Contemporary wisdom teaches us we all must work for what we eat.
This is true of spiritual food as much as physical food.
At first glance the spiritual banquet appears free
With the waving of the entrance fee
No requirements listed
saint and sinner alike stream in without examination
All our welcome here.
Prince and beggar, blind and lame, dumb and mute
blind and proud, greedy and loud
lost and found…
The least qualified seem to hear the call even more
their hunger greater than all the rest
But deep inside we find the cost
of eating this heavenly food
Nothing is asked for receiving the gift
But once received the receiver cannot help but abandon all to the Giver
And we cannot eat of this rich and costly food
without Gratitude
The gratitude we give is savoring the food offered freely for our enjoyment
How ungrateful a guest that comes in hurriedly, eats in a rush, and leaves
The guest that honors the gift of the Host
Chews slowly, savoring every flavor and smell
The guest that leisurely drinks in the delight of the meal provided
Honors the One who has Prepared with Love the Banquet to be Shared
The deliciousness of this consciousness and this savory wisdom
Must be digested with care.
Great nutrition cannot be wasted
Eaten in a hurry and expelled without absorbing any of the Essential
So too our prayer and worship and communion
Cannot be taken with hasty disregard
It is a treasure to be treasured
A feast to be relished
You know a great meal is being enjoyed by hungry souls
When the table is silent
Enjoying the delight and gift of the meal too much
to interrupt it with chatter
This must be eaten slowly,silently
Not to waste a single crumb
The gift requires respect and appreciation
To be relished and gain the nourishing fruits
Digestion always happens in darkness
In the secret cavern of the soul
Anyone caught in the stupor of food coma
After enjoying a heavy meal
Knows that digestion requires time and energy
Other faculties are suspended
While this holy digestion does it’s work
Squeezing every nutrient from every word
The prayer lingers on every holy word
Like the sweetness of honey lingers on the tongue
Too enraptured to speak
The tongue could not profane this Silence
anymore than the mind can grasp the greatness of this gift.
Yes, Silence is the guest’s greatest gift
to the Giver,
the preparer of the Feast.
