BLACK COFFEE RELIGION

I have a friend who drinks her coffee black or nearly black.  I do not like black coffee.  I find it bitter.  I like a little cream and sugar in my coffee. 

I think of "religion" as a lot like black coffee.  Your getting the basic brew, but none of the flavor.  It is plain and ordinary.  It would be much more palatable with a few "enhancements."  That is why I compare black coffee to religion.

In spirituality, we should be ever growing and evolving in Christ, our God.  It is the added flavoring that makes our black coffee religion an acceptable drink to become the superb nourishment that floods our souls.  We are moving from plain caffeine to a desire for a more complete "cup of Joe."

We are seeking God with a few visual and physical aids from within and without.  It is an ongoing pouring of the spiritual brew until our "cup runeth over." 

Everything in life is better with a little sugar and cream.  It just tastes better and you want to go back for more, seeking a spiritual richness.  We are seeking that union with Jesus that is also sweet and filling, like a good mug of coffee.

Going to Mass, praying the rosary, vocal prayers, meditation, good works and singing praise to the Lord...are enhancements.  St. Augustine said it best; that lifting up the voice in hymns is like praying twice.  Gee, I wish I had said that...and I wish I could sing, too!

As we add good flavoring to our coffee, we add more and more taste to our Maxwell House Coffee or religion of choice.  When and as we become deeply(hopefully) embedded in the Spirit and there are fewer or no bitter dregs to imbibe in, God's light escapes from under the basket to illuminate and become the beacon of our souls.  We are expanding in the light of the Lord.  We ourselves, are  enhanced, infused with His brilliance and the Lord wants to shine in us and through us.

You will find in the Old Testament a lot of gloom, doom, mayhem, vengeance and  blood sacrifices.  Christ said that He did not come into this world to replace the Old Testament, but to make it better, thus enhance and fulfill prophesy and revelation.  The Spirit of God was sent in and through Jesus, to help us to evolve into a more centered, spiritual awareness...spiritual maturity.

Is it easy to obtain,  this elusive quest?  For most of us we will always seek what God offers, and perhaps find a little bit of the heavenly treasure.  For some, such as the saints and holy people of God, they have reached a certain height on the mountain top.  For all of us...we have to keep climbing and reaching, stretching, and enhancing the coffee, so to speak, and praying that our cup will run over.

One of my favorite "enhancements" is the rosary.  It is a powerful, meditational prayer.  I hope you have a few enhancements of your own.

I didn't add any Biblical quotes here and keep in mind that I am not a theologian.  I write what I feel, hoping it comes out in an understandable, correct manner.  Also, the "black coffee" is an analogy, to help me express my thoughts.

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