Tomorrow,
the University of Dayton chapel will play host to the sacrament of holy
matrimony. Afterwards, all guests will
travel to the wedding reception, & dinner will be served. Usually, the guests at each table know each
other, but they guaranteed have something in common. They are either family or friend of either
the bride or groom, or they are the significant other of someone who fits that
description. Conversation will flow,
with life updates from each person a probable topic. Not that I am opposed to that type of
conversation. Without it, the
conversation will be brief, & people will want to head to the dance floor,
the bar, or another table with their family or friends. What I support is deeper questions in
response to the life update story. My
thinking resulted from the readings a few weeks ago, where the word table
encapsulated the readings.
The second reading, Hebrews 12: 18-19, 22-24A, & the Gospel, Luke 14: 1, 7-14, talk about the table. At Mass we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus by gathering around the table & partaking in the body & blood of Jesus. The second reading discusses the ultimate table, heaven, or as the reading refers to it, Mount Zion. Mount Zion seemingly reaches the heavens with its massive height. While people cannot comprehend it with any of their senses, it is attainable & desirable to reach. In the Gospel, the Pharisees watch Jesus like a hawk. He instructs them to love EVERYONE. Jesus then tells us to humble ourselves. Tim McGraw instructs people how to do so in his recent chart topper “Humble and Kind.” Personally, I enjoy when a story or connection to my life & current events is included in the homily. Thankfully, the priest told two anecdotes about times he sat at tables, & I remembered two unique stories of my own.
The first story occurred shortly before I graduated from UD. All graduating History majors attend a formal dinner, paid for by the History department, a week or two before graduation. I sat at a table with two other History majors, Dr. Carter & Dr. Flockerzie, both whose classes I took, & another professor. As the conversation progressed, & this mystery professor sat across from me, I felt bad & impolite I never introduced myself nor knew him. I politely introduced myself & asked his name. Dr. Carter chuckled & Dr. Flockerzie asked me, “Who don’t know who this is?” I shook my head no & the other two students laughed. Finally, Dr. Flockerzie told me that was the department head as the department head smiled. Trying not to sound so oblivious, I responded I have never dealt with him before nor has he ever taught one of my classes. As soon as I finished, I realized & told them he was supposed to teach History of the Caribbean which I took, but he did not. When he asked how it was, I told him it would have been better if he taught it. After the comedy of the situation dissipated, the conversation of the table became more enlightening, with a variety of topics. When the dinner concluded & we readied to leave, I shook the department head’s hand & told him it was good to meet him. He laughed as he shook my hand & said congratulations on my graduation.
The second story occurred soon after I moved to Philadelphia. Nearby my residence was a house where every Thursday, young Catholics gathered every Thursday night for Mass & dinner. Although work ended after Mass began, my coworkers & I attended dinner. The first time we went there, I knew nobody. Therefore, I filled my plate & sat down at a table. I sat there mostly quiet, & as I listened to the conversation, I realized the rest of the table was full of couples, either dating or engaged. I was the only single person at this table & it was my first time there. I finally informed them of my discovery, & nearly everyone looked at me, wondering who I was. I told them my name & that I just moved to Philadelphia. I then jokingly remarked I would answer any question as if I was an open book. Honest to God truth, the first question came from a fella who asked, “Have you ever had sex?” I immediately laughed. A group of people in our twenties & the first question that comes from a guy is about sex, to a person he just met to boot! I said no, & the remaining questions were about topics you can probably guess, such as where I attended college, how do I like my new job, etc.
The two stories the priest told were also humorous, although he reminded us there was a point to his stories. When you sit down at a table with someone, you immediately shared commonalities. For one, you are both eating food. As I previously said, you both also have an interest in the event. In summation, if you are sitting at a table full of people you do not know, the conversation will probably start with some awkwardness. Trust me, awkwardness can also breed some embarrassment into the conversation. As evidenced from my two stories, the conversation can leave you with a smile on your face. Plus, if you pay attention & ask questions deeper than surface level, you might learn something, all while sitting eating at a table.
The second reading, Hebrews 12: 18-19, 22-24A, & the Gospel, Luke 14: 1, 7-14, talk about the table. At Mass we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus by gathering around the table & partaking in the body & blood of Jesus. The second reading discusses the ultimate table, heaven, or as the reading refers to it, Mount Zion. Mount Zion seemingly reaches the heavens with its massive height. While people cannot comprehend it with any of their senses, it is attainable & desirable to reach. In the Gospel, the Pharisees watch Jesus like a hawk. He instructs them to love EVERYONE. Jesus then tells us to humble ourselves. Tim McGraw instructs people how to do so in his recent chart topper “Humble and Kind.” Personally, I enjoy when a story or connection to my life & current events is included in the homily. Thankfully, the priest told two anecdotes about times he sat at tables, & I remembered two unique stories of my own.
The first story occurred shortly before I graduated from UD. All graduating History majors attend a formal dinner, paid for by the History department, a week or two before graduation. I sat at a table with two other History majors, Dr. Carter & Dr. Flockerzie, both whose classes I took, & another professor. As the conversation progressed, & this mystery professor sat across from me, I felt bad & impolite I never introduced myself nor knew him. I politely introduced myself & asked his name. Dr. Carter chuckled & Dr. Flockerzie asked me, “Who don’t know who this is?” I shook my head no & the other two students laughed. Finally, Dr. Flockerzie told me that was the department head as the department head smiled. Trying not to sound so oblivious, I responded I have never dealt with him before nor has he ever taught one of my classes. As soon as I finished, I realized & told them he was supposed to teach History of the Caribbean which I took, but he did not. When he asked how it was, I told him it would have been better if he taught it. After the comedy of the situation dissipated, the conversation of the table became more enlightening, with a variety of topics. When the dinner concluded & we readied to leave, I shook the department head’s hand & told him it was good to meet him. He laughed as he shook my hand & said congratulations on my graduation.
The second story occurred soon after I moved to Philadelphia. Nearby my residence was a house where every Thursday, young Catholics gathered every Thursday night for Mass & dinner. Although work ended after Mass began, my coworkers & I attended dinner. The first time we went there, I knew nobody. Therefore, I filled my plate & sat down at a table. I sat there mostly quiet, & as I listened to the conversation, I realized the rest of the table was full of couples, either dating or engaged. I was the only single person at this table & it was my first time there. I finally informed them of my discovery, & nearly everyone looked at me, wondering who I was. I told them my name & that I just moved to Philadelphia. I then jokingly remarked I would answer any question as if I was an open book. Honest to God truth, the first question came from a fella who asked, “Have you ever had sex?” I immediately laughed. A group of people in our twenties & the first question that comes from a guy is about sex, to a person he just met to boot! I said no, & the remaining questions were about topics you can probably guess, such as where I attended college, how do I like my new job, etc.
The two stories the priest told were also humorous, although he reminded us there was a point to his stories. When you sit down at a table with someone, you immediately shared commonalities. For one, you are both eating food. As I previously said, you both also have an interest in the event. In summation, if you are sitting at a table full of people you do not know, the conversation will probably start with some awkwardness. Trust me, awkwardness can also breed some embarrassment into the conversation. As evidenced from my two stories, the conversation can leave you with a smile on your face. Plus, if you pay attention & ask questions deeper than surface level, you might learn something, all while sitting eating at a table.
