”And he said to them, ‘I have earnestly desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you I shall not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, ‘Take this, and divide it among yourselves; for I tell you that from now on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ And he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” (Lk 22: 15-20)
This passage tells me first and foremost about the Holy Eucharist, that special kind of “meal” we share, as Church, on special days, “in remembrance” of our Lord. But it also reminds me of an important fact concerning all my meals; all my “daily bread” and drink, – that the God-Man shared it with us, many times. This happens to be the last time He did so, before the “fulfillment” of His death and resurrection, but Christ “ate and drank” with us, “with tax collectors and sinners” (Mk 2: 16), many times.
I find this simple fact uplifting and dignifying as I approach any food or drink today, on a non-festal Friday, when I’m not in church for the Holy Eucharist. I can also “do this,” – eat and drink, whatever I’m eating or drinking, – “in remembrance” of Him. Fast-days (like today, Friday) and fasting-periods (like the Dormition Fast, in which those of us on the Older Calendar still find ourselves) are extra-helpful for approaching my food and drink-choices “in remembrance” of Him. But I can always “do this” with the simple thought that, you know, “He did this” as well. And He certainly didn’t “do this” unwisely or in any unhealthy manner, so I might take pause today and try to do likewise. O Lord, “give us this day our daily bread,” and help us approach it, and everything else, in grateful and healthy remembrance of You.
