It is one of the greatest joys of life to share a meal with someone in order to get to get to know them, for the conversation, for the sharing, for the communion that takes place around a table. The more we eat together the closer we become. Much was made of the Pope's visit to Greece this weekend, the first in over thirteen hundred years. John Paul II talked three different times with Archbishop Christodoulos of the Greek Orthodox church in order to heal the rift between them. However, Christodoulos rejected the offer to have dinner with the Pope.
Communication is one thing.
But to commune with another around a table, that is sacred. It's extremely personal. Here, have some bread. Let me pour you some wine. Let's get to know each another.