Aug182024
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We Can Now Say We Live to Eat.

The ancient Greeks loved to write pithy wisdom sayings to help us get through life. “A stitch in time saves nine;” “Giving is better than receiving;” “We eat to live, not live to eat;” “If we cannot say no to legitimate requests, our “yes” will have no value.” It was during this time that the Book of Proverbs was written. Instead of wisdom sayings that help us in life, these proverbs help us in our relationships. When our relationships are strong, whether that is with a spouse, a friend, a co-worker, or a teacher, we are most productive in life.

I called my brother, who told me he was celebrating his anniversary the next day. They would go out for breakfast, go tubing in a lake, there will be no lunch to make room for a big dinner that will include lobster bisque and Alaskan snow crab. The only glitch in my brother’s master plan was he was unsure if he was married for 37 or 38 years. I told him he better figure that out before tomorrow. They have a lot to celebrate because they made a massive impact in their neighborhood, businesses, the community, and the family. The Bible describes marriage as two who become one. “It is no longer two but one.” This means that the couple are empowered. When you are married, you now have two brains, two sets of eyes, four arms, and four legs. You can do things you were never able to do before. Imagine now you have a strong relationship with God. You now have two brains, and one of them is divine. Think of what you can do with God’s mind, heart, words, and wisdom.

When we come to communion near the end of Mass, we receive the body of Christ and become one with God. We receive God’s heart, his plan, his wisdom, and his power. How do you put all that in words? How do you express your wonder and amazement at such a gift? You can do it all with one word: “Amen.” Most of us say the word just before we receive communion, but do we know what we are saying? Amen is a Hebrew word that means “rooted in.” When we say the word, we tell God that He is our roots. “Without You, I wither and will dry up and be of no significance. Yet, think of what we can do together with that divine heart and what impact we can make with your divine knowledge.

The Greeks would say we eat to live. Because of Christ, we can say we live to eat.

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