Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ
Genesis 14:18-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Luke 9:11-17
God is Enough to Satisfy our Hungers
I just returned from walking three weeks on the Camino of Santiago de Compostela. It was a challenging and inspiring journey of more than 300 miles with pilgrims from around the world and of every age and stage of life. My Camino journey brought me back to my first visit to Spain almost 40 years ago and before I entered the Dominicans. St. Teresa of Avila, a 15-century mystic, and church reformer, was a powerful companion for me during that first journey. She was everywhere—in churches, shrines on the street and in people’s homes. As I struggled to decide to become a Dominican sister, one of her prayers struck me: Solo Dios basta (God is enough). I haven’t thought about that prayer in many years, but walking through the villages in northern Spain and again seeing St. Teresa everywhere, that quote from her reverberated in my heart each day. On this feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, I am reminded once again that God is more than enough to satisfy my hungers and the hungers of the world.
In today’s gospel story, every person in the large crowd had “enough.” It was a simple meal, and all were given the same food no matter their status. All had enough. John J Pilch, a scripture scholar, writes of today’s Gospel passage: “This is not a lakeside family picnic but rather a story about a mind-boggling gathering of people who live in chaos and whose daily fare was hardly more than a subsistence serving of food. Jesus ministers to all their needs with a warm welcome, uplifting teaching, compassionate healing and sufficient physical nourishment for everyone with food to spare (twelve full baskets).” (The Cultural World of Jesus, Sunday by Sunday, Cycle C, Liturgical press, p.96).
Christ, the healer, welcomes us and nourishes our bodies and spirits with his body and blood to sustain us for the arduous journey of life. We are fed and nurtured by Word and Sacrament and are called to become the Body of Christ for others—healers, nurturers, sharers of the earth’s bounty—making sure all have enough. When we walk with God and one another, there is always enough love and compassion to spare.
Sr. Terry Rickard, OP
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