Eating Together As A Spiritual Practice

Eating Together as a Spiritual Practice

“The question of bread for myself is a material question, but the question of bread for my neighbor is a spiritual question.”—Nikolai Berdyaev.

Indeed, Jesus gives us continued examples of his feeding thousands and eating at the homes of others, often with the most despised, such as Zacchaeus and Matthew, tax collectors. Jesus, a role model in this, feeds others and lets others feed him. For Christians, Jesus leaves us with another meal, the Eucharist of bread and wine, a sacrament reminding us of his care and bringing his presence to us.

When I am having difficulty with someone, I imagine us together at the altar rail, kneeling, if possible, to receive the bread and wine of the Eucharist. Jesus is with us. After kneeling together, I see the person in a different light. Sometimes, I can see the Christ within them. 

I have given up trying to understand why sharing a meal with someone else can help us develop a relationship faster than spending hours talking to that person. As we are being fed, we see the person more clearly. So often, we can continue a deeper conversation when food is present. It is almost as if the food is a natural icebreaker.

I remember when, in my medical practice, I worked with nine other physicians. Each had unique gifts and advocated for distinct parts of our practice. Each person wanted their area to be funded and fully staffed.

One day, we decided to have lunch together once a week to try to work through complex issues. The situation changed almost overnight. We began to see each other’s needs as they related to our many areas of interest. We prioritized the needs of the patients we cared for over our own. Some of us even became lifelong friends!

Joanna https://www.joannaseibert.com/

 

 

 

Wisdom of Children

Wisdom of Children

“The wolf shall live with the lamb,
   the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
   and a little child shall lead them.”—Isaiah 11:6.

There are many Bible stories about the wisdom and leadership of children and youth. An adolescent boy leads Saul to Samuel (1 Samuel 9). Baby Moses’ sister Miriam keeps watch over him until Pharaoh’s daughter finds him and suggests a “nurse” for him (Exodus 2:1-10). A young captured Israelite girl tells Naaman’s wife about Elisha, who can cure his leprosy (2 Kings 5). In the Gospel of John, Andrew brings a young boy with five barley loaves and two small fish to Jesus to feed five thousand people (John 6:1-14). I know there are more stories. Help me remember them.

As a children’s physician and now a grandmother, I find the significance of children becoming evident daily. Children teach us about joy. They model awareness. They show us how to live in the moment. Their connection to the sacred often seems on a shorter string than ours.

As a parent, I was so worried about raising my children “right” that I often missed their wisdom as they were growing up. However, I do remember one time I listened to my young daughter and stopped my busy work to go outside to see the rainbows in our lawn sprinkler—after she came running in to tell me about all the rainbows outdoors.

My grandchildren are growing up too fast. Langley, our oldest, has moved to New York City to study law. Her brother, Mac, is going to graduate school in Liverpool today. In this picture, a younger Zoe is now a senior at Tulane. Turner and Gray will be sophomores in college. Elizabeth will be in high school. I don’t want to miss a single moment I might have with any of them.

I also so loved being part of the children at the Cathedral School when I was assigned to Trinity Cathedral.

I am now a deacon at St. Mark’s, where there is a Day School. I cherish every opportunity I can get to spend time with these preschoolers. I love how they fold their tiny hands and kneel to pray in Chapel. Sometimes, their heads are bowed. Sometimes, they look up with wonder, seeking to “get” what this new adventure is about. Several weeks ago, we helped with Vacation Bible School. The children teach us more about God and God’s love than most books on my bookshelf, as they share their connection to God.

So when people come to me for spiritual direction, I always recommend spending time with children, especially one-on-one, to learn more about God’s love. Barbara Brown Taylor suggests getting down on the floor with them. Unfortunately, I can no longer do that, but I can still sit and listen to their stories, share meals, throw kisses, and give hugs. I also love to sit and watch movies with them, reminding them every time I see them that we love them and that they are beautiful inside and out.

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

 

 

 

Shower Chant: Breaking Our Heart of Stone

Ezekiel: Shower Chant, Breaking Heart of Stone

“I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness. A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you.”—Ezekiel 36:25-27a.

I am up early, watching the light come to day as gentle rain sounds outside my window and on our roof. I can imagine this rain cleansing our planet and my heart. Maybe later, I will have the courage to go outside, stand or sit, feel the rain on my face, hair, and clothes, and pray for a heart of flesh instead of stone for just this day.

One of the first priests I worked with when I was a deacon in training shared that he chanted these few verses from Ezekiel in his shower each morning. I think of and pray for him each time I recite these words, which I first read about in the alternative Canticles in Morning Prayer in Enriching our Worship I (Church Publishing, 1998).

As I talk to spiritual friends who confide concerns about the heart of stone they carry, I also let them know that I suffer from the same dis-ease. My experience is that our responsibility is to recover awareness of when we cannot feel the Spirit within us, and our hearts turn to stone. Awareness is a significant gift that God calls us to develop and discern. Only God can change our hearts. We can only pray to be open to God changing our hearts every day. We also seek relationships with others who desire a heart of flesh, not stone, and we pray for each other.