At last Sunday’s mass, our priest Rev. Terry Bennis, had an interesting and enlightening homily with an especially clever hook at the start, as his attention getter to hold the interest of our tiny rural congregation at All Saints Catholic Church in San Pierre.
I asked for a copy of the sermon so I could share it with readers.
“Have you ever given any thought to what value you might be worth in terms of your own body?” was the opening reflection from 77-year-old Rev. Bennis. “I’d like to share with you some interesting trivia about our bodies. Scientists have surmised what a human body is approximately worth. From its fat content, for example, two to four bars of soap can be made. The iron in one’s body is sufficient to make a small key. The amount of sugar in the human body is enough to sweeten a couple cups of tea or coffee. There is so much phosphorus in our bodies that it could supply 2,200 match-heads, and as much magnesium as is necessary for one basic photographic flashbulb of the past. The value of all material elements of the body is approximately about $10.
“So when viewed in this manner, a human being isn’t really worth much. So where does such value truly exist? The answer to this question results in another question. What is ‘something’ that is of priceless value to you? The answer is your immortal soul, because of what value are we without a soul? Really, just a few bucks! This should convince us of the value of our soul because of the untiring efforts of the devil to bring about its ruin. Who can afford to gamble away their immortal soul, especially if the odds-maker is none other than the devil himself, this crafty deceiver?”
Last Sunday’s sermon has stayed with me to contemplate throughout last week.
The human body and natural chemistry are an amazing recipe of varied ingredients, all which must stay balanced.
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Last week when chatting with Casey Householder, one of the tellers at our town bank who also maintains honeybee hives with her husband Mike, she explained how honeybees crave the sodium in human bodies, and require it as key for their production of honey. She said it’s one of the reasons honeybees are drawn to human perspiration (and especially human urine) for the sodium content since the human body is comprised of 60 percent water and around 100 grams of sodium equivalent to 3.5 ounces of salt.
Sunday’s sermon also reminded me of an old show broadcast that I’ve heard more than a few times during my constant road travel listening to the satellite streaming service “Radio Classics” channel.
It’s a broadcast from the old Mutual Broadcasting System 30-minute weekly thriller series “The Sealed Book,” which originally aired in 1945, from the episode “Time on My Hands” written by Robert A. Arthur and David Kogan.
The plot has a destitute young man, Joseph Henry Martin, age 33, eager for food and shelter wandering the city streets in the late hours in a rainstorm on Oct. 5 while hoping to pawn a fountain pen for some quick cash. All of the usual seedy neighborhood pawn shops are already closed. Eventually, he sees a storefront light on in a pawn shop that he’s not ever noticed in the past. He says to himself: “I’d might even offer my soul to the devil for the price of a bed tonight.”
The strange shopkeeper inside has no interest in the fountain pen but makes and odd offer attached to a far greater cash sum for something else. The man explains he has nothing else to offer other than “time on his hands.”
The shop owner, Mr. Benedict, proposes he will give Joseph “$5,000, or $1,000 per year, for selling five years immediately from his lifespan.”
He accepts by signing a large ledger, and of course, proceeds to squander the money on clothes, fancy hotel living and female companionship all in three months and discovers he’s overdrawn at the bank for $400. He pawns the new clothes and other possessions before finding himself back at the mysterious pawnshop again.
After another chat with Mr. Benedict, who “checks his files,” and then the latter agrees to buy another five years of life from Joseph, but this time, for only $500 a year for a total of $2,500. Joseph says he wants to use the money wisely this time “to buy a small farm in the country.”
After the deal and money is exchanged, Mr. Benedict then informs the young man he’s used up nearly all of his lifespan after this second sale, and only has one hour and 47 minutes to live.
Like the Sunday sermon, the radio show shares the same lesson of how precious life is and the everyday blessings we often take for granted.
Just down the street from our church, on the weekends, Spring through Fall seasons, there’s a small wooden cart, unmanned, selling wares such as fresh cut flower arrangements, fresh eggs and goat milk soap, among other sundries. I’m not sure of the proprietor, but a locked chest with a slot for money to be deposited includes signage that all sales and transactions are “on an honor system.”
While the human body might only be the fat equivalent to produce a few bars of soap, goat milk soap is attached to heightened value for deep moisture, gentle exfoliation and relief for sensitive skin thanks to its natural fats, lactic acid, and vitamins A, B, C and E to repair damaged skin often from conditions like eczema, psoriasis and rosacea.
These same prized milk-captured qualities, such as high fat content and rich in fatty acids, are what makes goat milk a favorite primary ingredient for a delicious, light and creamy spreadable cheeseball recipe that is a favorite for both holiday and summer gatherings. An outer coating of sweet dried blueberries provides the perfect flavor contrast between sweet and savory, which gliding the cheese spread on crackers for a like summer supper, perfectly paired with fresh fruit and favorite wine of choice.
Columnist Philip Potempa has published four cookbooks and is a weekly radio host at WJOB 1230 AM. He can be reached at [email protected] or mail your questions: From the Farm, PO Box 68, San Pierre, Ind. 46374.
Phil’s Goat Cheeseball with Dried Blueberries
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 log (4 ounces) goat cheese
1 small (3 ounce) jar diced pimentos, drained
3 tablespoons butter, gently firm
Sprinkle of seasoning salt
Sprinkle of paprika
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup dried blueberries
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Cracker selection of choice
Directions
In a medium bowl, combine both cheeses with pimentos, butter and seasonings and mix well.
From mixture into a ball and coat as desired with dried blueberries.
Allow to chill for two before serving, noting it’s best when only slightly chilled and closer to room temperature for spreading advantage when serving with crackers.