On holidays, the table at grandma's house was always full-a full complement of aunts, uncles, and cousins, and a full array of food. With two stoves (one in the kitchen and one in the basement) and two refrigerators (in the same locations) it was a sure bet that we were not going to run out of food even with the extended family gathered around. And afterward, when everyone was ready leave, there were plenty of leftovers to be packed up and sent home for enjoyment in the coming days.

Like grandma's holiday feasts, the miracle of the loaves and fishes left everyone satisfied. There were even leftovers that got packed up into twelve wicker baskets as St. Luke tells us. But Luke's account of the event contains more than just a great story about a lot of food. If that were all there was to the story, the miracle of the loaves and fishes wouldn't be that different from the abundance of food at grandma's holiday table. Luke's story, like every  description of this miracle in the four Gospels, contains ritual language that points to what Jesus did with bread and wine before he died: he took, blessed, broke, and gave.

When we gather on Sunday to celebrate the Eucharist, we do exactly the same things in a ritual manner through the taking of the bread and wine at the procession with the gifts, the blessing in the Eucharistic prayer, the breaking of the bread at the Lamb of God, and the giving in Communion. The miracle of God's abundant blessing is made present not through a lot of bread and fish, but through the gift of his Son and our communion with him. It is an abundant feast, and the leftovers we take home is our commission to love and serve each day.