Thoughts from Adoration

Et verbum caro factum est. And the Word became flesh. The following is an excerpt from my prayer journal.

As I sit here in adoration tonight, on the eve of Temple and Table’s fourth birthday, I reflect on my journey between food and faith. I stare at You, fully present in that humble piece of Eucharist and I’m in awe. In awe of your humility. In awe of your genius plan of salvation for us. In awe of how near to us you desire to be. In awe of how you fill our every need, from the most basic to the most complex.

And what a beautiful journey you’ve taken me on - from studying the science behind food and how it nourishes us, to being drawn into the highest truths of our faith, my faith, and how you nourish me.

Thank you, Jesus. We should start every meal with a moment of thanksgiving and begin every prayer with a grateful heart. Again, I say thank you.

+Saturari,

Amanda

One Closed Door

This blog was originally a guest post written for His Own, a band and women's ministry.

“We regret to inform you that you are no longer being considered for admission into our medical school class for the upcoming school year…”

I received many letters that began with that phrase, or some form of it, when pursuing my lifelong dream of being a pediatrician. I remember creating a poster in third grade to illustrate who I was and in the section of “what I want to be when I grow up” was a picture of a doctor. My whole family was rooting for me to go to medical school, and believed I could get there.

But we do our part and God does His. There is nothing that I would change about being a pre-medical student—I am a science nerd, through and through. I studied hard and learned about the beauty and magnificence of the human body. It afforded me incredible experiences, from observing surgeries to taking care of low-income populations in free health clinics. Many of the amazing people that I met along the way remain my good friends.

Your dreams over me are bigger than my own.

God always works for our good. Looking back on those experiences to where I am today points to the beautiful puzzle of our lives that God puts together if we offer him back our “pieces.” After not getting accepted into a school for three application cycles, I decided to take a step back and really sit with the Lord, asking what He wanted for my life. Buckle up, if you do this, because you are in for a wild ride! As St. John Paul II said, “Life with Christ is a wonderful adventure.”

I won’t lie—I was terribly heartbroken when I felt my desire to be a doctor start to fade away. I couldn’t explain it and many couldn’t understand why I wasn’t applying again. I felt like I had disappointed everyone. Still, I had to trust that God was bringing me to something different, something better, and that He would reveal it with time. The truth that my heart needed to know was: I am a beloved daughter of God. There is nothing that I need to accomplish to earn God’s love. It was there waiting for me to receive, and always would be.

I hope to encourage you by speaking to your heart from the other side of an abandoned dream, but one that was shaped into a much bigger dream than my human heart could have ever conceived. God shaped my dream into Temple and Table, which has the capacity to change our culture for the better, meal by meal, table by table, parish by parish, and community by community.  Be open to His grace and He will take you on a wonderful adventure!

+Saturari,

Amanda

The Rome Series: Connection

The last installment for 'The Rome Series,' highlighting reflections from my recent trip to Rome, Italy.

For me, much of what made Italy such a beautiful experience stemmed from the food (big surprise!). When I reflect on it though, the meals shared were more than handmade pasta dishes or perfectly presented antipasti - it was much more - mealtime was a slow paced event, nothing was rushed, nothing was spared. We sipped wine, savored our bites, not thinking of what was pressing back at home.  We just ate, and conversed, and enjoyed.

Some meals on the trip I can vividly remember everything that I ate (like the life-changing linguini al limone with house white wine and marinated olive antipasto), but others I cannot. What I can remember is how we treated mealtime. It was an event, a destination. It was not discussed that we would treat our meals this way; it just happened. That part of Italian culture cannot be sidelined, even for a tourist on her first visit to the country.

Food is a connector. God could have chosen anything to provide us nourishment and He chose food and the meal. He does not create anything by chance, or accident, so there must be a spiritual significance underlying it. The meal is meant to foreshadow the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, the banquet prepared by Love itself. Each Sunday, we all gather to partake in the summit of our faith, the Eucharist. A meal which Jesus directly enters into our presence and our bodies.  We partake in at least three meals a day, where we have a chance to slow down, intimately connect and bask in the joy of a shared meal.  A chance to CELEBRATE the goodness of life.

Wine is like life to men, if you drink in moderation.  What is life to a man who is without wine? It has been created to make men glad. Wine drunk in season and temperately is rejoicing of heart and gladness of soul.  [Sirach 31:27-28]

How I wish I could go back to that late afternoon meal in Trastevere where we sat for close to three hours or that lunch of hand-tossed pizzas and prosecco with a view of the Amalfi coast... What I can return to is the leisurely pace, and the fun conversation, and the gratefulness of the moment. What I can return to is putting great care into how I prepare my food and savoring the taste. Salute! to eating like an Italian, allowing the great connector of food to create an appreciation for the beauty and art of cooking and a grateful, open heart for others.

What are some of your favorite ways to cherish and celebrate mealtime?

+Saturari,

Amanda