Granola Bar Communion
Katie Harmon-McLaughlin of Sacramento, CA, USA
May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves. -Psalm 126:5-6
A few years ago, my husband, Zac, and I decided to spend our anniversary backpacking Mt. Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. The primary day of hiking to summit the mountain was a surprisingly grueling 10-mile hike up steep, boulder-filled trails, still slippery-wet from the previous day’s rain. As we made our way up the trail throughout the day, we noticed two young men who were traveling at about our pace. When we were resting, they would pass us and we’d exchange greetings. Not long after, we would pass them while they were taking a break, and they would voice their encouragements to us. Just before reaching the summit, we passed them again and noticed that one of the young men was looking especially weary.
His friend asked if we had any extra food since they had not anticipated the hike to take so long and did not bring enough. We stopped at the trailside and welcomed the relief of lifting the heavy packs from our backs. I reached in to grab an extra bag of trail mix and some granola bars. As the two men sat on the boulder before me, I extended my hands toward them, and the memory of countless moments serving communion washed over me. These, too, were emblems of God’s deep grace and desire for communion. They were nourishment for body and soul, revealing the sacramental in the ordinary. In that moment, my humble offerings of trail mix and granola bars represented the sacred connection that occurs anytime we express our oneness through acts of hospitality and love.
After we made sure they were ok, we continued hiking in silence, and I prayerfully imagined the whole world on this trail, sharing nourishment and supporting each other on the journey. Sometimes it is something so simple that reminds me how deeply this faith is embedded in the fabric of my life-like extending an arm to offer food as in communion, and knowing that here, too, as in every place, we encounter the bread of life.
Prayer Phrase
“Your mercies are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23, adapted).
Spiritual Practice
Ordinary Time is a season for noticing the details of life that make up its substance. This month, we invite you to pay attention with each fresh morning to the gift of being alive. Before getting out of bed, take a few deep breaths and notice what it feels like to wake up in your own body. Engage the tasks of your unfolding day with reverence-brushing your teeth, making the bed, pouring the coffee, tending the kids, feeding the animals, making breakfast, etc. Notice the presence of the Holy in every ordinary thing. Embrace your daily routines with sacramental significance. Notice how long you can do this before your attention is taken away, and commit to returning to this simple awareness as gently and often as you can.
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.
