“When our life ceases to be inward and private, conversation degenerates into mere gossip. We rarely meet a man who can tell us any news which he has not read in a newspaper, or been told by his neighbor. … In proportion as our inward life fails, we go more constantly and desperately to the post office. You may depend on it, that the poor fellow who walks away with the greatest number of letters proud of his extensive correspondence has not heard from himself this long while.” —Henry David Thoreau.
spiritual friends
My spiritual director sent this to me today. Most of us do not go to the post office, and letter writing is becoming a lost art. But we are now judged by how many Facebook friends we have! I have a Facebook page in order to keep informed about family and friends. But a Facebook message is very different from a phone call or a visit or a conversation over a meal. When we are face to face we can share what is really going on with us. It is then that we may bare our soul and look for the Christ in our friend—and hope that the Christ within us will guide us. Actually meeting with spiritual friends is not optional for the inner life, the life of the soul. It is mandatory.
Even better is meeting over a meal. Replenishing our bodies mysteriously opens up our mind to nourish the soul. Here is where we see Christ in each other, and maybe even get a little glimpse of the Christ in ourselves.
I was in a pediatric radiology medical group for more than thirty years. We each had our own agenda and our areas of expertise. We were having difficulty making decisions and seeing the importance of each other’s plans. We decided to meet for lunch once a week and just talk to each other about what was going on in our lives. It took a while, but miracles happened. We began to look at each other’s ideas in a different light. The mysterious result of meeting and talking to each other and having a regularly shared meal was that the food and conversation nourished us into forming a real community.
Joanna joannaseibert.com
Release party!!!!!!!!!!!
Come and get a signed copy of the new book
Just in time for the holidays
A Spiritual Rx for Advent Christmas, and Epiphany
The Sequel to A Spiritual Rx for Lent and Easter
Both are $18
All Money from sale of the books goes either to Camp Mitchel Camp and Conference Center in Arkansas or Hurricane Relief in the Diocese of Central Gulf Coast
Seibert’s, 27 River Ridge Road, Little Rock, Arkansas 72227
10 to noon, Saturday September 14, 2019
RSVP joannaseibert@me.com