Fr. Ray at 'the first table'(Corpus Christi 2010 (C): This homily was given on June 5, 2010 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I. by Fr. Raymond Suriani. Read 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26; Luke 9:11b-17.)
From the first table comes instruction; from the second the power to live the instruction.
From the first table hearts are consoled; from the second hearts are healed.
From the first table mysteries are explained; from the second mysteries are experienced.
From the first table sins are revealed; from the second sins are forgiven.
From the first table the Light shines on our lives; from the second the Light enters us, body and soul.
So—where are these two tables?
The answer is right in front of you—literally right in front of you!
The first “table” mentioned in that reflection is otherwise known as the pulpit: the place from which the word of God is preached. In fact, one of the documents of Vatican II—the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, in paragraph 51—uses the expression “the table of God’s word” when speaking of the proclamation of the Scriptures that takes place at holy Mass.
(So I can’t take credit for being original with the idea. The reflection I just shared with you on “the two tables” is original, but the idea of the pulpit as a kind of table comes from the official teaching of the Church, not from yours truly!)
The second “table,” of course, is otherwise known as the altar—the altar of sacrifice—where the Holy Eucharist is consecrated; where Jesus Christ becomes present to us and for us, body, blood, soul and divinity.
The miracle of the feeding of the five thousand, which we heard in today’s gospel, foreshadowed the nourishment that Jesus would give us from this second table. (That’s why it’s read on Corpus Christi Sunday.)
And so, if someone asked you to give them a simple and clear definition of the Mass, you could say to them that the Mass is “the place where God’s people are nourished from two tables”—and you would be correct.
This, incidentally, is one reason why it is so spiritually harmful to be chronically late for Mass. For proper spiritual nourishment, we need the “food” that comes to us from BOTH of these tables! When you are consistently late for Mass, missing part or all of the Liturgy of the Word, you are depriving yourself of the spiritual nourishment that comes to you from the first table. You are weakening (or at least you are failing to strengthen) your personal faith. Remember, in Romans 10 St. Paul says that faith comes through “hearing,” and what is heard is the word of Christ.
Some Catholics have the idea that the Bible is for Protestants, and the Eucharist is for Catholics, so the first part of the Mass (the Liturgy of the Word) really isn’t all that important.
That is so wrong! For Catholics it’s not either the Bible OR the sacraments; for real Catholics who know and accept the truths of their faith it’s the Bible AND the sacraments!
That’s why entering into BOTH parts of the Mass is so crucial!
The same point, therefore, is to be made about those who leave Mass early—right after Communion. Because they don’t take the time to try to “commune” with Jesus in prayer after they receive his body and blood, they deprive themselves of nourishment from the second table!
Which brings me back to the reflection I shared at the beginning of my homily. I started off by saying, “From the first table comes instruction; from the second the power to live the instruction.” If we’re only being nourished from one of these tables during holy Mass, either we will not know the truth as we should (because we will miss out on the instruction God is giving us that day through his word), or we will know the truth in our mind but lack the power to live it—the power that comes from a worthy and fruitful reception of Holy Communion (or the power that comes from a “spiritual communion” for those who for one reason or another cannot physically receive).
The second point of the reflection was rendered as follows: “From the first table hearts are consoled; from the second hearts are healed.”
If you say “yes” in your heart to the word of God that is proclaimed from the pulpit at Mass, you will experience consolation. And that’s true even if the message that’s given is a tough one—because it will lead to repentance, and sincere repentance brings consolation and peace.
The Eucharist, on the other hand, not only brings us a message of consolation, it actually brings us the grace of consolation—since Jesus, the consoler, is present there sacramentally. And that consolation brings healing into our hearts. It can also bring healing, at times, into our bodies.
The third point I made was this one: “From the first table mysteries are explained; from the second mysteries are experienced.”
“Divine mysteries” are the sacred truths of our faith. They’re called “mysteries” because they relate to God, whom we can understand partially but not completely.
The fourth point: “From the first table sins are revealed; from the second sins are forgiven.”
Have you ever been “convicted” of a sin when you heard a particular homily or a particular passage of Scripture during Mass?
If you haven’t, then you haven’t been listening! I get convicted all the time—which is great, if I have the good sense to repent afterward!
And that repentance can actually bring me forgiveness during Mass itself—if I also sincerely repent of my sin after I receive Holy Communion.
Many Catholics are not aware of the fact that the Eucharist has the potential to bring us forgiveness for our sins, if we have the right disposition in our heart when we receive.
That’s great news, isn’t it?
Of course, that’s only for our venial sins! Any mortal sins that we have need to be brought to the confessional.
Finally, I said in my meditation: “From the first table the Light shines on our lives; from the second the Light enters us, body and soul.”
This reminds us that as Catholics we don’t have to go through life confused about who we are, and what life is all about, and where we’re going, and what God expects of us while we’re here on earth. We can know all of those things if we listen to—and internalize—the message of God’s revealed word. And we can have the power to live this way—to live in the Light of God’s truth—if we worthily receive the eternal Light (Jesus) in the Holy Eucharist on a regular basis, and are open to the graces of the sacrament.
All that having been said, let me conclude this morning by sharing with you my personal prayer for this Mass. My personal prayer is that all of us will be “Two Table Catholics,” who are fully-nourished and fully-equipped to know the faith, and live the faith, and spread the faith—especially to the spiritually malnourished people that all of us encounter each and every day.
