Being the Good Cocoa

In those somewhat joyful days when I worked with the youth as part of my role as Director of Christian Formation through my home parish, I was once assigned the theme of discipleship on a "TEC" (Teens Encounter Christ) retreat. Pondering a way to deliver an impactful message, a proverbial gum ball dropped from the dome of my mind and rolled down, past the clink of that little silver-doored chute, and into my awaiting hand. This is what the idea would look like: I would tell the group that I had some really... good... cocoa that I wanted to share with them. What they didn't know was that I had concocted the weakest possible mixture with a paltry sprinkling of cheap cocoa mix and had it brought out, weak-warm in styrofoam cups.

Upon inviting them to enjoy, I would "wait for it" with mischievous expectation as each sipped the insipid draft. Some acted polite as if enjoying it for my sake. Others with furrowed brow would show forth their quiet disappointment but eventually some young turk would whisper or speak outright, "this sucks!" At first, I would act with incredulity and with some slight offense at this rude protestation. "Whaaaat? You don't like the cocoa?.....Well OF COURSE YOU SHOULDN'T LIKE THIS COCOA! Yes, my friends, it's terrible and a poor excuse for cocoa."

At this point in the exercise I would proclaim the danger of being a Christian who lived in a manner that is weak and lukewarm. Yes, even the most ardent unbeliever knows that what should drive a follower of the Christ is this potent mixture called the gospel that speaks of a human who became the fullness of the human experience. This Jesus, whom disciples were to emulate and follow, was the most fierce distillation of the Wild God poured into the human container. With great urgency and intent, I was issuing them a summons to live an untamed form of Christianity.  They needed to take ownership of the fact that if they didn't, the world would hold them in utter contempt because deep in every heart, the human longs for and recognizes - even if faintly, THE RES....the real.

For me at this moment on my life's journey, I am driven to enter into a more honest dialogue with others about my struggles to live this form of faith given the state of Christianity, particularly the Catholic Church. Yes, I am mindful of that slow fade experienced by my fellow Catholic Christian believers and others on their own spiritual journeys who have grown frustrated with the way things are. At the same time, many are gradually waking up to the fact that we are living in an magnificently evolving universe. A growing number of spiritual seekers are becoming more aware that humanity needs high grade cocoa beans to produce a delicious draft that sates the longing for so great an encounter with Divine Love a.k.a God.

At this point, I should share how I ended the above exercise. Upon proclaiming the weak cocoa unsuitable for sharing, I had the best possible cocoa, procured from the chocolatiers at Cocoa Blue in Rochester, served up with real whipped cream to top off my glad admonition with aplomb. It is with this changing reality in mind that I wish to begin sharing the distillation of my heart in terms of how I am seeking to offer the most genuine mixture of ground cocoa, milk and sugar to a world that pines for authenticity of spirit.