Oh, charcuterie. A delicious platter covered with meats, cheeses, crackers, fruits, olives, and more. It’s the perfect appetizer to share with friends. And the beauty is that you can try bites of lots of different things. Who needs a plate with a single entrée when you can have a whole plate of bite-sized snacks?
The world has gotten pretty creative with their charcuterie — a quick search will bring you images of charcuterie catered to every occasion. Dessert charcuterie, s’mores boards, breakfast boards, holiday charcuterie, taco boards, sandwich charcuterie. It’s more fun and aesthetically pleasing to eat this way, right? What could be better than a board full of your favorite snack foods?
Now I want you to imagine a different kind of charcuterie board. Instead of food, you’re building a spiritual charcuterie. Get creative and make it your own.
Start with the sacraments. You’ll have Baptism, Confirmation, maybe Holy Matrimony, Holy Orders, or Anointing of the Sick. You will definitely want lots of room for Confession and the Eucharist.
Next, prayer. Layer on some of your go-to prayers — maybe the Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, the Angelus, novenas. Add in other devotions, perhaps song, and Adoration hours, whatever ways you love to speak to God.
Don’t forget Scripture. Do you study scripture with a group, or meditate on God’s Word in Lectio Divina? Maybe it’s a chapter-a-day or maybe you open to a random page and let God speak to you in whatever you find.
You’ll also need some works of mercy on your spiritual charcuterie board. Bring in ways that you spiritually and corporally serve others, those opportunities to bring Christ to those around you.
To top off the board, add some sacramentals like blessed salt, holy water, blessed objects and sacred art. Surround yourself and your home with signs of your faith.
Now, share that board with some friends! The best part of charcuterie is digging in and spending time with the people you love. Share some of your favorite spiritual practices with others.
I know it’s silly to think of your faith life as appetizers, but there’s a point to all of this. You see, each one of us will have a different board. Some will have small portions of many different things, others will have greater quantities of fewer items. What works for one person will not work the same for another. And that’s okay!
Don’t start looking around at what everyone else is “snacking on”, rather focus your attention on your own spiritual journey and what God is calling you to do in this season of life. Sure, you can get ideas from other holy men and women, but don’t fall into comparison. When the Devil distracts us with worrying about what others are doing, that’s when we get discouraged and start to drift away from continuing our spiritual growth.
And remember, there’s always room for new or different items in your spiritual life. As you grow, mature in faith, and learn more, the way you pray and journey towards heaven may change. As long as you remain faithful in the essentials, some of the other things can adjust. Have fun, it’s charcuterie!
Now that you’re hungry, let’s eat some charcuterie! Today only, Monday August 12, with a $240 gift to our Relevant Radio Pledge Drive, we will send you a Family Rosary Across America charcuterie board! This USA-shaped bamboo board features the FRAA logo and is perfect for your next get-together. Have some friends over, eat some charcuterie, and pray the Family Rosary Across America at 7pm CT — what could be better than that! Get this exclusive charcuterie board today only with a gift of $240. Thank you for your support of Relevant Radio!
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