A Table of Brotherhood in the Bronx
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May 12, 2023The most impactful topic Fr. Aaron Meszaros covered during his five-day retreat at the beginning of this semester was “The Eucharist is the source of our lives as Catholics.” We all gather around the altar of sacrifice to share in this celebration, but as Catholics, this coming together around the altar is the central part of our faith – worshipping the Lord with one another.
At this table, we hold one another in Christ’s love; we are united in prayer; we lift up one another. And this table where we celebrate the Eucharist extends well beyond the church and the Mass.
As we prepare to fly out of New York City soon – the last time for some of us – it seems that our best moments this school year have been around tables. This goes beyond just the physical table that we sit around for dinner or the altar where we celebrate Mass. This table is anywhere we gathered to support one another through moments of happiness, sadness and/or stress.
The table in our library where some of us do homework together. The center console in our van that we all ride in on our way to school. The bagel shop tables where we grab coffee before class. The classroom desks when we have the same professor. The grill at KBBQ where we share our lives over delicious food. A counter that I’m often perched on as we discuss some random topic at length. The bench located midway on the High Line. The aisle on the subway as we go to Brooklyn for Holy Week. And this semester, we’ve been able to take our “table” and go out beyond our house and student community.
On the Hope Walk, we create a “table” when we link arms and pray with those we encounter on the streets of the Bronx. We lean across a table at the Missionaries of Charity and at the Franciscans as we distribute food to those in need. We share our faith with the kids as we sit in a circle of desks. We share with our community as we sit in lawn chairs in our parking lot, celebrating an amazing year working with parishioners. Just as we’re sent forth from Mass, we’ve all been able to share this table with others.
I remember first walking into our four-story brick building on the corner of 150th and Melrose thinking: this is such a big building, with so many rooms and so many empty spaces. But I quickly discovered that our student community keeps our floor buzzing with conversation, and fills it with music and with bright lights during Christmas. We fill it with life; with brotherhood. As I reflect on the end of my second year living in the Bronx, I hold onto this amazing experience of community that we seven students share.
One that I hope will hold us together as John, Andy and Dominick move on to the novitiate in Mexico. One that I hope will inspire us to create tables of our own during our summer ministries in Baton Rouge, Baltimore, Dominica and Philadelphia. One that we will hopefully share with those who are joining us for our next school term, and one that I hope will continue when we move on from the Bronx.
