A Reflection for the Friday of the Second Week of Advent
“The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said,
‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
But wisdom is vindicated by her works” (Mt 11:19).
One of the first big purchases that my wife and I made together as a married couple was our dining room table. In cramped New York City apartments, where dining rooms and living rooms are often the same room, it can be particularly difficult to find furniture that fits a space. You would be surprised how many simply skip a table altogether, given the limited space and the quality and quantity of takeout available in the city (and yes, there is a sacramentality in sinking into a couch with your spouse and some Thai food, advice against eating in front of the TV be damned).
Table fellowship was “the aspect of Jesus’ ministry which must have been most meaningful to his followers and most offensive to his critics,” according to Scripture scholar Norman Perrin.
Yet we found the perfect table for us. It’s a folding table split into thirds that allows us to store it up against the wall when space is tight and partially unfold it for an intimate two-person meal. When there’s a celebration on, we move it out from the wall, unfold it in all its glory and squeeze as many as 10 people around it, despite the product description advising only six. We wanted our home to be a place where we could throw a proper feast.
Despite meals and tables showing up all over the place in Scripture, I think Catholics can get so caught up in an abstract, theological understanding of the Last Supper that we forget about the wider role that table fellowship played in Jesus’ ministry.
Table fellowship was “the aspect of Jesus’ ministry which must have been most meaningful to his followers and most offensive to his critics,” according to Scripture scholar Norman Perrin. (His book, Rediscovering the Teaching of Jesus, does an excellent job expounding upon the significance of this aspect of Jesus’ ministry.)
Jesus’ critics are upset about how (and specifically, how much) he eats and drinks, and with whom he breaks bread. It is not just that Jesus would dare eat at the same table as the sinners, the outcasts of the community; it’s that he has a blast doing it, too. How many people are like this in the church today? How many insist that engaging sinners and outcasts must be done in a stern and serious way, lest we give our “approval” to their way of life or “confuse” the rest of the church through our fraternity with them?
“He is a glutton and a drunkard.” If there is any kernel of truth to the invectives hurled at Jesus, it is probably that Jesus’ meals were extravagant and frequent.
“He is a glutton and a drunkard.” If there is any kernel of truth to the invectives hurled at Jesus, it is probably that Jesus’ meals were extravagant and frequent.
This Advent, give yourself permission and time to indulge in a long, extravagant meal. Let the wine flow and the dishes pile up (they’ll still be there in the morning). Let it prepare our hearts for the God who became one of us, to drink from our cups, to eat from our bounty, to sit at our tables.
Get to know Zac Davis, associate editor and co-host of Jesuitical
1. Favorite Christmas Song/Hymn
Church hymn: “O Come, Divine Messiah”
Outside of church hymn: “God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen/We Three Kings” by Barenaked Ladies feat. Sarah McLachlan
2. Favorite Christmas Tradition:
Getting our (real) Christmas tree from Stonehaven Tree farm in Centerburg, Ohio.
3. Favorite Article You Wrote This Year:
I once fell in love with the Latin Mass—which is why I understand why Pope Francis restricted it.
4. Favorite Christmas photo:
Me and my sister, where I think I’ve just realized my own mortality
