Always Hungry

I tend to devour literary inspiriation
from many sources and languages --
the Bible included. Beyond any
spiritual messages that carress your
particular choice of reverence,
I am intrigued by what tales are told --
and pine for those never included
by man's hand.

This was written for a Retreat of Passionate Priests,
gather to discuss new homily threads.
The mith and frowns were equally divided.

Eat These Words

I am drawn by the words of our blessed Saint Paul of the Cross, "If your spirit resonates with the written Word, all is well." So simple. Stand away you who would say, "Only by these words …" Listen close you who would say, "The Bible is the only and last Word …" What arrogance to limit God to a few phrases mistranslated into English from the Greek, and limited even there by human error in verbal repetition of impassioned story. Divinely inspired Words? Certainly. Where are the rest of the Words? Am I to believe that the sacred writings in today's imprimatur are the limitations of what was witnessed thousands of years ago?

One should ask, "Why is it that of all the interactions between God and man, these few stories survived?"

I once heard it said, "Isn't amazing that the Bible has so many analogies about food?" One might just as well ask, "Isn't it amazing that a bowling ball has three holes that fit the fingers?" It is not that the important stories were about food, it is that the stories about food survived. It was at mealtime that stories were told! Content men with full stomachs remember stories. Hungry men do not pay attention! Starving men do not pass on stories!

Can anyone seriously think that it was just chance that our Lord selected bread and wine - food- as the symbols of his link to our salvation? They weren't divine and he gave them to us. He made them divine by his choice. Were they just conveniently at hand at the Last Supper, so He made do? No! He selected a joined, community meal as the place to give his divine directions. He linked it with food so that we would never forget! Break bread with me, my friends.

We ask blessing (sometimes) at meals. It is called grace. Are we really asking for the food to be blessed? Come on! The food is already blessed, either because the grain came from God's hand, or further blessed by man's honest labor. We are asking that we be blessed, in remembrance of that special meal. Every meal becomes a Mass of sorts, if we ask our Lord to join us. He is there anyway, but it is proper to ask our friend in. "Take off your sandals, sit a spell and rest, you are with friends." The grace comes from our effort to remember -- not from the food. Our faith doesn't come from the Word either. Our closeness to Jesus comes from acting in accordance with those Words, and others that we hear in private prayer. Heresy, no?

Each of us hears words in our hearts that go beyond those written Words. When others use those Words to suppress or deny or punish -- we are free to act on our own blessed Words -- those that truly "resonate with the spirit as expressed in the written Words." More than free, I think. We are called to build upon those Words until our daily actions are a shining light to others as example of the Word. Welcome friend, whoever you are.

Well, I wasn't struck dead while writing these words here. Thank you Saint Paul.

I may have to eat my words some day.

That will be OK too.

faucon