Eating Together as a Spiritual Practice

Eating Together as a Spiritual Practice

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

Indeed, Jesus gives us continued examples of feeding thousands and of eating in 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 that reminds us of his care and brings 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 see the Christ within them. 

I have given up trying to understand why sharing a meal with someone else can help us build a relationship faster than spending hours talking to that person. That is why I so strongly believe in the ritual of family meals together. As we are being fed, we see the person more clearly. Often, we can have a deeper conversation when food is present. It is almost as if the food is a natural icebreaker.

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

Partners at Work

One day, we decided to have lunch together once a week to work through complex issues. The situation changed almost overnight. We began to see each other’s needs in relation 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/

What We Can Learn From the Enneagram

Enneagram

“In the study of personality, the Enneagram is designed for self-inquiry. By discovering one’s Enneagram type, one comes to know the many layers of self in a personal and particular way. The Enneagram shows how a person’s strengths can become more stable and dynamic, and how weaknesses can be brought to consciousness and even healed.”—Joseph Howell in Becoming Conscious: The Enneagram’s Forgotten Passageway (Balboa Press, 2012).

We once spent a weekend at an Enneagram conference led by Dr. Howell at Kanuga. This ancient nine-point study of personality can help us learn about ourselves, our strengths, and the healing of wounds that led to the formation of certain personality traits. Understanding the Enneagram can also help us become more compassionate toward ourselves and others of different personality types.

On the Enneagram, I am a two, the helper, with a strong three wing, the achiever. Another wing, the four, the creative type, can lead me to the source of my fundamental essence or to God within. That may explain why I write this daily message about spiritual direction and practices.

At the conference, there were nine tables where people could talk with others who shared one of the nine personality types. I immediately identified with the twos’ table. I heard the music in my mind and body, “Going Home,” the theme from Dvorak’s Largo in his New World Symphony. I was with a group of people who knew me, and I knew them. I could see their woundedness and easily recognize their souls, the God in them.

When someone with some experience of the Enneagram comes to spiritual direction, I try to use this tool to help that person see God and the soul within—for this is what the ancient practice is about.

Enneagram Types

Rebecca Spooner led an Enneagram Retreat at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Little Rock on February 29, 2020, and it was so helpful. It was one of the last things we did before the pandemic changed our lives. It seems so long ago. Today, I will review what Rebecca taught us to remember about the outside world and how it affected our inner world.

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

Wisdom and 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 that highlight 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 Israelite girl, captured and held captive, 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 evident every day. Children teach us about joy. They model awareness. They show us how to live in the moment. Their connection to the sacred often seems to be 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 grew up. However, I do remember one time when I listened to my young daughter and set aside my busy work to go outside and 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, became engaged over Labor Day weekend. In this picture, a younger Zoe has now graduated from Tulane and is working at the Tulane Library. Turner and Gray will be college juniors. Elizabeth is a senior in high school. I don’t want to miss a single moment I might have with any of them. 

I also 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, which has a Day School. I cherish every opportunity 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. For twenty-five years, we have 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. 

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 watching movies with them and, whenever I see them, remind them that we love them and that they are beautiful inside and out. 

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