Food for the Soul | May 27th, 2020

Hello Dear Friends,

The well-known Jesuit, theologian and paleontologist, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, on an occasion when he was in the wilderness without a place to celebrate Eucharist he spoke this prayer: “Since once again, Lord, I have neither bread, nor wine, nor altar, I will raise myself beyond these symbols, up to the pure majesty of the real itself; I will make the whole earth my altar and on it will offer you all the labors and sufferings of the world.” Let us ponder today on our own altars and symbols, on the sacredness of everything that is. 

— Lilian Revel, Pastoral Care Associate

A Prayer

I do not know when we can gather together again in worship, Lord.

So, for now I just ask that:

When I sing along in my kitchen to each song on Stevie Wonder’s Songs in The Key of Life Album, that it be counted as praise. (Happy 70thBirthday, SW!)

And that when I read the news and my heart tightens in my chest, may it be counted as a Kyrie.

And that when my eyes brighten in a smile behind my mask as I thank the cashier may it be counted as passing the peace.

And that when I water my plants and wash my dishes and take a shower may it be counted as remembering my baptism.

And that when the tears come and my shoulders shake and my breathing falters, may it be counted as prayer.

And that when I stumble upon a Tabitha Brown video and hear her grace and love of you may it be counted as hearing a homily.

And that as I sit at that table in my apartment, and eat one more homemade meal, slowly, joyfully, with nothing else demanding my time or attention, may it be counted as communion.

Amen.

-Nadia Bolz-Weber

A Practice

I am encouraged today by the words of Teilhard de Chardin and the prayer by the Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber to see everything that exists as a sacrament and everything we do as potentially sacramental. God is incarnate in everything that forms part of our universe, thus it is all holy, divine, and sacred. Every one of our actions can become a ritual in which we honor and praise God. Every thought, every emotion, every belief, becomes a communion with God.

The coronavirus pandemic is changing many aspects of life, including the way we get together on Sundays for a familiar liturgy. But what if we lived our entire life, our day-to-day actions, our relationships with others, as one magnificent sacrament of love? What if our life were our liturgy? Nadia Bolz-Weber gives us one such example. I invite you to go deep inside yourself and come up with your own life liturgy that would include anything from the most ordinary daily actions to the loftiest sentiments. What would that look like? 

A Poem

A Sacrament 

by Paulann Petersen

Become that high priest,

the bee. Drone your way

from one fragrant

temple to another, nosing

into each altar. Drink

what’s divine –

and while you’re there,

let some of the sacred

cling to your limbs.

Wherever you go

leave a small trail

of its golden crumbs.

In your wake

the world unfolds

its rapture, the fruit

of its blooming.

Rooms in your house

fill with that sweetness

your body both

makes and eats.

from Poetry of Presence, Phyllis Cole-Dai & Ruby R. Wilson, Editors