Prayerful Eating
October 31st, 2009Saturday’s Reflection
AS YOU PREPARE and eat a meal, take the time to think about your food. Everything you are eating came from the earth. Everything was nourished by the sun and the rain and the care of a person who spent many hours growing the food so that you might be sustained. Pray into these realities. Feel the love and the care that live in each bite you take. Allow gratitude to arise in you.
- Daniel Wolpert
Creating a Life with God: The Call of Ancient Prayer Practices
From p. 144-145 of Creating a Life with God: The Call of Ancient Prayer Practices by Daniel Wolpert. Copyright © 2003 by the author. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission of Upper Room Books. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question
Follow the suggestion in today’s reflection. Tell us about your experience.
Today’s Scripture Reading
John wrote, “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of the heaven from God.”
- Revelation 21:2, NIV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for saints and martyrs. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Why Saints? Observing saints more closely reveals that they were ordinary people just like us. What set them apart was their life purpose. More than anything else, they wanted to know God. So despite their faults and frailties, they have much to teach us. Learn from Saints.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Jude (October 28).
- Lectionary Readings:
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October 31st, 2009 at 3:31 am
For me, these words remind of the earlier reflection about being mindful in the present moment, and the recent one about praying in silence.
Turning our attention to God and saying ‘Yes, Lord’, whether we feel his presence or not , is consenting to his activity in our lives. It’s being there with him. Words aren’t really necessary for this at all. Too often we equate ‘prayer’ with ‘words’ , usually ‘many words’ and ‘right words’ but there are other ways to put ourselves into the presence of God. Thinking as Wolpert suggests about the tasks at hand is good one.
October 31st, 2009 at 4:10 am
Thank you Lord for this day.
Good morning.Have a blessed day.
When I prepare a meal, I think of the ingredients to make the food palatable and presentable. When I eat a meal,I thank God for the food He has provided and rarely think of any thing related to the food except the taste.
As I read today’s reflection, I realise the enormity of task, love and care that goes into my having a healthy pleasing meal. I realise how much I lack in being grateful to the unknown faces,who have toiled hard and sweat, prayed for the sun to shine and rain to come appropriately. Lord Jesus, please bless each and every farmer, fisherman, dairy worker, laborer,trader,trucker, Supermarket worker, vendor and all those involved in enabling us to have food on our tables.
Thank You Lord. Help me to be more and more grateful for every thing. Bless all your children.
October 31st, 2009 at 6:27 am
The meal I have prepared thus far is a cup of coffee and all I did was turn on the coffee maker. My husband sets it up the night before. I also fed the dog and the cat.
The first cup of coffee is always the best that I have each day.
I think of the people who talk about coffee that is made from sustainable practices or some kind of special beans. I haven’t attended to this much.
Coffee is so good. I need to savor it more, and slowly.
I need to slow down so I can recognize the presence of God in my life and give thanks.
This exercise makes me think to apply this more to everything, and maybe starting with food is a good place. We are always in such a rush.
October 31st, 2009 at 8:41 am
Not only with food, but I have spent a lot of time the last few weeks trying to spend more time being thankful for everything I have in my life; not being so focused on what I don’t have.
October 31st, 2009 at 11:32 am
When I think of food I feel so bad because our food comes to us at such a price to others. In North American we underpay farm workers, and in some countries they are virtually slaves unable to rise out of poverty. Farmers and their workers are looked down on by society today. God, I pray for forgiveness for our callous indifference to the suffering of others. Forgive our “as long as I have mine” attitude. Bless these people who work so hard for others. Thank you for all the delightful foods with their great tastes, nourishment and beautiful colours. Show us how to help our fellowman who works in partnership with you to feed us.