Message in the Eucharist: Thanks and Abundance

Lessons From The Eucharist: Thanks and Abundance

“The church is the only community that has as its central symbolic act called ‘Thanks.’ The Eucharist. Eucharist is Greek for ‘Thanks.’ Participation in the Eucharist is an act of gratitude for the abundance that the creator God gives to the world!

But the extraction economy wants to think, ‘It’s mine!’ ‘I made it, I own it, I can do what I want, I don’t have to be grateful to anybody.’ Which leads me to think that participation in the Eucharist is the most subversive thing we can do. But notice what the long history of the church has done to the Eucharist. It has siphoned off its danger into something about sin and salvation and getting right with God, rather than a meal for the neighborhood.”—Walter Brueggemann.

Brueggemann reminds us of something we so often forget about the Eucharist. Christ called all to the Welcome Table, which should be the center of our worship. Weekly or daily Eucharist is an experience of abundance. There is always enough bread and wine, and always some left over. The Eucharist is a reminder of a great gift: the love of God for each of us and for all.

Remembering we are giving thanks for God’s great gift of love,

Remembering this is a table of abundance for all,

 Remembering this is an assurance that we have been given a life of abundance through Christ

 Can make all the difference in how we receive the Eucharist and

How we live our lives.

Joanna. https://www.joannaseibert.com/

Knowing the Way to Go

Knowing which way to go

 And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”— Isaiah 30:21.

fork in the road

How do we hear the voice of God telling us what to do and where to go? There are many options, perhaps more than the stars. The purpose of all our spiritual practices is to position ourselves to hear God’s direction.

Many believe God is the dream maker who speaks to us in the language of dreams at night. However, my experience is that I can only find meaning in a dream group. Looking back on what I thought this dream meant, the answer was obvious, but only other people could see it.

Many discernment processes can help decide the next path. The one I use the most is Ignatian discernment, where we visualize or imagine our lives in one situation and then in the other. Ignatius suggests that we can discern our path by evaluating how we felt after imagining each situation, rather than how we felt while imagining it.

Many use spiritual direction from another person to guide them. The director is there to help the person connect with their inner soul, where answers often come from.

My experience is that the hours just after waking in the morning are often when situations become clearer. So I try to be silent and wait to see if answers come.

This reading from Isaiah also reminds me of Benedict’s direction in the prologue to his Rule: “Listen with the ear of your heart.”

Joanna Seibert https://www.joannaseibert.com/

Painting as a Spiritual Practice

                                Painting as a Spiritual Practice

Guest Writer: Ken Fellows

  Watercolor Painting

     Before I took up watercolor painting, I was a radiologist who spent decades contemplating black/white images. My grayscale discrimination is pretty good, and perhaps that’s why my paintings feature light and shadow. A doctor colleague observed at one of my shows, “Well, I see you’re still dealing in shadows.”

Interpreting X-ray images also requires subconsciously rejecting what’s unimportant or extraneous and focusing on the unusual, the variant, and the arresting. The same holds true for watercolor art. When I paint, I do the same thing: I try to extract the essential and defining elements of a scene and leave out those that are mundane or distracting. Art teachers stress that what’s left out of a painting is as important as what is included. Sometimes, deciding that can be difficult; it complicates the start of every painting.

     Dewitt Hardy was my best teacher. He painted locally and was known nationally as a master of watercolors. His early criticism of my own work was that my paintings were “too photographic.” Other people have observed, not always admiringly, that “your work looks like a photo.” I offer no defense, unintentional as ‘the look’ may be.

     I often use personal photos as a reference for painting, but I usually study and sketch the scene on-site before attempting a final rendition. Photos taken on-site help me recall the ambient light and shadows when I return to my studio. Everything else –the objects, shapes, proportions, and colors –are all candidates for change and innovation.

     Whatever viewers think about my work, if it’s in a show, it has already passed my severest critics— my artist/wife Kristin, photographer/daughter Hannah, and young granddaughter Ella (who always recommends, “Grandpa, there’s not enough color”). They have discerning eyes and good judgment. If they disapprove, the painting is never on display. My paintings have been selected for approximately 65 shows over the past 22 years. I’ve been fortunate to have the support and encouragement of my family, and to have found this ‘2nd act’ in life.                                                                             

    In any case, I paint for pleasure, not for critical approval. I see more things I want to paint than I can ever accomplish. I choose what I like and paint what I see. There’s no message in my work –no karmic meaning, no philosophical intent. When a painting pleases me enough to hang on a wall, and my in-house jury approves, I dare to exhibit it publicly. I am satisfied if anyone else finds the effort either pleasing or interesting. 

   “I’ve been drawing all my life, just as a hobby, without really having shows or anything. It’s just an agreeable thing to do, and I recommend it to everybody. I always say to people, practice an art, no matter how well or badly, because then you have the experience of becoming, and it makes your soul grow.”—Kurt Vonnegut

Ken Fellows

Joanna joannaseibert.com