Feasting Together

April 1, 2025

Preparing and sharing in meals are graced occasions for families to grow in communion with one another

By Rebecca Cherico

April 1, 2025

Happy family preparing healthy meal in the kitchen. — (skynesher/E+ via Getty Images)

In most of the Gospel accounts of encounters with the risen Christ, his disciples don’t recognize who he is until they see him in action. Think of Mary Magdalene in the garden after he calls her name (Jn 20:16); or the disciples on the road to Emmaus after the breaking of the bread (Lk 24:30-31); or the Apostles John, Peter and others after an impossible catch of fish (Jn 21:6-7).

This last scene has always stood out in my mind as a special event. After that miraculous catch, the first thing Jesus does is say, “Bring some of the fish you just caught” (Jn 21:10). Then he takes those fish and grills up a little breakfast for them all. In short, Jesus makes a meal while the disciples hang out with him on the lakeshore.

Now, I don’t know about you, but as the parent who generally prepares the meals in my home, I’m not a big fan of my children doing their own thing while I’m slaving away at the stove, only for them to return when dinner is ready. I like to remind them I’m not a short-order cook; I’m their mother. They need to stick around and pitch in, like Jesus asks his disciples to do. A good meal invites community, so it’s only natural that others contribute to its preparation.

It’s wonderful to eat a regular dinner together, but preparing food is also a great moment for family unity, with the added benefit that people are more likely to eat what they have worked to create. While we’re busy with our hands and working alongside each other, family members often feel more willing and able to open up in conversation than they would if we were making direct eye contact. And so my family has come to discover that spending this preparation time together can be truly precious.

The responsibilities of cooking and serving can often feel a bit unfair — some people are always doing more than others. As a parent, I strive to even things out and create balance in my family members’ duties, but the greater good is for everyone to recognize his or her call to serve. Staying flexible and attentive to the needs of those around us, rather than fixated on fairness or an impossible culinary ideal, is essential to that service.

Jesus was not a celebrated chef, but in giving us himself in a humble offering of bread and wine, he provided the greatest food imaginable. It is sacrifice that allows the ordinary to become far more than the sum of its parts.

*****

REBECCA VITZ CHERICO is a teacher, writer and mother of five. Her husband, Colin, is a member of St. Helena/James F. Fenerty Council 14210 in Blue Bell, Pa.

Supper at Emmaus (oil on canvas) by Rembrandt (1606-1669) (Photo Josse / Bridgeman Images)

Feasting Together

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