The moment a child is born into this world, they gasp for air. Within moments of turning from blue to red, flush with oxygen, they gasp for nourishment. Skin. A breast. A bottle. We are blessed here in the West that there is patience given, and knowledge that there is time; a child can wait for a mother to be ready to give from her breast after recovering from whatever trauma her body endured to give birth.

My own children waited more than 8 hours each; I couldn’t birth naturally and I couldn’t recover quickly. Once I did recover well enough, God and nature took over. Blessed be.

As adults, or grown children, to be nourished is more than just a filling of the belly. We need more than calories and vitamins and minerals. More than a nutritionist’s prescription.

Soul food is a term for that which brings us back to the safety and satiety of childhood. The food our mother’s and caregivers gave us that remind us that we can relax, let go, breathe and … just be.

What to eat when sick? What to eat when well? What to eat when our heart hurts from loneliness, anxiety, pain? What fills us when the world abandons us? Every child experiences loss in some form or another: an absent parent, a death of a loved pet or family member, the stripping of a home in search of a better one, the brutal apocalypse of war and starvation.

And so. Here we are in the West – a land supposedly of plenty (plenty hungry, but that’s another post) – how to invite another to the table? Two loaves, one fish?

Martha served while Mary prayed. What was she longing for as she served? What was the purpose of the cultural tradition she sought to enforce upon Mary that Jesus corrected when he told her to let Mary pray?

It was to nourish her guests.

Is it possible that we read this story wrongly? We focus so much on Mary at Jesus’ feet that we miss his dismissal of Martha. In Martha we find the strength of a mother. We find a woman who believes without question; who knows He can raise her brother from the dead, yet clings to the tradition of providing some form of nourishment to the guests in her home. Why?

Martha is known to have slain dragons after she set about to evangelize following Jesus’ death. This was a strong woman. This woman of Bethany understood to her bones the importance of soul food.

A Woman whom Jesus trusted to take care of what needed to be done. He could have suggested she pray as her sister did. But he did not. He ordered her to leave Mary to do what Mary needed; but did not suggest she stop in her work to care for the guests of the home.

Soul.Food.

To pray, we must be healthy. We must not tire. We must not be weary.

To love, we must be healthy. We must not tire. We must not be weary.

God needs us to be many things, and to be those things we must care for our Earthly body as we care for our eternal soul.

When it comes time to gather, if one is sick – feed them what they can eat. If one prefers vegetables over meat – feed them what they can eat.
If you object to another’s personal eating preferences, still. Feed *them* what *they* can eat, and do not put your own judgements above theirs.

Food is precious. Our ability to listen, learn, and appreciate the Word of God, the mission we are called to, will grow with a full and satisfied earthly body. Will fester and darken if eating preferences, allergies, sensitivities, or cultures are judged.

Suspend judgement. Feed everybody. Love everyone.