I am currently reading A Man of Iron: The Turbulent Life and Improbable Presidency of Grover Cleveland by Troy Senik. I love presidential history, but I do not know much about the Cleveland presidency, other than the basics (i.e. former mayor of Buffalo, only president to serve two non-consecutive terms, and defeated James Blaine from the state of Maine in one of his presidential elections (the rhyming helped with the last one)). Cleveland lived a very interesting life and was known for his honesty and humble roots. There is a great scene which illustrates his humility. His predecessor in the White House, Chester A. Arthur, was known for his elegant tastes, from his allegedly owning eighty pairs of dress pants, the Brooks Brothers suits he wore, and the French chef he brought to the White House. Cleveland did not enjoy the French cooking. (He did not enjoy entertaining guests at the White House in general). One day he was seated at the table while the chef was bringing out the French cuisine. Suddenly he smelled something coming from the servant’s quarters. The waiter apologized to the president for the smell of corn beef which the staff was currently eating for dinner. Cleveland proceeded to leave the table and join the staff for dinner (corn beef being one of his favorite meals).
We all have different tastes in food, and we are blessed to live in an area which offers such a diversity of great dishes. However, the most important food which we will eat in our lives is the Eucharist. There are so many ways in which we can encounter God, and it is such a great reality that our God makes himself present to us in so many ways. However, we cannot overlook the gift of the Eucharist. We can hear the Word of God anytime we open Scripture. We can encounter God through the various charities and loving people we meet in the community. However, it is only through the liturgy that we are able to witness the miracle of the consecration. We cannot take that for granted. Indeed, during the recent pandemic, we became acutely aware (maybe for the first time for many of us) that watching Mass is not the same as being at Mass. Sure we hear the same readings, we hear the same homily, we hear the same songs, but we were not able to receive the Bread of Life. Now that we have been able to return to the liturgy for several years, let us not forget about the moment when we first received the Eucharist after a long absence. The God of the universe allows himself to be consumed Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity at each Mass. Let’s celebrate that reality and have it transform us into being the disciples which we have been created to be.