By MARIA SERMERSHEIM
MEDITATIONE IGNIS
The most exquisite joys are tasteless joys because a taste of heaven far exceeds even the most delectable desserts. Our Easter season of feasting prompts us to celebrate Christ’s Resurrection with all the majesty and superfluity we can muster, but all in the context of glorifying God and remembering the infinitely greater majesty of our loving Lord.
Some weeks ago, a friend made the comment that he “live(s) for food.” He loves to try different things and compare flavor profiles; he once taste-tested all the different brands of mayonnaise, just to evaluate their distinct characteristics. On this occasion, he was making three kinds of hot chocolate to identify the difference of his imported cocoa. When he said that he lived for food, I was immediately stricken by the ultimate futility of the statement, especially because he did not seem to say it in jest or exaggeration. He is not a man of any particular faith, as far as I know; and I had the impression that, while he certainly has other delights in his life, being an amateur food critic truly is very high on his list of life-giving joys. As I left, I was distressed to reflect on the priority that he gave to food. Later that evening, I was given further fodder for contrast.
As I ate dinner that evening, I read a letter from my dear friend, in which she asked me to be her child’s godmother! I was incredibly grateful and so deeply moved that I stopped eating. I prayed, I laughed, and I cried. What a fantastic honor and responsibility, to be entrusted with this gift of truly eternal importance! To return to my dinner after receiving this gift was an immense task. I had lost my appetite in my overwhelming gratitude, and the previously tasty pasta dinner was tasteless in comparison to the sheer joy and deep love in my heart. It was a challenge to bring myself back to my food and a sorrow to remember my friend’s comment about living for food. I sincerely hope that he has been so overwhelmed by goodness that he had no desire to eat because such moments of exceeding joy and gratitude are windows into the world to come. As St. Paul wrote, “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him, this God has revealed to us through the Spirit” (1 Cor 2:9-10). Yes, through the Spirit, not through the stomach!
In the Church, we rightly tie the two together with our fasting and feasting because as human beings, we are integrated wholes of both body and spirit. But the priority always rests with the spirit, and even in the resurrection of our bodies, we will each be “raised a spiritual body” (1 Cor 15:44). It is through bodily fasting and feasting that we cultivate our spiritual understanding. After the 40-day Lenten fast, we embrace the 50-day Easter feast—but both must be oriented toward our worship of the Lord. Rather than simply seeking or refraining from tasty treats, we should enjoy everything with reference to the tasteless joy of the Resurrection.
We do not “live for food,” we live for Christ; he who gives us life – and life eternal.