Food is sacramental. Eating is a moral act.
Our Lenten practice this week is buying and eating our food responsibly.
“Give us today our daily bread.”
The daily bread provided by God comes directly from the Earth. The act of eating unites us to the soil, water and animals of this planet like nothing else. All these gifts of God’s creation are included in our food.
Every purchase of food and every act of eating becomes a moral decision. When making food choices we need to consider the manner in which crops were planted and fertilized, the method used to raise animals for eating, and the distance food has to be shipped.
While our agricultural system produces a lot of food, it also has a downside. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides from large agricultural farms contaminate the soil. Animal waste from factory farmed meat defiles the water. Transporting food over long distances pollutes the air. Our food choices are having a huge impact on the whole of creation.
Food is not only central to survival. It is a sacramental gift of God’s grace and providence. Our Lenten fast this week will aim to develop greater sensitivity to how our food choices can honor, rather than exploit, God’s creation.
