Supper with God

Once in awhile we are all privileged to witness something special, to see something sacred. It is rare opportunity to observe a beautiful and intimate moment without being noticed. Whether that is a kiss between grandparents or the tenderness of a mother with her child or the gentle encouragement from a father to a son, these scenes are a precious window into the heart of God.

Recently I saw and marveled at a sacred moment in time. I want to share this with you.

First I need to give some background information to help in the understanding of the specialness of the moment. There is an older priest who comes to A Place of Grace. We’ll call him Father Fred. Father is about 80 years old and lives with other retired priests in town. Father Fred was (and still is) quite an activist. He loves to talk about politics, the injustices of society and the evils of capitalism -- a true Catholic Worker. However, I am guessing that he doesn’t have much of an audience in other areas of his life because Father really enjoys sharing his point of view when he is at the house and is engaged in conversation with someone at all times. In addition he has an Irish heritage and can get quite animated about a topic. He celebrates Mass for us regularly at the house and is a loved member of our community.

There is also a little boy who comes to the house almost daily. We’ll call him Chu. Chu is Hmong and about seven years old. He speaks English but doesn’t say too much at any one time. Rather he is busy with ‘boy stuff’ -- climbing, playing, and generally getting into mischief. Because he is so serious about his play, Chu is often dirty from head to toe. Those of us at the house have noticed that Chu has a propensity of hitting his head during his play. So he often has a cut, scab or bump somewhere above his neck. In addition Chu does not always feel the need to use the toilet for his bowel movements. The mess of this choice doesn’t bother Chu. He can walk around for hours without having the need to get cleaned up. He is a completely lovable little boy.

Well, one Thursday evening I had cooked the meal. It was an unusually quiet night and the dining rooms were empty by 6:15 p.m. I was starting to clean up when both Father Fred and Chu showed up at 6:25 for supper. (We stop serving at 6:30.) While they didn’t come together, they naturally sat and ate by each other. I didn’t think too much of it and continued with the chores of clean up. I would glance out every now and again to see if they needed anything. They just sat together and talked quietly. Both Father and Chu were involved with the conversation, each listening patiently to the other -- each respectful and thoughtful. I was impressed by Chu’s excellent behavior and was pleased that both were having a nice dinner.

After a while I went into the dining room to wash the other tables. Father had gotten up to get some more coffee. Chu grabbed me by the arm and pulled me close. He said, “God’s friend is sick. He went to the hospital to visit him, and he might die. God is very worried.” I was confused and asked Chu how he knew what God thought. He said that God had told him and pointed to Father Fred. Then I remembered. Last summer Father was vesting for Mass on the back porch. All of the children surrounded him with amazement and curiosity. Because Christianity is unfamiliar to Chu, he was struggling to understand Father’s role. It was then that he started calling Father Fred, ‘God.’ No amount of logic or reasoning could convince Chu otherwise.

I responded with, “Oh, that’s too bad.” and went back to the kitchen. In the middle of scrubbing a pot, I understood what I had seen. Chu was having supper with God. That’s why he was behaving so well. I suppose anyone would if they thought they were dining with the divine. And what was the ‘creator of all life’ sharing with this little boy? He was telling him that he had friends, and he loved them. He was telling him that he was sad by the suffering and was concerned about the future. God was sharing his heart with a little boy.

Now I would imagine that Chu will someday understand that Father Fred really isn’t God. But I wonder how his relationship with this kind, elderly man will affect his faith life and his future image of who God is. I wonder if we couldn’t always treat each other with the same loving reverence that Father and Chu treated each other, God might be more present at all of our meals.

All that being said, I do hope Chu will always remember his supper with God. I know I will.