Food for the Soul

By Rylee Johnson

The soul is oriented toward God and yearns to communicate with Him. Though materialists of all stripes want to deny it, there’s a dimension of the human person that goes beyond the merely physical. Through the body, man experiences temporal existence. I won’t touch too far on the significant issue of the real presence but rather on the more general matter of spiritual nourishment.

When I refer to “soul food,” it is the things in life that provide nourishment, such as healthy relationships, enjoyable physical activity, a fulfilling/satisfying career, and, most importantly, divine life (grace). It is in John 6 where Jesus tells us, “Do not work for the food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life.” Most people are aware of the soul and its hunger, but we feed it with insufficient food: wealth, pleasure, power, and honor. All of these things are good in themselves; however, none are designed to satisfy the soul’s longing.

So, where and how do we find the divine life?

FIRST, I would suggest, through prayer. The soul wants to pray every day, to speak to God and listen to him. So we should spend time before the Blessed Sacrament, pray the rosary, do the Stations of the Cross, read the Bible in a meditative spirit, confess our sins, and above all, go to Mass.

SECOND, we can encounter grace through spiritual reading. One of the principal marks of an engaged Catholic is the faithful reading of spiritual and theological books. Most of us fill our minds with junk, but the mind and soul want to be filled with the lofty things of God. Some book recommendations I have are Left To Tell by Immaculée Ilibagiza, Resisting Happiness by Matthew Kelly, Go Bravely by Emily Wilson, Garden Meditations by Brian Butler and Joey Martineck , 7 Secrets of Confession by Vinny Flynn, You Are In My Heart: Wisdom for a New Generation by Pope Francis, and Checklist for Life: The Ultimate Handbook by Thomas Nelson.

Left to Tell is about a young woman who discovers God amidst the Rwandan Holocaust, and the book put some perspective in my life, especially now that we are living in a global pandemic. Sometimes when life is messy, all you can do is hold onto your faith. Resisting Happiness is about how we self-sabotage ourselves and resist God because He is where we find our true happiness. Go Bravely is “a book that counteracts this culture of mediocrity and challenges young women to embrace a life of adventure and holy greatness.” In addition, Garden Meditations is inspired by Garden: the Musical, which I highly recommend you see if it is playing near you, that discusses our human story and insights from St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. You Are in My Heart is a book Pope Francis wrote to young people about faith and vocational discernment. Pope Francis invites us to hear God’s voice resounding in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Last, but not least, Checklist for Life is full of “timeless wisdom and foolproof strategies for making the most of life’s challenges and opportunities.”

THIRD is to practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. If you’re spiritually hungry, feed the physically hungry, give drink to the thirsty, counsel the doubtful, visit the sick and imprisoned, and pray for the living and, therefore, the dead. I understand that fulfilling the Works of Mercy can be overwhelming; however, I was once told by a very bright man that you should pray with your life. You can think of this phrase as showing others what it means to be a Catholic, a daughter or son of God. In my experiences, I can better fulfill Works of Mercy because I have an “accountability-buddy.” When you surround yourself with like-minded individuals, you become more motivated to accomplish your goals. Essentially, Works of Mercy are acts of service, so consider volunteering at a food bank or soup kitchen with your friends or a parent. I have to admit that community service is rooted in me since my high school has service programs. Even though I am required to fulfill a certain number of service hours, I have grown to enjoy the reward of serving others before myself. Furthermore, you’ll find that the more you empty yourself in love, the more satisfied your soul will feel.

LASTLY, you can receive the Eucharist regularly. In His discourse on the Eucharist in John 6, Jesus says, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” The divine life is found within the transubstantiated bread and wine of the Eucharist. What the soul is hungry for, finally, is the person of Jesus, the body and blood of Christ. Without regularly feeding on that food, the soul will atrophy.

Always remember to Love God, Love People, Make a Difference, and Be Thankful!