This was no ordinary pancake breakfast
Monday, January 13, 2025
*Dolores Hanley McDiarmid
St. Jerome tells us, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” If we are not familiar with the Word, how can we recognize Jesus or hear Him when He speaks to us?
Reading the Bible and learning the Scriptures is an important aspect of living as a Catholic Christian. Scripture contains stories, one of the best ways to teach children and adults. They are useful and help us to navigate our daily life.
The following is a true story and an example of the role that Scripture can play in our lives when imprinted in our hearts.
Greta is a devout Catholic who believed she was on solid ground in her spiritual journey with God, having a great sense of peace and feeling close to Him. Then one day she began thinking about her imperfections and was face to face with her sinfulness. She felt distant from the God she loves so dearly.
Disappointed in herself that she could not overcome these unwanted and undesirable behaviors, she thought about what Matthew 26:41 tells us: “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” This is the Scripture verse that propelled Greta to move forward and assume her responsibility as a greeter at the annual pancake breakfast.
Even though she was feeling down, she went to the church pancake breakfast to be the friendly greeter and did not feel discouraged by negative thoughts. Being a greeter opens the door (forgive the pun) to unexpected conversations and uplifting experiences.
Greta was outside the parish hall welcoming parishioners and visitors to the annual pancake breakfast when she spotted a stranger, poorly dressed. He was carrying a backpack and appeared to be homeless. Greta told him about the pancake breakfast, and he responded by saying that he was hungry and would love to have something to eat, but he had no money.
Not only did Greta see Jesus in this poorly dressed man passing by, but the following Scripture verse came to her mind. Matthew 25:40 “…Amen I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”
Without any hesitation, Greta said, “Come, I’ll pay for you.” He followed her into the parish hall where she introduced him to the ladies who seated him at a table nicely set with china plates and cups. This man, unknown to the parishioners, enjoyed more than one serving of pancakes and coffee and seemed quite at peace.
About half an hour later, Greta approached the man, who was still at the table, to make sure he had enough to eat. He sat back with a smile on his face and touched his stomach, motioning that he was full.
On his way out of the parish hall, the man stopped when he saw Greta, extended his hand, and thanked her for inviting him and for paying for his breakfast. Greta caught him in time to ask him his name. He replied, “Pete”, (Peter) and while he was walking away, he said “I’ll see you soon.” Greta thought it was an interesting choice of words for a stranger passing by to say, “I’ll see you soon.”
Having finished her duties as a greeter, she headed up to the church for Mass, continuing to reflect on Pete’s words, “I’ll see you soon.” With a certain degree of imagination at work in her mind, she realized that she would soon be in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. At first, Jesus would be hidden in the Tabernacle and later, visible in the Holy Eucharist.
Greta was inspired to say the Act of Contrition and repent for any behavior that had offended God. She vowed to pay close attention to the homily because it was then that Jesus often spoke to her heart, and she would receive answers to whatever was on her mind. This is one great gift resulting from a personal relationship with Jesus: two-way communication.
The homily was meaningful and powerful, and the pastor ended it by asking the congregation, “Do you love God?” It was then that Greta realized why she was deeply upset about her thoughts and behavior. It was her sinfulness! It was because of her deep love for God and her strong desire to please Him. She was unsure and questioned whether if she should approach the Table of the Lord to receive the Eucharist.
Jesus then spoke to Greta interiorly saying, “Greta, you fed Me when I was hungry, and you gave Me drink when I was thirsty. Come, come to My Table and let Me feed you with the Bread of Angels, the Bread of Eternal Life.” After receiving our Lord, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, the peace and joy that comes from knowing and loving God returned to Greta.
This was far from an ordinary annual pancake breakfast for Greta. On this day, she encountered Jesus in a stranger passing by and experienced the Scriptures speaking to her: “Matthew 25:35 “For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; a stranger and you welcomed Me.”
Having scripture verses imprinted on her heart was the reason Greta had this extraordinary experience. St. Jerome would agree that if she had not internalized Scripture verses, she may have experienced an ordinary, rather than an extraordinary annual pancake breakfast.
In this New Year, let’s take St. Jerome’s words to heart. Let’s read the Bible to become more familiar with the Scriptures, and let’s engrave the thousands of Scripture verses on our hearts. Then, let’s watch how the Scripture verses speak to us in our daily life. We will recognize and hear Jesus when He speaks to us.
We will find that our days will be far from ordinary. They will be extraordinary!
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