This is Fr. Tom’s Newsletter Column from June 2023

“So, my brethren, when you eat, be patient with one another.”  1 Cor. 11:33

When we were visiting our friends in Florida last month, Elizabeth and I had their house to ourselves one afternoon. While she read her Mitford novel on the back patio, I went into the kitchen. I wanted to show our hosts gratitude; so, I worked on the dishes. Some were dirty and I washed them. There was also large group of dishes from the previous night’s supper drip-dried on the counter. As I put them away, one at a time, I was reminded of who used them; when and why. I thought to myself, “If I’m not in a hurry, I enjoy putting the dishes away.” Each item reminded me of the evening we shared, laughs over a sweet treat, a confidence shared over a hot mug of coffee or tea. Friendly faces around the family table.

Something about it felt “priestly,” not unlike working with a LEM to clear the altar after sharing in Holy Eucharist as a parish family. This kitchen chore was a time of prayerful reflection for my friends’ family. On Sundays, at the Lord’s altar, after everyone has received, I like to take my time with the vessels: emptying, rinsing, wiping, handling them with care – with the memory of who they served fresh in my mind’s eye. Your faces receiving the Blessed Sacrament. Those few moments that are so much like a household chore become a holy time when I can hold you all in prayerful, grateful reflection