Walking through the hills of Navarre, one can’t help but notice all the vineyards. One of my fellow pilgrims gave me a small dark, purple grape that was as sweet as candy. This is what is known as “nature’s candy,” which is the best and nutritious kind. It is through these grapes that we have the wine that graces our kitchen table and dining room table and bar table and, most importantly, the altar table. As we pray in the Liturgy, ” Blessed are you Lord God of all relation, for through your goodness we have received the wine we offer you: fruit of the vine and work of human hands. It will become our spiritual drink.”
After Navarre comes the meseta, the fields of wheat grown that give us the bread we eat at all the various tables in our lives, especially the table of the altar. Once again we pray at the Liturgy, “Blessed are you Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread we offer you, fruit of the earth and work of human hands. It will become for us the bread of life.”
From the earth that God created comes the seed that is planted and once it dies to itself new life is born through a shoot, a stem, a trunk , branches and in the case of grapes, vines. From these is born the fruit of the earth that nourishes us and gladdens our hearts. From this very earth, the grapes and wheat that are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ for our spiritual nourishment.
From this very earth was born the human family…we come from the very earth we walk on…the very earth we must come to respect and venerate more than we do now. Mary, the Mother of God, gave our Lord his flesh and blood. The humanity of Christ is rooted in the earth, the same we have received our bodies. When Christ was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, all creation was blessed. Christ is the Pinnacle of ALL Creation. Through him the entire human race and the entire Cosmos are united in one symphony of praise.