Sauerkraut And Prayer
Now this is an interesting combination. Because I have
German blood flowing through my veins, I have an insatiable appetite for good
sauerkraut. Because I grew up Catholic, I am well versed in prayer. You might
think this a toxic combination but there is a story to be told here.
When I was young, my family attended a Catholic church whose
pastor was a German Benedictine monk. As I remember he was a large man with
huge hands, a shock of white hair and a love for food. He looked like a well-fed
Santa Claus in a black robe. His name was Father Demetrius. Frequently he would
come to our supper table bearing gifts of eggs and sauerkraut.
About this time I started to show an interest in becoming a
priest. Somehow my parents caught wind of this and thought it a good idea for
me to get to know our parish priest better; spending time with the padre might
be a catalyst to secure my future. Accepting an invitation to join him on a
trip to his monastery, I learned some things about sauerkraut and prayer.
The secret ingredients for the Benedictine sauerkraut came
from the old country handed down from generation to generation. A gallon of it
found its way home with me. It was the best sauerkraut ever. While at the
monastery, I was given a card with a prayer on it. I didn’t think much about it
at the time. Later, when I was going through my pockets I found the prayer
card. The only words on the card were “Lord, make me a man after Your own
heart.”
Yes, a simple prayer but one that was to become my prayer
for the next fifty years. Yes, I said lots of other prayers: ones by rote and
ones from the heart. But this prayer, King David’s prayer, became the prayer of
my heart. It is the prayer that has
brought me safe thus far.
Now you know what good sauerkraut and a simple prayer can
produce. Isn’t it amazing how God works through the ordinary things of life:
food, friends and prayer to lead us down the road of life. I have not forgotten
the monk and I pray for another taste of that sauerkraut.
No comments:
Post a Comment