We live in an age that invented junk food: food that is not real food because it supplies no nourishment and can be harmful to eat. It’s not surprising, then, that we also consume volumes of reporting that is mostly opinion, and inform ourselves from sources we can’t even identify. Our cultures popular stories are thin, recycled, and not transformative. A lot of what we take in – to our bodies, our minds, our hearts – is just junk. Some people awaken to that reality and try to make changes. They train themselves to walk past the processed food aisle in the market. They turn off the TV, forsake pre-packaged options, seek out stories which lead beyond romance or cynicism. They look for people engaged in vital living, who go beyond the existence loop that many of us have crawled into: work, eat, entertain, sleep. Some people are looking for true food. Jesus offers true food to those who believe. Eucharist is how we express that, but the sacrament takes us beyond the sacred elements to the flesh-and-blood avenues of our lives. Jesus gave us the Eucharist to open our eyes to the words he spoke, the stories he told, the transformative action of Spirit that helps us break out of the existence loop and into lives that matter. When we’ve had enough junk food, the true food is on the table.
(Source: GPBS eNews)