I can't get no satisfaction.
Someone sang those lyrics out of the depths of his heart, no?
When one's basic needs are met, am I more satisfied with giving to the poor, than buying another TV with a wider, bigger, larger screen? Or, a huge mansion that may need a scooter for me to get around from one end to the other?
Perhaps not!
So . . .
"Why spend your money for what is not bread; your wages for what fails to satisfy?"
- Isaiah 55:2
The prophet would concur, it seems to me.
Meaningful living with a semblance of satisfaction comes from stooping low to serve the most vulnerable, or, those near me in need at any given moment.
In our economy that depends on consumerism, the question is a challenge, no?
Subliminal messages in the media, and more, press us to spend and shop 'til I drop!
Now, a fresh loaf of bread made from scratch and free from preservatives and processed ingredients clearly satisfies me. The "On the Rise" Bakery on Gratiot, near McClellan in Detroit motivates me to eat Farmer's Rye, for example.
The Bread of Heaven, this Eucharistic feast -- simple as it is -- made from human hands off God, satisfies hungry hearts.
My mother, and Mary, perhaps would agree.
After all, they were simple peasants seeking to serve and stoop low to meet the basic needs of my four sister and two brothers.
Furthermore, in their own womb of an oven, they carried meaning and more.
Mom always seemed satisfied despite meager money, and, living from paycheck to paycheck.
May appeared that way also, no?
God, assist me to balance desires, wants and needs by finding meaning in serving right where I am at home, work, school or on the streets of Chene/Jefferson at the Detroit Branch of the Elmwood Park Library where I craft this talk today.
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