Having meals together can help to build up stronger relationship. Working abroad, I consider every vacation I had with my family back home as a joyous occasion. It was only once in a year that we could share a simple meal, talk about jokes and our recent lives. And we liked to have picnics at the riverbank nearby and play some outdoor games. I really miss those moments for it’s been two years since the last time I had spent my vacation in the Philippines with my family. Due to Covid-19 pandemic, I cannot go home now. But I hope and pray by early next year, I am able to have my home leave in God’s will.
— Aileen Garbin
Yes. One good example is the Last Supper, the final meal that Jesus shared with his apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The Last Supper provides the scriptural basis for the Eucharist, also known as “Holy Communion” or “The Lord’s Supper,” which unites us together as Catholics. The Sunday Mass makes me happy everytime I listen to the reading of the Gospel. I really missed it during the time of Mass suspension in the pandemic.
— Marilou Andrada
A family meal is the time for our bonding. It brings us closer to our family and it’s the time that we can share our experiences. I long for a meal with them at home. It’s not only to have healthy foods in a less expensive way but it is also to a chance to build closer relationships within the family. By staying in touch and talking about family culture, we feel being one member of a family. Food tastes better when we are surrounded by the people we love. Family meals are for nourishment, comfort and support. I am praying that this pandemic will end soon so that I can have the chance to be with my family and having a great and happy meal with them.
— Merlena Bognalbal
One of the most joyful meal with my family was on our wedding day. It made me so happy because it is an opportunity for me to be with my parents, my husband’s family, our relatives, friends and other important people in my life. The memorable part of our Church wedding is when my husband and I received the Body and Blood of Christ which served as our spiritual nourishment and strengthened our union with Christ.
Meal gathering is important for our family or community, because it is a way of expressing fellowship. During this pandemic period I miss a family meal since it brings comfort, excitement and lights up our mood.
As the scripture says, “Go, eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a merry heart, because it is now that God favours your works” (Ecclesiastes 9:7). A shared meal is a good chance for us not only to eat, but also to talk, to create, to teach and to learn and to streghten the bonds of family and friends.
— Imelda Esquejo
Every breakfast together with my family was the best and the loveliest occasion for me every day. This was a time when all members of the family were present and an opportunity to come together to enjoy a hearty breakfast to kick off the day’s activities and pray to build better relationships. A family doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to be united. Like the branches of a tree, our lives may grow in different directions but still as a family we share the same roots. We live as one together with love.
I really miss a breakfast together because I am far away from them. With this pandemic, I do not know when I can go home for vacation.
— Ria Manipol
Before I left to work abroad, we had a simple gathering with our family and friends. I gave them each a token as a symbol of our love and friendship that will be remembered and cherished. We took pictures together for remembrance.
The Lord Jesus left no photograghs or tokens to his disciples to be remembered. But he left something much greater, which is himself present to all: the Bread and Wine. As Jesus took the bread, broke it and told to his disciples and to us, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me” (Luke 22:19). In the same way, he gave them the cup after the supper saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you” (Luke 22:20). During Sundays when we gather together in the Eucharistic celebration, it is a unique spiritual event which makes us experience the presence of Christ in our life for our redemption. It bonds us to Jesus and to each other in the community with commitment without asking for rewards. Receiving the Eucharist and with Jesus present among us, we are inspired to go out and preach his Word and fulfill his mission. Jesus is always looking forward to have a meal with us during the Eucharistic Celebration.
— Lorenza Palmares
