BOOK REVIEW

Italian priest shares advice on food, life

Reviewed by Rebecca Bostic, The Catholic Sun
July 5, 2007

Just as Christ broke bread with all whom He encountered and used the opportunity to grow relationships, Holy Cross Father William Faiella believes that sharing meals with one another is a central part of the human experience.

Born into an Italian family, Fr. Faiella grew up around food and witnessed the healing effect of sharing meals firsthand.

He shares his love of food and stories of healing and contemplation in his first book, “Sharing Meals Heals: An Italian ‘Menu’ of Reflections for Inner Peace.”

“Italians, like people of so many cultures, are proud of their food and love to share it with family and friends,” said Fr. Faiella, associate pastor at St. Bernard of Clairvaux in Scottsdale.

“Guests walk away from our tables not necessarily cured, but healed on some level,” he said. “We all know from our culinary experiences that a lovingly prepared meal that is graciously served, in either a formal or informal setting, invites people to relax, to drop their defenses and to start sharing their joys and sorrows.”

He begins with “Antipasto” — a collection of discussions on Italian proverbs. The book then moves into the second chapter of “Zuppa e L’inslata” (soup and tossed salad), which focuses on some contemporary ideas. Fr. Faiella believes these ideas “need to be tossed upside down as ingredients in a salad or at least diluted like some soups.”

“Pasta e Polpette, etc.” (spaghetti and meatballs) follows as the main course consisting of articles on topics of a more serious and spiritual nature. Finally the book concludes with “Dolce” (dessert) in the form of poems, jokes and prayers to end the meal — and Fr. Faiella’s book — with a satisfying smile.

The book goes back and forth between personal anecdotes, reflections and actual recipes.

Fr. Faiella credits the inspiration for writing “Sharing Meals Heals” to an experience he had with a co-worker he disliked. After talking over a few shared meals, Fr. Faiella and his adversary became friends and the relationship is one that benefited the priest greatly.

“Admitting to and apologizing for our weaknesses, we became good friends during our meal, and over subsequent meals, we shared intense feelings and religious ideas,” writes Fr. Faiella, describing the encounter. He believes this connection would not have been possible without taking the time to sit and break bread.

“Jesus was always feeding people whether it was in the desert where he multiplied fishes and loaves, or at the first Mass, or on a sandy beach to provide breakfast for his hungry apostles,” Fr. Faiella said.

He hopes readers of the book will laugh, cry, accept themselves as well as challenge themselves, and above all “perceive God as all-loving, Someone not to be feared, Someone not interested in punishing, but only interested in nourishing, healing and loving us.”

“I want the book to help people have inner peace even though that may mean that they have to be at peace with their lack of peace,” Faiella said.

“Sharing Meals Heals” is best read at intervals, not straight through from beginning to end. Fr. Faiella encourages readers to open it like a refrigerator “look over the ‘shelves’ (article titles) and take what you like!”

The priest began learning the lesson of “Sharing Meals Heals” at a young age at his grandmother’s house.

“We all left Grandma’s with the same problems we had when we came, but the fun and the closeness fed our souls,” he said.

The book is not focused on the food or discussions within the novel, but instead on how people communicated on a deep level over food. “Sharing Meals Heals” can help with both food, thought and fun with energy and love poured out by the author.

Rebecca Bostic is a regular contributor to The Catholic Sun. Comments are welcome. Send e-mail to letters@catholicsun.org.