Taste and see, taste and see
the goodness of the Lord!
O, taste and see, taste and see
the goodness of the Lord, of the Lord!

When Melchizedek, the king of Salem, king of peace,
offered bread and wine
to God Most High,
it was just bread and wine.
Nothing more, nothing less.

When Jesus fed the crowd
after teaching and preaching all day,
he offered them bread and fish.
Nothing more, nothing less.

God Most High was pleased with Melchizedek’s offering.
The crowd ate their fill, and there was an abundance of leftovers.
But nothing Melchizedek did that day
or Jesus did centuries later
could compare with what Jesus shared with his disciples
at the Last Supper,
or with what he shares with us
whenever we gather at the Table of the Lord.

Taste and see, taste and see
the goodness of the Lord!

For in the Upper Room in Jerusalem
and in this room today,
Jesus shares with us his own Body and Blood
as food and drink
and as a thanksgiving offering to God Most High.

Today a morsal of bread
and a sip of wine
shared in remembrance of him
has the power to change us
from mere mortals
into the living presence of God in the world.

Today, when we eat this bread and drink this cup,
we become what we eat.
As St. Augustine once said,
“We become what we receive.”
We become the Body of Christ.
The Precious Blood of Christ flows through our veins and arteries.

Taste and see, taste and see
the goodness of the Lord!

Pope Francis, on several occasions noted that
the Eucharist is not a reward for the righteous,
but nourishment and strength for sinners.
We who are sinners need that nourishment.
We who are sinners need that strength.

We do not come to the Table of the Lord
because we are good enough,
no one is really good enough to receive such blessings,
let alone eat the Body of Christ
and drink his Precious Blood.

We come to the Table of the Lord
precisely because we need the Body and Blood of the Lord
in order to be better people,
to become what we eat and drink
so that we can become worthy,
not by our own merit,
but precisely by the grace of God.

Taste and see, taste and see
the goodness of the Lord!

In the African-American community,
it is common for one person to say,
“God is good,”
and for another to respond,
“All the time!”
After which one says,
“All the time,”
and the other responds,
“God is good!”

The reason we eat the Body of Christ
and drink his Blood
is because God is good all the time.

Taste and see, taste and see
the goodness of the Lord!

The prophet Isaiah says,
“Let all who thirst, let them come to the water.”
Inspired by his words,
I say,
“Let all who thirst, let them come to the Table.
Let all who are hungry, let them come to the Lord.”

Come, and let the Lord satisfy your every hunger!
Come, and let the Lord quench your every thirst!
Don’t worry about whether your good enough or not.
Come, because God invites you.
Come, because Jesus says
“Do this in memory of me.”

Come, because you need God’s grace,
because you need God’s strength.
Come, because you aren’t perfect,
but because God has invited you.
Come, and be transformed into the food and drink
we share at this Table.

Taste and see, taste and see
the goodness of the Lord!
O, taste and see, taste and see
the goodness of the Lord, of the Lord!