Our Daily Bread:

How regular consumption of sacraments is essential to the health

Hello, my name is Brother Petty, I’m a Friar with the Universal Life Church. The purpose of this document is to introduce you to me, and to explain the goals and functions of this ministry.

I took my vow of poverty in June of 2004, effectively making the non-profit which finances the ministry my sole and only possession. Since then, I have lived day-to-day doing the best I can for everyone around me by sharing everything that goes into that non-profit account. Before my ordination, I was a Certified Nurses Aide, a Special Education Teacher and Child Care Provider. I have worked extensively with the Elderly, with Juvenile Delinquents, Special Needs Children and Homeless Teenagers.

Being a Friar means that I have surrendered all material possessions in the name of my faith. My Ministry, My Faith and those that believe in me are all I own and rely upon for my health, wellness and survival.

In the early days of a Friar—back in the early 12^th Century—we were called Paracletes, or Comfort Bringers. We were slaves who would work in the home, indentured to a family, for the purposes of providing comfort to the home and family. We would do things like play music, recite poetry, burn incense, and keep the fireplace going. We would also cook, clean and perform other tasks that were essential to the functioning of the home.

A Friar was a specific kind of Paraclete. Taking an active and spiritual vow to live the life of bringing comfort to others, and as such, we gained the recognition of the church and the authority to sanctify marriages, baptize children, confer last rights, provide sacrament and everything else that a priest can do.

Sacrament Is: a formal religious act conferring a specific grace upon those who receive it. Grace; meaning health, wellness, patience, communication, understanding, acceptance and all of those good things that your faith provides for you.

The act of sharing sacrament is a symbolic representation of the knowledge, grace and patience that a Minister provides for his people. It is the vessel that he uses to get people sit down with him and open the lines of communication so that he can share the wisdom that his faith provides him. When a minister wishes to bring comfort to his people he shares his sacrament.

Among other things, it is the sworn duty of a Minister to provide Sacrament for those that accept him as their minister. This means that I, as Minister, believe that sacrament (in all forms), when used socially and recreationally, confers grace and that it is my duty to provide it for those that need it.

As a service to my church and those that attend it, I work to make sacraments more affordable and obtainable through the rituals that I host and the services that I provide. Unlike a businessperson who might produce the same or similar substances in exchange for a profit, a minister shares his sacrament for free.

It’s important to understand that your Spiritual, Mental and Physical Health are all inextricably intertwined. In the days before it was considered impolite to discuss religion at work or in public, and before our religious beliefs became something we only did on Sundays and holidays, an assessment of your spiritual health was a daily and regular part of your life.

If you live an unhealthy Spiritual Life (that is, being under the influence of ‘bad’ spirits, poor morals and/or traditions…) it will be evident through observation of your Physical and Mental State.

Pharmakaia is the use of substances (medicines, herbs, etc.) in order to promote Spiritual Well-being. Which, in turn, will lead to better Physical and Mental Health.

Before the days of Institutionalized Religion, only certain people within a community were skilled enough to produce the substances that were considered medicinal. These were the midwives, herbalists, shamans and other practitioners of Pharmakaia. After the rise of organized religion, the practice of brewing beer, wine, tea and coffee…as well as the cultivation and use of herbal remedies was included under the jurisdiction of the church as a form of population, information and substance control.

The church realized that if they could control the flow and knowledge of medicine that they could control people’s physical and mental health—and hence, control the people.

The medicines that the midwives and herbalists and shamans were using quickly became sacramental so that only the Priests and Ministers would have the right to distribute them.

Life was harsh; people were lucky if they survived until Sunday, they expected the end of the world—the end of their lives—on an hourly basis, so they took their sacraments before every meal, with every prayer, with every sunrise and sunset, and whenever they felt they needed it—and over time, the act of receiving sacrament became sacred because the people were thankful to be alive to receive it.

What made the Friars an act of rebellion was that the church of the time was primarily a resource for the rich and powerful. But the Friars, because of their homeless nature, had the duty of working with the lame, the sick, and the poverty-stricken. Providing rites, education and spiritual guidance for those that worked too hard to make it to church and for those who could not afford go. This also put them into the unique position of being able to learn herbalism from the shamans and midwives. For this reason, the Friars were considered the lowest level of the church and were the most difficult to gain their acceptance—they continued to practice Pharmakaia, an art that was forbidden by the church.

People that were too sick to get out of bed or too poor or overworked to go to church, would paint a red cross on their door. This is how we came to associate the Red Cross with the need for healthcare.

Lighting a red lamp outside of your home indicated that you ran an open house or a brothel—this is where we got the term Red Light District.

Either one would indicate to the Friars—wandering, homeless ministers—that we were allowed to come into your home to take care of you—most often in exchange for a place to sleep and food to eat.

When we had it to share, it was often the custom of a Friar to invite himself to your meal to share his sacrament and bring good luck (health) to your home. Because the harsh lives of these early people provided them very little comfort, it was the regular visitation of a minister over the enjoyment of sacrament that gave them the patience and the wellness they needed in order to get on with their lives.

v In one way or another, for one reason or another, there are people that believe that various sacraments are essential to their health.

v I believe that sacraments are essential to their health—because it’s essential to mine.

v The act of providing it and sharing it confers grace. Therefore, our needs coincide.

v I’m doing my part, as minister, by fulfilling my vow to provide sacrament for those that need it

v And now I am asking others to do their part, by providing patience, acceptance and forgiveness for those that are different, who have different needs. So that I, and we, can continue pursuing our way of life.

Thank You.