Sunday, April 22, 2018

4th Week of Easter, Monday, 23-04-18

Acts 11:1-18 / John 10:1-10

Whenever we talk about food, we talk about it as if we live to eat. Oh, surely we love good food and it is a pleasure whenever we can have a delicious and satisfying meal.

But essentially, food is for our sustenance and it is critical for our survival. In other words, we eat to live, and not really the other way round.

In the 1st reading, Peter seemed to have a vision about food, as he saw a big sheet with all sorts of animals and wild beasts, everything possible that could walk, crawl or fly.

And then a voice told him to kill and eat, but he protested with his religious dietary laws, that nothing profane or unclean has ever crossed his lips.

And then came a revelation as the voice from heaven told him: What God has made clean, you have no right to call profane.

But before we start to think about religious dietary restrictions and even those who are vegetarians, the vision was necessary for Peter and necessary for the early Church.

It was to open the mind of Peter to be sent to pagans, who were non-Jews, and that he cannot see them as people to be avoided.

It also opened the minds of those who criticised Peter for mixing with the pagans and eating with them.

And this also reminds us that what unites us is so much greater than what divides us.

This also reminds us that as we come for the Eucharist, we have come to the table of the Lord. Let us lay aside what divides us so that we can be united with the Lord in this sacred meal.

Jesus came so that we can have life and life to the full. As we partake of this sacred meal, may we also be strengthened to work for unity within the Church and also outside of the Church.