Lobster a la Yuck!
Oliver Cromwell, the Puritan Lord Protector of England, had his own quaint form of grace that he piously recited before each meal: “Some people have food but no appetite; some people have an appetite but no food. I have both. The Lord be praised!”
As Christians, we have a boundless supply of food for the soul in the revealed Word of God, but we may be lacking in the appetite department. Those who have learned to find the boundless source of “soul food” and who have a ravishing appetite for the spiritual nourishment that it offers are truly blessed. They see the Lord as the loving Provider and marvel at his sustained providence. Each prayerful reading or meditation on God’s Word is like participating in one of those premiere events of Jesus’ public life--the feeding of the multitudes with the miraculously multiplied loaves and fish. For such contemplative souls, “their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night” (Ps 1:2).
Faith-saturated prayer in its deepest form—contemplation--penetrates God’s mysteries with an inexpressible insight that faith itself cannot articulate: “On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate” (Ps 145:5). The psalmist alludes to the ineffable soul security, and even the release of physical tension, that sustained contemplation provides: “I keep the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure” (Ps 16:8, emphasis mine).
This resting in the embrace of the Creator elicits a trust in his love, a love that the enlightened soul recognizes and experiences as unfailing and steadfast, and hence trustworthy. This pondering looks to the past and marvels at the Lord’s unfailing goodness; he is worshipped as “abounding in steadfast love” (Ps 145:8). Peering into the future, the soul anticipates God’s unfailing supply of its needs, as it revels in trust and in the warmth of God’s love: “We ponder your steadfast love, O God” (Ps 48:9).
The Lord has provided the spiritual food for us. If we lack the appetite, we must ask him to provide that too--and trust him to do so.
This excerpt is from the book Pathways of Trust, by John H. Hampsch,C.M.F., originally published by Servant Publications. It and other of Fr. Hampsch's books and audio/visual materials can be purchased from Claretian Teaching Ministry, 20610 Manhattan Pl, #120, Torrance, CA 90501-1863. Phone 1-310-782-6408.