What is the need for offering foodstuffs to the Lord? What is the purpose of
honouring mahaprasada?

Honouring mahaprasada is not only symbplic of the superior life of the
Vaisnavas, but it is a part of worship, which ordinary theists cannot fully
understand. Ordinary men are very much inclined to preserve the superiority
of reason over the intuitive feelings of man toward the God of love. We must
now precede to show with healthy arguments that our intuitive feelings want
us to offer everything we eat to the Lord of our heart. We must first
examine the arguments of the antagonists.

The rationalist states that God is infinite and without wants, and
consequently it is foolish to offer eatables to such a being. It is
sacrilege to offer created things to the creator and thereby degrade the
divinty of God, treating Him as a human being. These are reasonable
arguments indeed, and one who has heard them will certainly be inclined to
tell others, "down with mahaprasada." These conclusions, which may appear
reasonable, are dry and destructive. They tend to seperate us from all
connection in worshipping God. When you say that the Infinite wants nothing,
you forbid all contemplation and prayer. The infinite does not want your
grateful expression or flattery. Utter a word to the unconditioned Lord and
you are sure to degrade Him into a conditioned being. Hymns, prayers and
sermons are all over! Shut your temple door and church gates because our
rationalist has advised you to do so. Believe a creative principle and you
have done your duty! Oh! What a shame! What a dreadful fall! Theists, beware
of these degrading principles!

Now the rationalist appears in another form and allows prayers, sermons,
psalms, and church going, saying that these things are wanted for the
improvement of the soul, but God does not want them at all. We are glad that
the rationalist has come toward us and will make further approaches in the
course of time.

Yes, the progressive rationalist has admitted a very broad principle in
theology: whatever we do toward God is for our own benefit and not for the
benefit of God, who is not in want of anything. However, the rationalist is
a rationalist still and will continue to be so as long as he seeks
self-interest. We know for certain that religion promises to give eternal
happiness to man and it is impossible to conceive of any religion, which is
not based on self-interest. This view, however, smells of utilitarianism and
can never be theism. We must love God for God's sake even if our actions
appear unreasonable. Our love must be without any goal concerning ourselves.
This love must be natural emotion to the deity, as our well-wisher, without
inference or experience. Salvation, dear as it is, should not be the object
of this love. What then about other forms of happiness? Love of God is it's
own reward. Salvation, as a concomitant consequence, must be a servant of
love, but we must not look on it as the main goal. If a rationalist is
prepared to believe this, he becomes a theist of the Vaisnava class, but the
mere assuming of a name is of no consequence.

Though fully aware that the Lord is completely unconditioned, our holy and
sweet principle of love takes a different view to that of the rationalist.
Reason says one thing but love prescribes the opposite. Reason tells me that
God has no sorrow, but love sees God in tears for His sons who are misled to
evil. Reason tells me that the strict laws of God reward and punish me in a
cold manner, but love reveals that God slackens His laws to the repentant
soul. Reason tells me that, with all his improvements, man will never touch
God, but love preaches that on the conversion of the soul into a state of
spiritual womanhood, God, unconditioned as He is accepts an eternal marriage
with the liberated soul. Reason tells me that God is in infinite space and
time, but love describes that the all-beautifull Lord is sitting before us
like a respected relative and enjoying the pleasures of society. As a father
in his amusements with his young children, God is spreading all sorts of
delicious food all over the earth and expecting His sons to gather them for
their own benefit. But the loving children, out of their holy and unmixed
love, gather all the scattered blessings and with strong feelings of love,
regardless of reason, offer all the blessings to the Father whom they love
more than their lives.

The Father again, in reply to their kind feelings, gives back the offering
to the children and kindly tells them, "O My children! These blessings are
intended for you! Out of your natural love, your bring them to Me for My
enjoyment, but naturally I have no wants for you to supply. I have, however,
accepted that part of your offering which is for Me: your unmixed love and
unbiased affections, for which I am exceedingly anxious. Take back these
sweet things and enjoy them."

This process of unbiased love, which dry reason can never approach,
sanctifies the food we take and brings us harmless enjoyment every day of
our natural life! This is a system of sincere worship, which theists of a
higher class alone can act upon. We cannot express the joy often felt when
we took the mahaprasada in the temple! The holiness we attach to it is its
sweetness and often we pray that all men may enjoy it.

(The Temple of Jagannatha at Puri)