Food for the Journey by Emery Tang, OFM

Food for the Journey is a collection of Emery Tang’s personal discoveries and insights gleaned from his life experiences. Over his lengthy career as a preacher and teacher he has shared these insights with many receptive audiences. In this slim volume are the essences of his convictions that will enable the reader to mull over the meanings and challenges they present. 

At the heart of his life findings is Love, the summary of all existence. More than a mere word, Love is seen as responding to needs, one’s own or others, actively and positively. With many examples, he shows how Love is a deceptively simple concept and yet, more often than not, very difficult and challenging to practice. But it’s there and only there that genuine happiness is found. 

Read and meditate on the essays slowly and reflectively. Contemplate or read the photographs – the picture parables – that accompany the articles to extract their meanings. One can discover how the ordinary subjects, such as a child, a pet or a flower, contain the most profound and richest lessons to learn. 

Emery Tang is a Chinese-American Franciscan priest whose career has included serving as a secondary school teacher and administrator, a TV associate producer, a peripatetic preacher and spiritual retreat director.