10 Things to Remember: 1. Love is Always the Answer
Minute Meditation – Eating is an Opportunity for Gratitude
Food offers a constant opportunity to take in gifts with gratitude, which is one of the fundamental practices of the spiritual life. Every time you eat is a chance to give thanks for all those many links in the great chain of being that brings nourishment to your body and your soul. It’s a chance to be grateful for the miracle of your body, which can take food and turn it into the miracle that is you or, if you are pregnant, your developing child. There are plenty of times when I take food for granted, when I treat it merely as fuel, or when, to use one of the phrases I like least in the English language, I just “grab a bite.” But other times, whether it’s in receiving the Eucharist or eating Cyndi’s homemade pizza on Friday nights, I’m full—of wonder, gratitude, and a sense of belonging with those I eat with and with the beautiful living world that brings such miracles to my plate. Saying grace over meals, then eating with full awareness and intention, is one of the most profoundly spiritual practices I know of—and we have a chance to do it several times, every day.
— from the book Making Room: Soul-Deep Satisfaction through Simple Living by Kyle Kramer, page 123
Minute Meditation – God Feeds Us with Loving Kindness
Food freely given exacts from us a promise to go beyond its selfish reception to the unselfish realm of deep gratitude. There we commit ourselves to give to others what we have received. My food mentors—grandmother and mother—cooked not because their sense of dignity depended on others’ opinions of them but because they knew that treating tablemates to the best they could offer was the backbone of every family and nation. Though ingratitude and indifference might have come to their table, it disappeared when they left it. Poured forth from previously pursed lips was a litany of gratitude complemented by what these good souls always wanted to see: sighs and smiles of contentment.
—from the book Table of Plenty: Good Food for Body and Spirit
by Susan Muto
//Franciscan Media//
Minute Meditation – Celebrating with a Meal Transforms Us
A table full of hungry people, celebrating the spirit and the flavor of marvelous food, is a transformative event, exceeding, as do all transcendent experiences, our fondest expectations. In eyes rolling upward, in a symphony of little satisfied sounds, in the ear-to-ear smile of the cook when the dishes are done and the pots and pans are washed—all are witnesses in silent gratitude to the perfect wedding of body and soul.
—from the book Table of Plenty: Good Food for Body and Spirit
by Susan Muto
//Franciscan Media//
60 Second Wisdom – Is It Possible to be 10 Times Happier?
“If I told you by doing something that takes ten seconds, ten times a day, you would become ten times happier, would you do it? Most people wouldn’t. That’s human nature. We say we want to be happy but then we busy ourselves with things that make us restless and unhappy.
But maybe you are one of the few, so here it is.
We’ve all heard the term “Count your blessings!” It comes from the Jewish tradition that encourages people to count 100 blessings each day.
100 is a lot and you aren’t going to do that in ten seconds, but you can do this. Pause ten times a day for ten seconds and do these two things. First, take a deep breath, a really, really deep breath. Second, identify one person, thing, experience, or opportunity you are grateful for and just let that gratitude wash over you.
10 seconds. 1O times a day. I promise you, it will change your life. Gratitude is one of the most life-altering experiences a human being can have.”
Minute Meditation – God Feeds Us with Loving Kindness
Food freely given exacts from us a promise to go beyond its selfish reception to the unselfish realm of deep gratitude. There we commit ourselves to give to others what we have received. My food mentors—grandmother and mother—cooked not because their sense of dignity depended on others’ opinions of them but because they knew that treating tablemates to the best they could offer was the backbone of every family and nation. Though ingratitude and indifference might have come to their table, it disappeared when they left it. Poured forth from previously pursed lips was a litany of gratitude complemented by what these good souls always wanted to see: sighs and smiles of contentment.
—from the book Table of Plenty: Good Food for Body and Spirit
by Susan Muto
//Franciscan Media//
The Secret to the Good Life
What is the essential ingredient to the good life?
Since Aristotle first spoke of “the good life” almost 2,500 years ago, it seems everyone has been on a quest to experience it. I have heard many people speak about it and I have read many books on the subject. Some people think it’s about success and accomplishment. Others think it’s about money and things. Some think it’s about love and family. Others think it’s about food, wine, travel, adventure, education, meaningful work, independence, friendship, and pleasure. There’s nothing wrong with these things, unless these things are all you’ve got. Because even all of these things together will not deliver the good life.
There is only one ingredient essential to the good life. So essential that without it, the good life is impossible. You would think that such an ingredient would be widely sought after. It isn’t. You might think that such an ingre- dient is scarce. It isn’t. You may think this ingredient is expensive. It isn’t. You may think people would be clam- oring to get their hands on it. They aren’t.
When people talk about the good life, you get the impression that it is mysterious and only available to a select few people. This isn’t true. There is no secret to the good life. It isn’t a mystery. No exceptional talent is required. It isn’t only for the rich and famous. It is available to everyone, everywhere, at all times.
What is the essential ingredient of the good life? Goodness itself. The secret to the so-called good life has always been right before our very eyes. If you wish to live the good life, fill your life with goodness. Fill your life with love, kindness, gratitude, compassion, and generosity.
Daily Reflection – Start Today With Gratitude
Meditation of the Day – God Has Loved You From Eternity
“Thus, brethren, God has loved you from eternity, and through pure love, he has selected you from among so many men whom he could have created in place of you; but he has left them in their nothingness, and has brought you into existence, and placed you in the world. For the love of you, he has made so many other beautiful creatures, that they might serve you, and that they might remind you of the love which he has borne to you, and of the gratitude which you owe to him.”— St. Alphonsus Liguori, p. 218
//Catholic Company//
Morning Offering – The Eucharist Will Transform the Coldness of Our Hearts
“If we but paused for a moment to consider attentively what takes place in this Sacrament of the Eucharist, I am sure that the thought of Christ’s love for us would transform the coldness of our hearts into a fire of love and gratitude.”
— St. Angela of Foligno
//Catholic Company//