There are certain memories from my childhood that are so deeply ingrained, they are part of who I am. Most of them involve my family; gestures of love, patience, and support from the people who shaped me. But one memory stands out, and it has nothing to do with love or support or even people I was close to. It’s about food.
Every August, my dad’s company would host a big picnic at a park in Bridgeton. And for us kids, it was a dream come true: free pony rides, face painting, games with prizes, and best of all!!! Unlimited food, drinks, and desserts. We looked forward to that picnic all year, because for just one day, we could consume as much soda, chips, ice cream, and nacho cheese as our little bodies could handle. And often… more than we could handle.
Since these kinds of snacks weren’t part of our normal life at home, we felt like we had to make up for the other 364 days of restraint by going all in. We gorged ourselves with joyful abandon, eating until we were sick. I remember once going back to the ice cream truck for a fourth treat. They were out of the good stuff, but they still had those baseball glove-shaped ones with a hard, tasteless piece of gum in the middle. I didn’t even want it, but I took it anyway…because I had to get my “money’s worth”(even though the picnic was free).
Afterward, we’d all waddle home and collapse in misery as our stomachs struggled to recover. And yet, by the next morning, we were hungry again, already dreaming of next year’s feast. No matter how much we ate, the satisfaction never lasted.
That memory came to mind as I reflected on today’s feast, Corpus Christi, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.
Near the end of today’s Gospel, there’s a powerful moment: Jesus feeds a crowd of thousands with just a few loaves and fish, and the Gospel says, “They all ate and were satisfied.” That line jumps out at me: they were satisfied. How rare that is. Think of all the meals we’ve eaten in our lives. How often do we truly feel satisfied—not just physically full, but content?
And not just with food. We live in a world of abundance and a nation of plenty; so much to enjoy, experience, consume. Yet we’re often restless, still wanting more. Deep down, we know that nothing in this world, no matter how good, can truly satisfy the deepest hunger of our hearts.
Only Jesus can do that.
Yes, the crowds marveled at his ability to multiply food, but what drew them to Jesus wasn't just bread and fish. It was something more. Something deeper. Because God has created every human heart with a hunger for Him. Before sin entered the world, Adam and Eve enjoyed perfect communion with God. That was our birthright, our destiny. But since then, we’ve all carried within us a longing, an emptiness, a hunger that only God can fill.
And yet, how often do we try to satisfy that hunger with something else?
Money. Pleasure. Travel. Success. Fitness. Praise. Novelty. None of these things are bad in themselves. But none of them will ever let us say, “I have eaten and am satisfied.” They leave us chasing the next thing. Only Jesus satisfies.
The most perfect, most personal, most powerful way he gives himself to us is through the Eucharist: his Body and Blood. This is the food that nourishes not just our bodies, but our souls. It is the food from heaven, the bread of angels, the one thing that can fill us completely… and still have more left over for others.
It’s easy to take this gift for granted. For many of us, the Eucharist is readily accessible. And so, we risk seeing it as ordinary, as just one part of our faith, rather than the source and summit of our Christian life. But this feast of Corpus Christi is a chance to pause, to recalibrate our hearts, and renew our devotion to this incredible gift.
It’s also a moment to ask:
What am I seeking right now to satisfy me?
What am I craving?
And will it leave me full… or still hungry?
How blessed we are, that the God of heaven and earth not only came to save us but stays with us, feeding us with his very self! How foolish we are, that we so often chase lesser things. How beautiful it is, that no matter how many times we’ve turned elsewhere, Jesus still offers us his Body and Blood, again and again.
May we receive this gift with reverence, devotion, and faith so that we can eat and be satisfied here at this altar and one day, be fully satisfied forever in the life to come.
