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| Family - Blessed, Broken, and Shared |
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The centre of a sacramental life, the Eucharist, is rich with meaning; and a call to sharing and service. By saying "Amen" to the Eucharist, the body of Christ, we say "yes" to the One who calls us to live as he did. (Mk 8:34). The Eucharistic action of blessing, breaking, and sharing reminds us that we, like Christ, are called to be bread, blessed, broken and shared in the midst of the world. Andrew Greeley describes a scene where a father takes his four children out for ice cream. They behave terribly, fighting from the moment they leave the house until the moment they arrive home. Despite their miserable behaviour, the father reports that they had a wonderful time. Why? Because he was spending time and sharing food with them, and in that moment, imperfect as it was, their love for each other became apparent. Loving and feeding also are at the heart of our faith tradition. As the father of those children well knew, the first school where we learn the true meaning of the Eucharistic action – breaking, blessing and sharing – is in the family. Author Henri Nouwen describes the Eucharistic action as a paradigm for Christian life; I believe it can serve as model for Christian family life as well. How are families blessed? What may come to mind is the joy of couples in love or the pride of parents for their children. Another, not often noticed blessing is the commitment or covenant, which invites us to embody the unconditional, faithful love that God has for us. (Jeremiah 31:33). Families remaining faithful to their commitments in the midst of life's daily burdens truly are a blessing. As they take the extra step to spend time with their children, work overtime to put food on the table, to church when it is neither convenient nor pleasant, they serve as examples to us of a life blessed – they embody the Eucharist. Despite life's many challenges, these families give thanks for the blessings that are theirs – they are Eucharistic in their daily life. Even though Eucharistic families appreciate their blessings, they also experience a continuing process of breaking and restoring, of dying and rising. Romans 6:3-6 reminds us that we not only enter into the resurrection of Christ, but into the death that precedes it. For ordinary families, this happens daily. For example, individuals may face brokenness as they build relationships, entering them with unrealised dreams, shattered promises, or an inability to trust. Families with children know the heartbreak of letting them make mistakes that they could prevent with a single word. Recall the father in the parable of the prodigal son, (Lk 15:12-32) who surely was broken as he tried to be a loving parent to both of his sons. Some families face death as they try to balance the needs of aging members with those of the rest of the family. In these and other situations, families face brokenness and death as surely as Jesus did. And like Jesus, families also pass through death to experience the joy of the resurrection. Family life, like the Eucharist, helps us to remember that brokenness in life is an ever present reality. Imagine the many ways that families share. To go back to our original story, the father and children shared time and food in a special way. Sharing a meal is an intimate activity. For centuries, it has been a symbol of unity, an opportunity to set aside differences, a chance to build community. A tragedy of contemporary American society is that many people have forgotten the significance of food shared, and lose sight of the intimacy that emerges in the daily gathering around a family table. When one understands the Eucharist as an intimate sharing of the Bread of Life, its connections with family life become apparent. The joining of lives, of which sharing food is a metaphor, is the point where Eucharist and family life are grounded in intimacy, the basis of all deep relationships. In the story of the road to Emmaus (Lk 24:13-35) the disciples came to know Jesus through the intimate sharing of a meal. Just as Jesus revealed himself to the disciples, so family members make themselves known to each other in the meals and the life they share. Families live the Eucharist by enfleshing blessing, breaking and sharing. In family life, the unconditional love of covenant is an invaluable blessing, and serves as a reminder of Eucharistic blessing. Just as we count on Christ's promise to be with us, families living as Eucharist reveal Christ's faithfulness to each other. While we recognise that no one will ever do this perfectly, belief in Christ's presence in the Eucharist challenges families to work toward leading lives of covenant and commitment. Moreover, all families understand the reality of being broken, a critical element of the Eucharistic action. On a daily basis, families sacrifice and suffer, and as they work through the struggles of life, they become mirrors of the Eucharistic sacrifice. In the brokenness of ordinary life, families reveal Christ, broken for us. Finally, as the bread and wine of the Eucharist are shared, families hare themselves day after day. In truth, they are the training grounds where persons develop the ability to share themselves, and build up the reign of God in the world. As families try to build a culture of intimacy, generosity, and spirituality, they demonstrate Eucharistic life daily. Through the witness of family life, we manifest Christ's Eucharistic presence, and make it present in our homes, communities, and in the world. As our ice cream eating family knows, the Eucharist, the mystery of thanksgiving, is revealed in their sharing time and food together. © 2006 Joann Heaney-Hunter, all rights reserved. |
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