Too good to pass up:
"Without food, we would starve to death. We have to eat to fuel our physical life; otherwise we grow weak and waste away. The only food that can sustain our bodies comes from the death of other living things. Whether we are nourishing ourselves from a bloody steak or ripped-up plants in a vegetarian casserole, there can be no life, even on the physical level, apart from the sacrifice of other life. What is true for physical life is true for spiritual life--we can only live if there has been a sacrifice. And we can only live if we have continual nourishment.
The Gospel of Christ converts us, but it also nourishes us. We need to keep receiving Christ over and over again. In the sacramental spirituality of Lutheranism, the Word and Sacraments are Means of Grace. They are tangible, material means used by God to convey the Gospel of Christ, who converts us, feeds us, and is actually present in His Church."
Gene Edward Veith (2010),"Spirituality of the Cross."
