Feasting and Feeding

Poetry of the Celtic Revival (4)

Tirelessly he feeds the faithful with the heavenly feasts,
lest those who are seen with Christ should fail upon the way:
he gives them the words of the Gospel like loaves,
multiplied in his hands like manna…

He rejects all the world’s glory for the sake of the divine law,
considering it all mere scraps at its table;
nor is he disturbed by the hurtling lightning of the world,
but rejoices in hardships since he suffers for Christ’s sake.

  – Sechnall, Audite Omnes Amantes

Your words were found, and I ate them,
And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;
For I am called by Your name,
O LORD God of hosts.

  – Jeremiah 15.16

Feeding on the Word
In many places, Scripture talks of “eating” the Word of God. Jeremiah’s text provides the incentive for such spiritual fare: We are called by God’s Name—Christians—and feeding on God’s Word is what Christians do.

That’s what we would expect. Job declared, “I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food” (Job. 23.12). Paul wanted to feed some sturdy and edifying doctrine to the Corinthians, but they were mere babes in Christ and could not digest the solid food of the Word (1 Cor. 3.1, 2). The writer of the book of Hebrews faced the same problem with the people to whom he wrote: “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food” (Heb. 5.12). The Angel of the Lord instructed John to “eat” the Word of the Lord (Rev. 1.8-10), and it was both sweet and bitter to his taste.

We are to internalize the Word of God, so that it diffuses, as we “digest” it, throughout our soul and works to transform us into the likeness of Jesus Christ. Thus the Word will dwell in us richly (Col. 3.16) and we, like Patrick, will have food of the Word to teach, encourage, and admonish others.

We who are called by the Name of God—the Name of Jesus Christ—must feed on His Word, so that we grow stronger in Him and bear much fruit for His Kingdom.

Feed yourself, feed others
For Patrick, feasting on “the divine law” of the Lord was better than all the scraps the world might hold out to him. He was a man of God’s Word, as a casual glance at his Confession will reveal. In a document not much longer than a book chapter, Patrick quotes, cites, or alludes to more than 120 passages of Scripture. He lived by what he ate.

And so will we. We are going to feed our souls on something. If we do not feed our mind, heart, and conscience with the holy spiritual food of the Gospel, the divine Law, and all God’s Word, we will feed it on the junk food of pop and secular culture and our getting-and-spending economy. Then all we’ll have to share with others will be the trivial and insipid fare of an age starving for the truth of God.

But if we feed daily on the Word of God, not only will the Spirit work to transform us into the likeness of Jesus (2 Cor. 3.12-18), but we will overflow with the Spirit and Word of God to minister His grace to others (Jn. 7.37-39; 2 Cor. 4.15).

Life was hard for Patrick as he moved all about Ireland to sow the Good Seed of the Kingdom. And ministry was difficult among the pagan Irish. Not only did the people of Ireland not have Bibles, they could not read. Wherever Patrick went, the people were like baby birds in a nest, straining to be fed the Word of Lord. And Patrick did not fail them.

He feasted on the Word and fed those who were hungry for it. No wonder Sechnall sang praise to God because of Patrick.

For Reflection
1. How would you describe your daily “feeding” on the Word of God? Feast? Nibble? 

2. What can we do to make sure the Word reaches and enriches our entire soul—heart, mind, and conscience?

Psalm 19.7-11
St. Christopher: Beneath the Cross of Jesus
The Law of God is perfect, His testimony sure;
the simple man God’s wisdom learns, the soul receives its cure.
God’s Word is right, and His command is pure, and truth imparts;
He makes our eyes to understand; with joy He fills our hearts.

The fear of God is cleansing, forever shall it last.
His judgments all are true and just, by righteousness held fast.
O seek them more than gold most fine, than honey find them sweet;
be warned by every word and line; be blessed with joy complete.

T. M. Moore

If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).

Other columns of interest: This week: Our ReVision series begins a study on the role of reason in the life of faith. Our Read Moorepodcast continues our series of readings from our book, The Joy and Rejoicing of My Heart. The focus of our Scriptorium daily study is on “Matthew: The Coming of the Kingdom.” Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.