The Gospel According to Croutons 021910

Changed By Love (by Peter Mayer)



Changed by Love

And sent to share it

When you're changed by Love

You shine the Light and wear it

In your heart in every place

Lift our hands oh God of grace

We will never be the same

We are changed by Love


Father Dominic Garramone, OSB has written in his great little book, Bake and be Blessed: Bread Baking as a metaphor for Spiritual Growth:

"All of us have days when we feel we have been broken and shared until there's nothing left of us but crumbs... If our reward is with the Lord, then when we feel useless and 'crummy' we have to listen for Him to speak to us, to make us glorious in His sight, rather than worrying about outward signs of success. To do that, we have to take our exhaustion and frustration to prayer, and let Him be the source of our strength, rather than relying entirely on our own abilities. God has formed us from the moment of our conception, knows us through and through, with all our faults and weaknesses and failures, and still finds us precious, valued, even glorious. Although our busy schedules sometimes leave us only the crusts of the day to offer to God, they are acceptable, to be gathered up and not wasted." (page 94)

Father Dom's books and cookbooks are available on http://www.amazon.com/Bake-Be-Blessed-Metaphor-Spiritual/dp/0967465230
Peter is in harmony with Father Dom. He sings, "Lift our hands oh God of grace."

There are those times in life (even on just the third day of our Lenten journey) when one feels "crummy." One of the pictures in today's devo is that of a Bread shop. I wish that maybe outside the doors of all of our faith communities' buildings that we'd just post a simple five-letter sign that reads "Bread." For bread is so basic and central to our existence. It is my fervent hope and prayer that as we are "changed by love" that we know we can get bread and be bread for one another. And perhaps most important of all, we need to have places and spaces to go when we feel "crummy."

For those of us attempting to follow Jesus who called himself "the Bread of Life" aka " Pita vitae" what grace there is to know that crusts and croutons (if that is all we have left) are acceptable to God.

I invite you to offer up the "leftovers" you have to God. I encourage you to be open and honest with God (who knows what's going on, anyway). May you be "changed by love" today.

Peace,

Rtg