The meal is a place of community, and community is where God is able to change our lives. A meal is where we are fed, not just by food, but by each other. Never underestimate the power, the effectiveness, and the importance of a working kitchen in your parish. But the important thing is it' s a gathering place. It gathers us together, and we share our days and we enjoy the richness of each other's fellowship.
Meals are very important.
Meals also show our common vulnerability and dependence on something other than ourselves. Try stopping the trucks that bring the food for six months and see what happens. We all must have food in order to live. In the same way our spirit must have the bread of God in order to grow, in order to be alive. So that's about meals, and there's so much more that we could say.