Food as Sacrament – repost from Tending the Healthy Hearth 4/4/2010

Whether patriotic or religious, food takes center stage at the celebrations of life. This makes infinite sense when you stop and consider that life, itself, is that which we celebrate. From the Seder to the Eucharist food represents the nourishment beyond nutrition to spiritual sustenance. The table set with the sacred calls us to be filled with more than food for our bellies, rather soul-food is set forth. And it is the gathering with those we love and those who share our beliefs that the spirit is fed.

As the wine requires the chalice for delivery, so the spirit requires the body for expression. As our eyes meet, there our souls mingle. As our arms embrace one another, there is our solace. Jesus without a physical body would eliminate Easter as a celebration of our freedom in new life.

With prayers and holy stories we bless the food and partake with mindful awareness of what it represents. From the bitter herbs of life to the sweetness of the wine to the unleavened bread as manna from heaven we are reminded that food alone is far from enough. However, the food is critical to sustain these lives we have. It is that which enlivens our daily life with nutriments for cellular health and the perpetuation of these holy vessels in which we live.

Take care with your food this week full well knowing what you choose influences your quality of life as well as it’s longevity. Adorn your personal temple with the most beautiful nutrient rich selections available to you in this country of plenty. As we celebrate the rites of this holy week extend it to your personal hearth to honor the sacred in you, your family and all those into whose eyes you gaze.