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Jesus Christ, top chef?

04 May 2014 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Food and meals played an important role in Jesus’ ministry, even in the accounts of his post-Resurrection appearances such as this Sunday’s gospel in which the disciples on the road to Emmaus recognize him “in the breaking of the bread” at supper. An Italian theologian and priest sees it that way, and he has written a cookbook to make the point. La Cucina del Risorto (The Kitchen of the Risen One) debuts in July.When Christians pray, "Give us this day our daily bread," it is a genuine plea reflecting their needs—needs that Jesus took seriously, even to the point of cooking for his disciples, said Father Giovanni Cesare Pagazzi.Publisher Editrice Missionaria Italiana described the book as a "small evangelical guide" to the relationship between Christ and cooking based on the premise that "Jesus knew how to cook, practiced the culinary arts, and knew its secrets and traditions."Pagazzi, 49, was born in Italy's Lombard region and holds a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He has taught Christology since 1996 in seminaries in Lodi and Crema and is currently a professor at the North Italian Theological Institute in Milan.Jesus paid attention to the obvious rather than the exceptional, Pagazzi explained. "His eyes take in the everyday world, which is why he so often spoke in parables" and made so many references to food, the dinner table, and banquets."A careful reading of the gospel shows us not only Jesus' liking for conviviality, but also his excellent knowledge of and production and preparation of food," wrote Pagazzi. “To cook implies care and respect for the guests at the dining table; Jesus' guests would have understood that these were literal foretastes of the future prepared by God.”Homily hint: It shouldn’t take a cookbook to remind us of the importance of the meal—especially the shared meal—to our faith. Our Eucharistic celebration is the example par excellence of the centrality of the meal to our tradition. We gather to break the bread and tell the stories, as theologian John Shea put it. Source: An article by Judith Harris for Catholic News Service

jesus cooking

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Nun uses kitchen as her canvas

22 Nov 2015 - Preaching the News for Sunday

When it comes to deities, the Lord God is "the Alpha and the Omega," as the reading from the Book of Revelation puts it this Sunday. And when it comes to creative cooks, Sister Alicia Torres of Chicago holds all the cards, at least as far as the Food Network is concerned. Torres became the "Chopped" champion on the Food Network's reality TV cooking show, winning $10,000 for Our Lady of the Angels Mission to provide more home-cooked meals for neighbors in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood. "The Lord gave me this talent," she told the show's judges, who ribbed her for perhaps harboring some divine culinary training. "I believe the kitchen is my canvas where I get to express myself creatively." Homily hint: Sometimes people who feel a call to religious life feel like they will have to give up “all that they love” in order to embrace their vocation. But God does not ask us to give up our gifts and talents to embrace a religious vocation, but rather invites us to put those gifts and talents to work serving the world. As theologian Carl Frederick Buechner put it, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” For more on the "cooking nun,” see: Chicago nun wins 'Chopped,' hopes it will help spotlight 'issue of hunger'

religious life nun cooking Hunger

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Homily stories

05 May 2019 - Third Sunday of Easter, Cycle C

My dad made breakfast every weekday morning for himself long before the rest of us were awake, and every weekend for the whole family. Scrambled eggs were his specialty. A stint as ship’s cook in the Navy preparing an endless supply of powdered eggs served as the impetus for ever-more adventurous recipes. His favorite extra ingredients were onions, peppers, Worcestershire sauce, and a dash of Tabasco to spice things up. He never left a dirty dish in the sink. He’d wash his plate, knife, fork, and juice glass, and scour the iron skillet and heat it dry on the stove. His office was based out of our house, so he’d often have friends, relatives, and sales associates stop by for coffee in the morning. They were fascinated by his breakfast ritual of cooking and cleaning up. He was a big, playfully gruff guy and his care and attention to detail surprised them. Years later, my dad’s younger brother, who had been a regular visitor to our house, was helping us care for my mother after my dad died. One morning I stopped by the house and caught Uncle Jim scraping the remnants of the egg he had cooked for Mom, washing the plate, and heating the pan to dry on the stove. In these small ways, Jesus’ lambs are fed.

Authors Patrice J. Tuohy

attention to details cooking

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