Brothers,
For three days this past week, I had the joy of spending Father’s Day with my son, at the Men's College World Series in Omaha, a rare and cherished moment between father and son. The crowds were electric. Fans packed the stadium, full of energy and shared identity. One person stood out to me on day three, a fan wearing a White Sox jersey with the name “Pope Leo XIV” across the back. It was funny, 'not so' oddly fitting, and just right. In that moment, I thought: this is what joy looks like when people gather around something greater than themselves.

And then, I was drawn back to the altar, back to the Solemnity we celebrate this weekend: the Body and Blood of Christ.

The Eucharist is our stadium. It’s where God gathers His people in joy, sacrifice, and communion. But unlike a baseball game, we aren’t spectators, we are participants in the divine drama. Christ is not just handing us a ball, He is handing us His Body and His blood. And with it, a mission.

“Give them something to eat yourselves,” Jesus tells His disciples in this Sunday’s Gospel. That command, perhaps one of the most challenging in all of Scripture, is our diaconal call. It’s not just about distributing the Eucharist at Mass. It’s about setting the table in our homes, our parishes, and our communities for the spiritually hungry, the grieving, the poor, the forgotten, the agnostic, and the non-believer.

As deacons, husbands, and fathers, we are called to embody Eucharistic hospitality, to be men whose lives are broken and poured out in love. Like St. Catherine of Siena said so beautifully in her 'Dialogues', "the Father is the table, the Son the food, and the Holy Spirit the gentle waiter." What dignity we share in that table service.

This past weekend, as I watched thousands cheer in unity over a baseball game, I thought: what if we approached the Eucharist with the same enthusiasm, and greater? What if we left every Mass like fans of the Lamb of God, ready to bring His life to others?

Brothers, the Body of Christ isn’t just something we receive, its someone. It’s someone we become. Let’s go out and set the table. Let’s give them someone to eat!

In fraternity and faith,

My son playing for the USNAVY at Oriole Park at Camden Yards vs. Army 2006
(Courtesy of CBS Sports)

AMDG
Receive + Believe + Teach + Practice