Jesus lives at Starbucks

When I read the words, Ubi tres, ibi Ecclesia, Where three are, there is a churchI imagined us. It’s based on Jesus’s teaching in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Jesus’s non-traditional notions of “church” were in direct contradiction to the requirements of the Jewish law to have ten men present to make a congregation.

Did he say it just to contradict the teaching of the religious or because there was something far deeper? Christians use this verse many times when praying, but this also contradicts the idea that Jesus is always with us, even when we are alone. 

There is a bigger and brighter idea here. A concept that breaks through all religious notions and rules. There is no number of times a day to pray, no specific place, no time of day. There are no correct words. The concept of two or three is to remind us that even in the midst of the smaller number of two or three, we form a church, a body, a moving being. We don’t need a building, or a denomination or seventy-two ministries to call ourselves Christians. We just need a good friend, an open hand and our loving God.

There is a great treasure to be found in the power of two. It is more than just ourselves. It is another person holding us saying it’s going to be ok. It’s another image of God staring at us. It’s God picking us up when we are unable to pray. It’s creating a congregation in a house, in the midst of a work-space or out here in the abyss of cyberspace.

I have had church in closed-door meetings, the floor of a friend’s house, in front of the Blessed Sacrament on the kneeler. Some of my most profound prayers have been prayed in the most unlikely of places. You don’t have to be in church to lead someone to Jesus, and for me, Starbucks seems to be the place where He appears the most. Maybe there is something about a cup of hot coffee and God. Or maybe it is the place where longer conversations can take place, philosophy still exists and people go to gather and meet and not just sit behind computer screens pretending other people are not there.

Don’t get me wrong, the mass is holy and reverent and the place you’ll find me on Sunday mornings. Not because God makes me, but because my heart implores me. And sometimes the mass contains moments that are prayers without words. Like feeding the eucharist on the tongue to a woman whose eyes are filled with tears, or hands that are wrinkled and clammy and needing His body or blessing a small child who longs for the wafer they are drawn to but know nothing about. For me being Catholic isn’t about the kneeler, it’s about the others on the kneeler with me, looking up at the same crucifix. 

If you are alone today, not religious, not part of a church, there is no need to worry. You are not alone. Grab my hand and let’s pray. Let’s have coffee

Fasting or Feasting, It’s time for the banquet

I tasted food, for the first time in two days. I didn’t just eat it, go through the motions of chewing, eat just so that I could sustain my life. I tasted every morsel, every flavor. And I didn’t just order any old plain, whole wheat, healthy nuts and sprouts food. No. If I was doing it right, I was going to do it right. It was boundless egg and cheese and lots and lots of carbohydrates. An extra-large iced coffee with vanilla flavoring. If it was to be a celebration, I was doing it the right way.

We talk a lot about fasting, but we never talk about feeding- the physical and the spiritual. Emphasis is put on deprivation and emptiness but no so much on physical care and spiritual nourishment. I have often wondered about Jesus’ words to the pious and upright religious sect about fasting. I think about the concept of celebrating while He was still physically among them, not fasting. “There will be a time to fast,” he says in essence,” but now, now is just not the time.” And I have found that in my own walk the same is true. Yes there are times I have felt led to fast, not just from food but from many other things. But more times I have felt led to celebrate. To eat. Especially after tragedy and trials.

Food is a such a big part of the Jewish culture. Even in fasting we celebrate with feasting. Not just eating, but feasting. Food is also an integral part of sitting Shiva after death. We comfort through the joy of food, and bringing food is a sign of care. I have had some of my best and most memorable meals while sitting Shiva. The food is endless and bountiful, as is the conversation during the days after death.

And there is a time for fasting and a place for fasting, but why, why don’t we talk about feasting? Why do we not allow God to feed us like Elijah? Why does it take a tragedy or trial for us to taste food in our bodies and in our souls? Why do we not celebrate with the bridegroom? Isn’t it good to eat?

And after two days of trial and two days of a lack of any food that resembled any substance whatsoever, I in the midst of the trial decided that it was time to feast. I feasted because God was there. I feasted because it was time to celebrate God’s divine intervention even before it was fully realized or accomplished. I feasted because without saying a word, uttering a prayer or shedding a tear, God saw me . He knew what I was doing to myself. And like Elijah, He fed me. And I needed to celebrate with my King.

There are so many others who need to be fed. Sometimes in the midst of tragedy, a freshly baked pie speaks louder than any word or hug could ever accomplish. Yes we are physically feeding people, but we are doing something so much greater. We are feeding the hungry.
