was just released from the hospital, and I need money for medicine.” Now, I’ve been a hospital chaplain for 40 years, and that doesn’t fly at all. Sometimes they bring their babies and claim they need money for baby formula.
We hear some amazing stories, but they always ask for much less than they could receive. I can give them Christ the way the Apostles received Him at the Last Supper. They can receive the Most Precious Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion. With the Sacrament of Penance, I, acting in the Person of Christ, can wash away their sins with His Most Precious Blood and anoint their soul. I can give them peace at the end of their lives with the Sacrament of Last Rites so that they can go joyfully to meet God. You’d be surprised, but a lot of people don’t want that.
I had this patient in hospice who was new to the unit, so I looked at his chart. He had lots of problems, and his prognosis was not great. I went in to visit him, and we talked for about ten minutes. I asked him if he would like to receive the Sacrament of the Sick. I don’t call it Last Rites; otherwise, the nurses would have to clean the bed sheets again, and I don’t want to get in trouble with them. But the patient said, “Oh no, no. I’m getting better!” I leaned over and said, “You know you’re in hospice, right?” I just wanted to make sure he was aware of where he was. He may be getting out in a couple of weeks, but probably not the way he thought. Now, my military background tells me I must complete the mission, so I went to Plan B, which I have used many times. I wait until the medication cart goes by and the patient gets a bunch of happy pills or shots. Then I have a cup of coffee while I wait for them to get bombed. After about 10 minutes, I go back into the patient’s room and ask, “Would you like to receive Last Rites now? I’ll take that as a yes.” Mission completed.
We always ask for too little while God offers us so much. Every day, we can come into God’s very presence. The church is open if either Lori or I are here. It beats watching Soap Operas or listening to Dan Bongino. Our Lord is in the Tabernacle, and He wants to feed our souls to give us peace and rest. He wants to give us strength to carry our crosses so that can rejoice with Him for all eternity. God wants to give us His very self while we settle for so much less.
How will you apply this message to your life? ________________________________________
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