Readings:
Acts 6:1-7
John 6:16-21
Reflection:
Many years ago, I had the privilege of spending some time on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico, USA. It was recognized at that time as the poorest part of the United States, many people live in tin houses on the reservation, it was in the desert, so water was scarce. The school where I was volunteering ran daily food and water trucks out to the reservation, to take care of those who could not look after themselves.
One day, I met Albert, a Navajo Code Talker. His wife was a Laguna Pueblo woman, so by a fortunate and convoluted chain of events and good luck, I was able to attend a festival on the Pueblo. Albert and his wife Elizabeth made me most welcome, and I joined in with the extended members of their family, and the rest of the Laguna community as they made their sacred prayers. It was a surreal experience. I’m sitting in a house probably 400 years old, watching sacred events that have been probably reenacted on this very place for hundreds, if not a thousand years
They invited me to dine with them. It was a huge buffet offering all sorts of food.
In the middle of the table, I noticed a plate which contained bits of food from all the plates. I had no idea what to do, and asked. It turned out that is the “spirit food.” Everyone is supposed to take parts of their meal, dip it in the sauces, and place it on that plate. At the end of the meal, the food is place in the fire, and the smoke rises up to the spirits: It is a way of remembering those who have passed on. As well, because we ask the spirits of people past for help, this is our offering of thanks to them, as well as sustenance for them, as they answer our prayers. It is intrinsic to their life that generosity should be repaid.
It is a different world, and a different time, and a different place, but in our first reading, we see the same story playing out. Some are missing out on what is shared. These widows depended entirely on the community for survival. This was not a minor administrative issue; it touched human dignity, justice, and care for the vulnerable. And importantly, the Apostles do not ignore the complaint or dismiss it as inconvenient. They listen. And act.
There is an old fable of a Rabbi asking his students:
How can you tell how night has ended, and now the day is on its way?
Is it when you can look at an animal in the distance, and tell whether it is a sheep or a dog?
No.
Could it be, said another, when you can look at a tree, and tell whether it is a fig tree or a peach tree
No?
Then what is it?
It is when you look on the face of any woman or any man and see that he or she is your sister or your brother. Because if you cannot do this, then no matter what time it is, it is still night.
Peter Gardiner is a Passionist Priest.