Just Taste the Gravy!

By -
I was talking to someone the other day who I am fast considering to be the king of analogies.  In our conversation about faith, he offered this one—off the cuff—to describe the challenges of introducing others to Jesus who are not interested in testing the waters of faith.

He said it is like getting a grandchild who insists they do not like gravy, to try it.  It goes like this:

Grandpa:  Why don’t you try some gravy on those mashed potatoes?

Grandson:  I don’t like it.

Grandpa:  How do you know?  Have you tried it?

Grandson:  No, I haven’t tried it, but I know I don’t like it.

Grandpa:  Here, just try a little bit.

Grandson tries it and decides he likes Grandpa’s gravy.  

What a perfect analogy!  How many people have made a decision that they want no part of “religion” without even knowing what it means to have faith?

Like Grandpa, people of faith struggle with how to offer that small, bite-sized portion.  Too often, we pile it on and smother people with too much. The truth is, it often takes just one encounter with Jesus to help people understand what all the fuss is about.

But, as was mentioned in our conversation, people must come to own it themselves.  You can’t simply tell someone gravy is wonderful or convince them of it, they have to taste it for themselves.

I told you he was the king of analogies.

So that is the dilemma.  As a Christian person of faith, I want you to really understand why so many of us are passionate about Jesus, why the Good News that we are all saved is so wonderful.  

I want you to know what it means to try to live a holy, imperfect life and what it means to have eternal life.

I want you to know that there is a difference between knowing about Jesus, and knowing Jesus.  

Please, I desperately want you to throw off any preconceived ideas and taste a portion of it for yourself.  My words are inadequate when it comes to explaining how tremendous is the power of God and how great his love for us.

So there you have it.  I am officially inviting you to taste the gravy.  Just try a small sampling.  Ask someone of faith what it means to them.  Go to this website and read a little or watch a couple of videos. 

But for now, don’t get lost in complexity.  Keep it simple.

At first, you really don’t need to know what is in the gravy or how it is made in order to appreciate its goodness.

Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.com
janetcassidy.blubrry.net
Johnseven38@yahoo.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SAINT ELIZABETH, MOTHER OF JOHN THE BAPTIST- Feast: November 5

By -
Image
Elizabeth appears in the Gospel of Luke, where she is described as “righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly,”.  I imagine that she was warm, loving and obviously a safe harbour for young Mary, who was not married when she conceived.  When Mary came to visit her, Elizabeth was pregnant with St. John the Baptist and in her sixth month: “Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And how have I deserved that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, the moment that the sound of thy greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who has believed, because the things promised her by the Lord shall be accomplished.” 
Read more

The Memorare

By Helen Gonsalves -
Image
This popular prayer, a favorite of many Catholics, dates back to the 15th century and takes its name from the first Latin word of the prayer, "memorare," which means "remember." The Memorare is of unknown authorship, although it has been attributed to St. Augustine (354-430), St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407) and, with more reason, to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (c. 1090-1153). St. Bernard's sermons on Mary were famous, and it was his Cistercian monks in the monastery of Citeaux in the 12th century who popularized the name "Our Lady" for Mary. The Memorare has also been attributed to the French cleric Claude Bernard (1588-1641), known as the "poor priest" of Paris, whose homilies contain passages that echo its words. No matter who wrote this prayer, it was Father Bernard who did much to popularize it, teaching it in hospitals and prisons, where Mary's intercession was effective in working miracles of grace. The first manuscript of the Mem...
Read more

'Greater Love: Richie Fernando SJ', a joy-filled Filipino missionary

By -
Image
 I haven't been able to post for more than a week as I was giving an eight-day directed retreat to eight sisters of the Missionaries of Charity near Manila. While I had some access to the internet it was rather slow. I had intended to make a post here on the murder of Fr Fausto Tentorio PIME , a 59-year-old Italian priest, in the Diocese of Kidapawan, Mindanao, on Monday 17 October. I will save that post for a later date. As I was looking for a video about Father Fausto I came across one about Brother Richard Michael 'Richie' Fernando SJ, a Filipino Jesuit scholastic who died while trying to prevent a troubled and disabled young man in Cambodia from throwing a grenade. That was in 1996 - on 17 October. Father Fausto gave his life exactly 15 years later. I remember the mixture of sorrow and pride I felt when I read of the death of Brother Richie, pride as a missionary in the Philippines that a young Filipino seminarian had given his life so spontaneously in order to sav...
Read more