Teenager as Sacrament

There seems to be no other age group of humankind that better represents the authentic nature of a sacrament than that of a teenager. A sacrament is essentially an outward sign of an inward grace. Though at times sensationalized or overtly dramatic, the outward appearance of the typical teenager is a clear outward expression of what is "going on" in the innermost intimate aspect of the person, his or her identity. The sacramentality of the teenager has a critical relevance to informing us of the human condition. Even when the typical teenage angst rears its sublime roar, every witnessing adult is reminded that no one can truly conceal the inner turmoil that exists within. This turmoil is the sign of something beyond the sublime to a whole other intangible reality that is often a struggle to express in words. Thus the inner turmoil each of us has experienced. This common human experience points us directly to the spiritual, to the mystical, to the inexplainable. So the teenage expression is truly a beautiful wonderment because mystery becomes real. There is no denying the existence of that which is beyond the physical that is intimately connected to the physical. In other words, there is no denying the divine. So if you interact with a teenager, you cannot avoid encountering the Spirit of God.

Drive-Thru or Crock-Pot

Inspired by our society's two trends of cuisine habits, I see inherent or in-habitated a lifestyle trend. Are you or your family passing thru the drive-thru in life or simmering in a flavor-filled stew of life? Seeing either as a sign of one's habitual lifestyle is not difficult to discover. Yet one habit can yield a melting pot of lasting memories while the other leaves us consumed with disposable events and tasks.

For those of us furiously grabbing and going in the drive-thru lane, life is quickly passing us by. This is not a matter of one not stopping to smell the roses, but a result of one repeatedly choosing particular priorities in life. This is not about "you are what you eat," but how you eat. The drive-thru lifer values convenience over company. Convenience is helpful and on occasion necessary, however, when convenience habitually takes precedent over company then we are not living the good life, the life God intends for us (created us for). Driving thru the life of convenience is a sign of utilitarianism, a potentially dangerous philosophical view of reality. In other words, this "value meal" in life helps us make quick pragmatic decisions. We are able to short-hand decisions. We can tell someone a number instead of describing our desired entrée. For example, I'll take the Number 3. But what happens when this becomes our habit? What happens when communication is so abbreviated that we often overlook/ignore/dismiss the art of language? We loose sight that words do have meaning for life; words enable us to express beauty in life. This utilitarian habit of dining transforms not just how we interact in reality, but how we define reality. Sooner than later this drive-thru life is occupied by numbers. People are individuals only as assigned numbers, not by given name. You are who you are by ordered number. You are known by a social number to keep you secured. You are valued by the marketing impact of your annual income. Even every moment of your existence can be globally positioned or digitally recorded according to some world wide protocol address. Words have meaning, and reducing language to calculations leaves us mere exchangeable variables.

For those of us who value company in life, life is enjoyed in the moment even to the point of "losing time." In fact time is a necessary ingredient in helping stew the moments into memories. There is great wisdom behind the habitual use of the Crock-pot. The experience of preparing a meal using a slow cooker returns us back to the rhythm of life that God intends for us. A life in which we purposedly set aside time to lose, even for the sake of convenience. The Crock-pot lifer values the meal over time, instead of time over the meal. This is a great paradox. Putting priority on preparing the meal, which takes more time using a slow cooker, actually allows us to spend time gathering for the dining experience. The meal becomes the means by which we gather together to share in one another's company. This is a mysterious part of God's plan. Religious Jews experience this in rituals like the Passover, and devout Catholics celebrate this in Holy Communion. I don't mean to say that the Crock-pot is some domestic tabernacle, but the slow cooker can help us keep family gatherings sacred. At the mininum practically every family enjoys family meals as sacred during the holidays (ASIDE: Interesting to note that holiday was abbreviated or secularized over time from holy days). Before the microwave and when kitchens were actually used for cooking, houses were built around the hearth. The Crock-pot lifer is reclaiming that adage "home is where the hearth is." Perhaps the modern hearth is slowly becoming the Crock-pot. Perhaps convenience meets sanctity when a Crock-pot prepared meal brings a family back home to their kitchen who gather together as one around the dining table. These moments are worth savoring because they become memories of a life time.