Is this the banquet Jesus had in mind?
Lunch is a central activity at Strong Life Rescue Mission for the homeless. As the hour approaches, there’s an anticipation. Some set up the tables, arrange the desserts, or pass out drinks, and ask casually, “What time is lunch?” A few more homeless trickle in off the streets. New “car campers” arrive in the parking lot. All are awaiting the delivery of hot meals generously provided by the nearby soup kitchen, The Corner Table.
Jesus said, “When you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be.” (Lk 14:13-14) I wonder. Is having lunch with 30-60 homeless people each week the banquet Jesus had in mind? Many of the homeless are poor, crippled, lame, and deaf. I would add to the list those afflicted by mental illness, drug addiction, a tragically abusive past, or just flat-out unlucky.
It is hard to describe what I am feeling as I join the others for lunch. I have a weird sense of belonging. Sharing a meal with another, even a wayward stranger, has a way of deepening connections. I also feel satisfaction and delight. For a moment, there is a bounty in a world where too many people go hungry. God has answered the prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread.”
I think my feelings about eating lunch with the homeless come down to one thing: it’s a personal encounter with Jesus. With an emphasis on the pronoun “I”, Jesus clearly said he is one of the least ones. “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.” (Mt 25:35-36) In other words, Jesus is saying, “If you want to see me face to face, host a most unusual banquet.”
It’s easier to see the presence of Jesus in the beautiful liturgies of the Church. But Saint John Chrysostom (d. 407) preached a homily admonishing church people for emphasizing the Liturgy while neglecting the poor.
“Do you want to honor Christ’s body? Then do not honor him here in the church with silken garments while neglecting him outside where he is cold and naked… Of what use is it to weigh down Christ’s table with golden cups, when he himself is dying of hunger? First, fill him when he is hungry; then use the means you have left to adorn his table.” (see text in the Divine Office).
How might you host the banquet Jesus commands, rubbing elbows and sharing a meal with ‘the least among us’?
