ENJOYING LIFE

A wedding reception, for the most part, follows a familiar ritual. The guests gather and enjoy pre-dinner drinks and conversation with family and friends. When it is time to be seated people find their table and name tag, the bride and groom and the wedding party are welcomed and the meal begins. Speeches are a feature of the time together, the cutting of the cake, the wedding dance and departure. A central part of the festivities is food and drink helping people relax and enjoy the occasion.

The image of the banquet features large in the scriptures. Isaiah, centuries before Jesus, saw God inviting all to a great feast! What God added as the finishing touch was his removal of death. The prophet looked to a time when our enjoyment of each other would never be cut short by death.

Each Eucharist we celebrate is a celebration of the reality Isaiah longed for. We are invited by Jesus who will never be removed from us by death. In the communion of saints who gather with us at each Eucharist we are with those whose way of existing has changed but who still live and interact with us. These are our deceased relatives and friends. At the Eucharist we are called by the Lamb to enjoy the supper he prepared for us. So enjoy what you eat and drink. Enjoy the words you hear. Enjoy those around you and pray that they will savour each moment of life and encourage them to do the same.

Fr Adrian Farrelly