The Father Feeds

Philip said to Jesus, "Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us." // John 14:8

For the last few months, every time I quiet my mind and heart and turn to Jesus in prayer, I’m eating. I had asked Jesus to show me the Father, and ever since, He’s been feeding me. Dates, figs, berries, sandwiches, Chinese food . . . it’s all delectable and delightful. This has a lot to do with how the Lord is claiming His Fatherhood in my life personally, but I think it holds something for us all.

God is a Father of provision. He is concerned with our supernatural needs primarily, but He is also concerned with our natural needs. After all, He is the One Who created us with them. So when Jesus spoke to His disciples about the Father on Holy Thursday, He followed it up with a meal that would satisfy both their stomachs and their souls.

So often we can assume that the Father is distant and disinterested. We relate to Jesus because He is Emmanuel, “God with us.” But this reality does not negate the Father’s interest and involvement in our lives; after all, the Father is the One Who sent the Son. And it is through the Son that we reach our ultimate resting place: the holy arms of the Father (see Responsorial Psalm).

In my prayer and in this Gospel, the message is clear: God feeds us. Even more, He feeds us with Himself. The Holy Eucharist is the food offered to us in all seasons and in all our needs.

Our physical hunger points to our spiritual hunger. And maybe you’re starving.

Maybe it’s been a long time since you have gone to the Father’s house—since you have been to Mass. Maybe your life feels like a marathon, and you are in need of constant nourishment. Maybe you’ve been gorging on the scraps of sin and long to return to the true Feast.

In all your hunger, look to the Father.

How do you need to be fed today? Receive His mercy in Reconciliation and come to the Eucharistic feast, where all your needs are met.