If your art de vivre, that is, your approach for living, has lost some of its luster, this post is for you. I’ve got two things that will enhance your worldview: good theology and a delightful recipe for sole meunière, which, despite its name and usual price tag, can be made relatively inexpensively, and should, therefore, be a staple in your kitchen repertoire.
First, consider what it means to have a sole – excuse me, I mean, a soul. The Holy Scriptures, and by extension, the sacred tradition of the Church tell us that having a soul is to be created imago Dei (in the image of God), and despite our best efforts to the contrary, we are fundamentally rational beings with a spiritual self-awareness unlike any other created species.
That means God, in His infinite goodness, really meant what he said in Genesis: ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness’. And being created in God’s own image and likeness means, as St. Irenaeus reminds us, ‘The image is the human’s natural resemblance to God, which is the power of reason and will.’
My friends this is profoundly joyous news! You and I are made in God’s own image, which means, above all, we have the capacity – albeit ‘sorely hindered’ by sin – to reach towards the ultimate good, which, as St. Thomas Aquinas is wont to tell us, is the beatific vision of heaven, which is really just outdated parlance to explain the promises given to us through Christ Jesus our Lord, who has indeed restored us to a right relationship to the eternal Godhead.
In street talk, it means that God wants us to be (forgive the word here) ‘happy’, but in the truest sense.
And, dear ones, happiness comes only through Christ Jesus, incarnate, crucified, resurrected, and ascended on high. True happiness, then, which in our epoch may be better to call ‘ultimate fulfillment’, is nothing other than ‘the vision of the divine essence’ that comes to all those who, by faith, abide in Christ. Whether or not we know it or whether or not we feel it at times is not the point: beholding 'the divine essence' is the true promise of all God’s sons and daughters, and it’s fulfilled in Christ Jesus.
Finally, while we’re discussing the beatific vision, I’m reminded of the Revelation to St. John, when the author writes:
Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb… And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.
What better news could I give you than this? Surely we see ourselves as the ‘thirsty’, and surely, thanks to being created imago Dei, therefore, fully endued with the power of will and rational self-awareness, we see ourselves, thanks to the saving work of Christ, covered in the ‘water of life’. Christians, we are indeed 'blessed'.
If this doesn’t enhance your art de vivre, your outlook on life, then consider once more the words of Jesus: ‘He who comes to me I will in no wise cast out’.
Here’s the bottom line: don’t waste your life looking for fulfillment anywhere else. Look for fulfillment in God, for it’s what we were created to desire. And it’s the Father’s good pleasure to give it to us bit by bit until, by His Grace, we behold Him face to face in the firmament and eternal splendour of heaven.
Now, as if your countenance hasn’t been lifted enough from a hearty dose of good theology, consider this quick and delicious recipe for sole meunière, which, thanks to a fish market in nearby Wauwatosa, is appearing quite often in the Wilson household.
Ingredients
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 fresh sole fillets, 3 to 4 ounces each (if you get them filleted, you’ll have less work. If you’re intent on filleting them yourself like you’re in a restaurant, it’s not hard, but you should watch a video on YouTube first. You can use this recipe with North Atlantic trout or any other thin white fish. Often times, what’s marketed as ‘sole’ is lemon sole from the North Atlantic, which is fine, too.)
6 TBSP unsalted butter
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
4 TBSP dry white wine
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (more if needed to taste once fish is plated)
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
Directions
Combine the flour, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a large shallow plate. Pat the sole fillets dry with paper towels and sprinkle one side with salt.
Heat 3 tablespoons of butter in a large (12-inch) sauté pan over medium heat until it starts to brown. Dredge 2 sole fillets in the seasoned flour on both sides and place them in the hot butter. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 2 minutes. Turn carefully with a metal spatula and cook for 2 minutes on the other side. While the second side cooks, add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, and the white wine to the pan.
Carefully put the fish filets plates and pour the sauce over them. Keep the cooked fillets warm in the oven while you repeat the process with the remaining 2 fillets. Sprinkle with the parsley, salt, and pepper and serve immediately, if not sooner.
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