Tuesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Today's Mass Readings

A theologian I know once pointed to an important theological book that he recommended his audience should read. It was not only an intellectual text dealing with theology, but it was also a beautifully written work that was of practical concern for anyone wishing to live the spiritual life, following Jesus. After he told us to read the book, he said we should read it again, and then eat it. Some people laughed at what was obviously a metaphor. There is a longstanding tradition within Judaism that when children first hear the word of God, the Shema on the oneness of God from Deuteronomy chapter 6, they are given a drop of honey. Both the theologian’s metaphor and the Jewish tradition linking honey with hearing the Word of God are inspired from today’s first reading from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel. Ezekiel is told to eat a scroll, and then he recounts how the scroll tasted like honey in his mouth. This scroll was the Word of God, literally the very words God wished Ezekiel to speak to God’s people Israel. God’s word indeed is meant to be sweet as honey. We need to “eat” the Word of God. For many of the Church fathers, this pointed to the importance of immersing ourselves in Sacred Scripture. Obviously we don’t need to literally eat the paper pages of the Bible we have at home. But we do need to read and pray Scripture. As St. Jerome said so long ago, ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. We encounter Christ when we read and pray Scripture. This can be an experience as sweet as the taste of honey. But there is more to eating the Word of God than merely at a metaphorical level when we read and pray Scripture.

I recall one Mass where the Communion hymn was taken from Psalm 34. Verse 8 tells us to taste and see that the Lord is good. I overheard a son sitting behind me ask his father how we can taste and see the goodness of the Lord. And then we processed up and received Jesus the Lord in Holy Communion. This is where, above all, we taste and see the goodness of the Lord. This is where, above all, we ingest God’s sweet Word. We literally eat and drink the Word of God, spiritually sweeter than honey, at ever reception of Holy Communion. In Holy Communion we eat Jesus, the true Word of God made flesh, and now under the appearance of bread and wine.

It is above all at Mass where we eat God’s Word, as did Ezekiel before us, metaphorically in the Scriptures we hear and pray, and literally in the Communion we share. Let us meditate on the Word of God in Scripture throughout the day and throughout the week, to help better prepare ourselves for taking in the Word of God in Holy Communion, and allowing us to be transformed by God’s power. After all, in so many ways we are what we eat. This is true nowhere as much as in the Eucharist.

Jeff Morrow