can it be?

by Joyce Rupp on Jul. 02, 2010

can it be?
have I for so long
forgotten to feed myself?

yes.
for nigh a year now
I was slowly starving.
getting lost in busy days,
tossing aside the hunger
that chewed away inside.

(CNS photo/Paul Jeffrey)(CNS photo/Paul Jeffrey)yet, I did not die.
by some quiet miracle
I made it to this moment
of truth:

I nearly starved to death.

it was not my body
that I failed to feed.
it was my spirit,
left alone for days
without nourishment or care.

and then one day
I paused to look within,
shocked at what I found:
so thin of faith,
so weak in understanding,
so needy of encouragement.

my starving spirit cried the truth:

I can!
I will!
I must
be fed!

"can it be?" taken from Fresh Bread, by Joyce Rupp Copyright 1985. Used by permission of Ave Maria Press. All rights reserved.

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"When I stand before the

Submitted by ErnestO <:))))>< Stolpe (not verified) on Jul. 03, 2010.

"When I stand before the throne
Dressed in beauty not my own;
When I see Thee as Thou art,
Love Thee with unsinning heart;
Then, Lord, shall I fully know--
Not till then--how much I owe."
Spurgeon

Joyce I resonated with

Submitted by Phyllis Frechette (not verified) on Jul. 03, 2010.

Joyce
I resonated with agreement and appreciation for the reminder that I must feed myself if I am going to be of any use to myself and, especially, of any use to another. I'm working on a sermon for July 18, entitled "The Tale of Two Sisters." It's my story of how like Martha I am and how much I need to adopt a Mary heart. I'm reading "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" by Joanna Weaver.
Thank you for the Racine weekend. Phyllis

Today's reflection is so

Submitted by Mamala (not verified) on Jul. 03, 2010.

Today's reflection is so appropriate for me right now. I've just recently decided to look for a spiritual director to guide me in how to remain Catholic while dealing with much anger toward the Catholic Church. Many times the actions and words of the clergy make it so difficult to remain Catholic. So thanks for these words today.

Food for the soul. Well said

Submitted by MaggieBry3866 (not verified) on Jul. 03, 2010.

Food for the soul. Well said Sr. Rupp
Happy Independence Day!

Beautiful! Thank you Sister

Submitted by John Allen (not verified) on Jul. 03, 2010.

Beautiful! Thank you Sister

I am a 64 year old homebound

Submitted by Karl W Kochman (not verified) on Jul. 04, 2010.

I am a 64 year old homebound handicapped Franciscan Associate. I enjoy your writing very much. Peace and all things good!

Thank you so much for this

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Jul. 04, 2010.

Thank you so much for this reflection . . . this speaks of where I am in my life - the ache is so very real. A beautiful reminder of what I must do to ease the loss of spirit. I must feed myself - what words of hope. Thank you again!

Thank you, Joyce for another

Submitted by Cynthia Yoshitomi (not verified) on Jul. 04, 2010.

Thank you, Joyce for another creative way of looking at our own hunger.

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