On Wednesday, I whipped up a batch of homemade Sweet Corn and Crab Soup for dinner. There’s nothing like a good pot of soup on a cold, winter evening. So I went grocery shopping last weekend to make sure that I had all of the needed ingredients to prepare the feast. I’m always amazed at the number of ingredients needed to make a pot of homemade soup. And it can be anything from meat, fish, various vegetables, and usually several spices. Then you have to do all of the necessary chopping and mixing. So the question to ask: is it soup yet? Well, not quite. You need to have the soup simmer for a period of time. Once these steps have been completed, you can finally partake in your creation (and hopefully it turned out well).
When you really think about it, soup is a lot like our Catholic-Christian family. Each ingredient (or person) enhances the others. We are a community of believers, each bringing our own uniqueness to the pot. Without each other, something is missing. Each batch has its own characteristics, and when one of us (or several of us) are not part of the mix, it changes the entire taste or make-up of the community. And of course, it needs time to simmer in order to reach its full flavor. We, as faithful followers of Christ, need time to truly understand and find our calling, our sense of belonging, and our commitment to our church. It takes time for us to be immersed in the experience of knowing that each one of us is a vital ingredient within our community of believers. Without our presence, the soup is not complete. You can keep stirring, but the outcome just isn’t the same. Each one of us is an important ingredient as we try to build the kingdom of God here on earth. Each one of us is needed to carry out our baptismal calling by spreading the Gospel and following in the footsteps of our Lord.
Here are some questions to ponder: Have you thrown yourself into the soup of our family? Do you consider yourself a vital ingredient in our church community? Have you been stirred enough to become an active member of our community of believers? Do you find yourself still simmering, or are you ready to be served – and to serve?
I challenge you to immerse yourself into the soup of our faith family. And may your pot of soup always be overflowing with the love of Christ and each other.
On a lighter note…in a move designed to save the company hundreds of thousands of dollars, Campbell’s has announced that their soups will now come packaged in plastic rather than tin…industry analysts describe the move as uncanny. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist a little soup humor to end this post. Have a souper day!!!)
