Brother Malachy joins Father Mark-Mary to tell a story about God’s abundant providence – our Daily Bread – and connects it to the joy we can share in celebrating Laetare Sunday. On this fourth Friday during Lent, it may seem like a tease to talk about hamburgers—but there is good reason here.
One day in 2002 while working with the Missionaries of Charity, Brother Malachy was given a handful of Big Mac vouchers to feed a group of summer camp kids. On his way from the Bronx to Manhattan—where the donating McDonalds was—he and his fellow friar got a little lost. When they arrived, they filled up the car with not just Big Macs, but what ended up being full Big Mac value meals: fries, drinks, burgers, and even apple crisp deserts.
They drove back through the heart of midtown Manhattan with a Buick full of Big Mac value meals, unable to see out their windows due to the steam from the hot meals. They got back, but most of the kids had already eaten. There was so much food left over that the dozen friars had to eat dozens of burgers on their own.
As they ate they talked about how much they loved fast food, reminiscing of the days when they used to eat more of it, but they noticed that in the end the fast food filled their bellies while leaving them longing for something else.
God is so good his abundance can be overwhelming. And yet, his abundance alone does not satisfy. Only one thing can really ultimately satisfy us, and that is God’s love. Our daily bread, our super-essential sustenance, is the infinite divine love of the Father. It cannot be replaced.
Meet Fr. Mark-Mary
Father Mark-Mary was ordained as a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal (CFR) in 2018 and lives at a friary in the Bronx.
The mission of the CFRs is to wholeheartedly embrace Jesus through fidelity to the Church and her Sacraments. Paired with their commitment to prayer, contemplation, and study of Sacred Scripture, the CFRs serve those around them, especially the poor, in the footsteps of Christ.
Discover beautiful music from the CFRs here.
