From time immemorial, where we eat as a family has been the central feature of any home. Whether a formal room unto itself or a nook in the kitchen, our dining areas are where we thank God for the food provided, practice our manners, learn to share and put others before our desires, catch up on the day’s events and laugh at family stories.
A host of Christian stories and examples surrounds us in the dining room. Eating the meal invites us to witness Christ among us, as the early disciples experienced it on the road to Emmaus. In offering hospitality, we find both a source of blessing for the family and even a profound revelation of the trinitarian nature of God as we see the three angels served by Abraham and Sarah. Of course, the most obvious example is Christ’s mystical supper, in which eating our daily bread foreshadows the Eucharist.