A Place at a Table

June 7th, 2009

Bulletin Cover

From a very early age, a person develops a sense and awareness of belonging. For most of us, our identity, our sense of self, was developed around our family relationships. Within the family system we were formed and shaped, and as we matured in age, we recognized our place within the family structure, the comfort of knowing we were loved and belonged. In our early years this development of self-awareness was not something we were conscious of. Our parents love, and perhaps especially the nurturing and presence of our mothers, gave us this experience of connection, of belonging, of acceptance. The home was our sanctuary. It was where we belonged, where we felt secure in our place among our parents and siblings.

"Where do I belong? With whom do I belong?" These are questions one begins to ask as one grows and matures. The need to belong is strong, a desire that remains. From the family we extend our reach to find other ways we can connect and feel at home, to know that we belong--with someone, or with some group, or in some place. We want to make those connections and commitments where we can be authentic and honest, where we can make our personal contribution and have our voice heard, where we experience acceptance and unconditional love, where the best that is in us can touch the lives of others and make a difference.

For so many, the need to belong is strong but the search can be discouraging and lonely. One may feel isolated, unsure whether there is a place of love and nurturing for them. They do not feel at home anywhere, or with anyone. There is no place at a table for them. Their isolation can be anguishing; their spirit diminished. Every person has a need to belong.

Sometimes, even though there is this experience of belonging, there can be also this sense of something missing, of not quite feeling complete, of not being fulfilled. The heart can grow restless.

I have found the image of the table to be so appealing when reflecting on the human desire to belong. I am thinking especially of the table of the Eucharist. It is a powerful symbol of belonging and union. It is the Lord's table, and his desire is that all may see that they belong. If we have nothing else to show for our attachments, we have his table where we know we belong, where we stand among others, sharing a common life. And our hearts find comfort and rest because we know we belong to him.

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity reveals something very human about our understanding and experience of God. It reveals to us this concept of belonging. The union of the three persons of the Trinity points to the holy longing of the human heart. In every heart there is this God-like need to be in union with another, to belong. It is about our desire to be loved and to love. It seeks confirmation that one is known and accepted, that one has a place at a table, a place to call home, a life of meaning and purpose, secure in the knowledge that one is the "apple of God's eye."

We might interpret today's gospel to mean that all belongs to God. When Jesus instructed his disciples to go and baptize in the name of the Trinity his desire was that all may know that the name of God is engraved on every heart. As St. Augustine wrote, "You have created me for yourself, O God, and my heart is restless until it rests in Thee." The heart has this knowing, this inclination towards union with the divine.

We are grateful for the gift of community, of our belonging as parishioners sharing and living faith. We recognize the needs of others in search of help and support. We realize that perhaps the greatest gift we can offer to them is the gift of belonging. God's name is engraved on every heart. Our belonging, in union with Christ, acknowledges the presence of God in every person.