Julia Child, still the epitome of gastronomic cuisine in my book, once said, ‘Soufflés are, after all, mostly hot air’. Indeed, listen up dear ones, soufflés are mostly hot air, and, believe it or not, so is a lot of what passes for ‘modern Christianity’, with its watered-down anthropology and penchant for, shall we say, stroking the ego and providing the countless couches it takes to provide self-actualisation, that is, whatever it takes to have the world deal with us as individuals on our own selfish terms.
Given both these truths – soufflés are full of hot air and so is much of modern ‘Christianity’ – I’d like, therefore, to take dear Julia’s words, in tandem with Scriptural wisdom, no less, and apply them, if you will, to this great feast before our very eyes: the Epiphany of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Hopefully, this little stroll shall lift up the truth of the Epiphany, namely, the reality of Jesus Christ Incarnate and shinning alive in our midst, whilst supplanting heresies and half-truths and replacing them with the ‘faith once delivered’, which, brothers and sisters, is nothing less than the pure joy emanating from the Godhead Himself. I’m talking about, Jesus Christ, made manifest to all humankind at His glorious Epiphany, and, as St. Paul writes, ‘in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him’.
So, in other words, hear me out, please.
First of all, have you checked the best seller list lately? If you haven’t, indulge me and go ahead and guess the number of so called ‘self-help’ titles out there? If you think that three of the top ten are self-help, go ahead and double that number.
And that’s not all, folks; imagine a world in which our little opinions and fix-it schemes were the ultimate test for reality and existence? Can you say complete misery or what? Well, that’s where we are. We, like many of our Saintly counterparts who’ve gone on to their celestial reward, dwell in a time of utter chaos on all fronts, especially what we digest internally, that is, emotionally – or, as Freud would have it, in our heart of hearts, the ego. Calling this worldview solipsistic is not a stretch; it’s the brutal truth.
I’m saying exactly what the Scriptures and Sacred Tradition tell us: we’re idiosyncratic, hard-headed, consumeristic, and, to borrow from De Tocqueville – the first real theorist to notice this defining characteristic of American life – we’re ‘dangerously individualistic’. And shall we guess when De Tocqueville penned his tome, De la Démocratie en Amérique? Well, how bout way back in 1835!
And the problem doesn’t end there, does it? The issue continues unabated in our schools, workplaces, homes, and, sadly, at our dinner tables. The Western world says the primary goal of life is one of total self-actualisation, one where we simply must get in touch with ourselves and unlock our futures. Robert Bellah’s renowned respondent, Sheila Larson, who self-identified as being very religious, famously said:
I believe in God. My faith has carried me a long way. It’s Sheliaism. Just my own little voice. It’s just try to love yourself and be gentle with yourself.
Likewise, Emersonian wisdom, which is writ large in society at the moment, says it this way: ‘Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string’. But, dear ones, this is hot air, plain and simple. Metaphorically, this is darkness, despair and even gloom. Where is the healing we all so desperately need? Where is the mighty Saviour in this worldly wisdom?
But alas, the Epiphany of our Lord Jesus Christ to all the peoples of the earth tells a drastically different story, one where, as the prophet Isaiah writes, ‘darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you.’
Behold, brothers and sisters, the true star of Jacob shinning now! Let the light in; have your lives flooded once more with the ‘pure radiance of the ever living Father in heaven’. Let us crush that cursed mirror on the wall, and look instead to the star of heaven, the Christ-Child born to heal us, save us, and make us whole.
The Lord has appeared, dear ones, and the shining star that is His light – not the dim glow of self-actualisation and ‘Sheliaism’, but the one true eternal Light of life – still carries us and sustains us, just as it did for those famed kings of orient who traversed afar.
If you’re visual, consider what I’m saying vis-à-vis Sister Wendy’s explanation of the icon of Kiev (pictured above):
The child is radiantly beautiful, a golden boy, reaching out in love to whoever comes, with fearlessness.
This ‘radiantly beautiful’ child is none other than the source of the great feast of the Epiphany, which we celebrate today. Come now once more; follow that most blessed star of ancient lore through all life’s travails till such time, thanks be to God, we shall behold Him face to face in the splendour of heaven.
Yours in the Manifest One,
CDW
P.S. I can’t bash soufflés too much, so here’s an easy one to make. Recall Julia’s wisdom: they really are mostly hot air, so don’t be afraid! I make this as an appetizer or a main course. Just calm down and follow the directions. Keep saying over and over ‘no worries, here; soufflés are mostly hot air anyway’. What follows is my take on the French classic.
What you’ll need for four soufflés:
3 Tbsp. of flour, plus a bit for dusting
1 cup milk
4 eggs separated
1 tsp. Dijon mustard (not coarse grain)
1/4 tsp. Maldon salt
1/8 tsp. Tellicherry finely ground pepper
Pinch of Penzey’s nutmeg
3 oz. of finely grated Gruyere cheese
1/8 cream of tartar
1. Preheat the oven to 475. Heavily butter a 4 cup soufflé mold. Dust with basic flour. Set aside.
2. In a small pan, bring the milk to a boil over medium heat. Whisk the egg yolks with 1 Tbsp. of water in a small bowl. Add 3 Tbsp. of flour to the yolks and whist till very smooth, almost creamy.
3. Before the milk reaches a rapid boil, stir ¼ cup of it into the egg yolk mixture. When the milk boils, add it to the egg yolk mixture and still well. Return this base to the pan, and whisk rapidly, getting the bottom and sides, too, until the mixture thickens up nicely; this is usually about 45 seconds. Continue whisking for 1 minute while the base gently boils. It should become shiny and easier to stir.
4. Reduce the heat and allow the base to simmer. Season with salt, mustard, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in the cheese. Allow the cheese to melt completely, and then remove from the heat and cover.
5. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Pour the base into a large bowl and whist in 1/3 of the egg whites. Put the rest of egg whites on top.
6. Pour the mixture into a soufflé mold and level with a cake spatula. It must be level and without splotches of the mixture on the sides.
7. Bake on the lower rack of your oven for 5 minutes. Lower the temp to 425 and bake for another 5-8 minutes. The soufflé should rise 2 inches above the mold – can you say hot air or what!! Serve immediately with some freshly micro-planed parmesan on top.
Amen, Charleston!
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