Appearance of bread

Unless we believe and see Jesus in the appearance of bread on the altar, we will not be able to see him in the distressing disguise of the poor. - Mother Teresa
Heb13:1-8

Let brotherly love continue.
Do not neglect hospitality,
for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.
Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment,
and of the ill-treated as of yourselves,
for you also are in the body.
Let marriage be honored among all
and the marriage bed be kept undefiled,
for God will judge the immoral and adulterers.
Let your life be free from love of money
but be content with what you have,
for he has said, I will never forsake you or abandon you.
Thus we may say with confidence:

The Lord is my helper,
and I will not be afraid.
What can anyone do to me?

Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you.
Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

The reading today is a reminder of the message, “Do unto others; as you would like others to do to you.” The reading also reminds me about the gifts received when we are generous. It is very easy for us to lose sight of our purpose here on earth. We tend to become distracted by material goods or trying to become better at something than the person next to us. We live our lives in constant competition to see who can come out on top. In the end however, we all lose. This is because we lose sight of God’s purpose for us. He gave us the gift of life on earth so that we may be able to live in his name. He says that we should not be focused on material possessions but instead on the love and respect we should share with each other. The reading says “do not neglect hospitality, for through it some unknowingly have entertained angels”. This means that we should share all we have with our brothers and sisters on this earth because we are all created in God’s name.

This concept can be very hard to follow through with though. We may interact with someone that we may not be able to get along with very well or we just genuinely do not like. God still calls us to be respectful towards these beings. If we do not respect the individual, then in a way we are disrespecting God since everyone is made in his name. Let us not judge people and treat them poorly, but instead give them a chance and treat them with the respect that God intended.