Bread

Feast of the Body & Blood of Christ; Luke 9:11-17

They all ate until they were satisfied and, when the leftovers were collected,

there were twelve baskets full.

I can’t speak for what happens in your house, but in mine, when we have guests over for a meal, the kitchen smells wonderful and there is always enough for everyone. In fact, I often (always?) wonder who all she is cooking for. In my mind, a perfect dinner would be when everyone has all they wanted to eat and there were no leftovers.

I have, however, been dissuaded from that thought over the years. Apparently, if we do not have enough leftovers to give our guests a full meal for the next night, a full meal for a friend down on their luck, a full meal for (at least) one of our kid’s families, and for ourselves for at least three nights – well, we just barely made enough. Do not get me wrong. I am not complaining. One look at my waistline, and you’ll know I have been well cared for over the years.

On this Feast of the Body & Blood of Christ, we are reminded of how important it is to feed the hungry. Again, if you look at my waistline, you’ll know that I do not suffer from hunger. And I am very grateful for that. I am aware that many, many people go hungry in our world today. In 2023, 13.5% of U.S. households experienced food insecurity, meaning they lacked access to enough food for an active, healthy life. This translates to roughly 47.4 million people, including 13.8 million children, living in food-insecure households. Food insecurity rates are higher among certain groups, including Black and Latinx households, those with lower incomes, and those living in southern rural areas.

The world is currently facing the largest hunger crisis in recent history. Globally, 757 million people suffer from chronic hunger, 343 million face extreme hunger, and 44.4 million are on the brink of starvation. Women bear the brunt, making up 60% of the hungriest, and 45 million children under five were severely malnourished. In 2025.

Lets be honest: we cannot relate to those numbers. Let’s put it this way: This represents roughly 1 in 11 people worldwide. Think about your personal group of friends. On a worldwide basis, 1 out of 11 of your friends are starving, and most of them are women and children. If you knew one of your friends was starving (not just hungry, but starving) I know you’d find a way to help them.

As an advanced society, this is an embarrassment and should cause all of us to rethink what we do to help those in need. The hungry are in our cities and towns. The hungry are in our neighborhoods, no matter where you live. These are the people Jesus loved the most.  As a follower of Jesus, I should love them as well.

Every time I attend mass, I receive the body and blood of Christ. It is, for me, an intense moment of hope, joy and mercy. But it can be more. As author Tulio Huggins wrote, “It’s been hard, especially in the midst of the present turmoil. Our brothers and sisters have been ignored for political and selfish gain and turned into scapegoats for our societal issues. The immigrant, the poor and the minority have been ridiculed, stereotyped and treated with contempt by politicians like Donald Trump and others. Millions are in fear of being deported by ICE, humanitarian aid across war zones and poverty-stricken countries are frozen and Nazi salutes are performed at inaugurations and pro-life rallies. On top of that, navigating a church still detangling itself from white American Christianity has led to painful encounters with racism and ignorance.” [1]

When I make my prayer of thanksgiving to God for the blessing of the Eucharist, I am mindful that far too many of my brothers and sisters are hungry for real bread. But they are also searching for the Bread of Life. Perhaps, I can do more to ease the suffering of those with hungers pangs and offer them hope in the Body and Blood of Christ at the same time.

Every Day.

Tulio Huggins; How The Eucharist Gives Me Hope In This Time Of Despair; National Catholic Reporter Online; https://www.ncronline.org/spirituality/how-eucharist-gives-me-hope-time-despair; February 22, 2025

© 2025 by Timothy J. Doppel

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