Focus on Food

From all that I have written, it should be no surprise to anyone that Baxter loves food. His portly appearance, his tricks to get more, the eating routine that he follows, and his begging for scraps from the table, all attest to his preoccupation with eating. He goes on alert when a container is opened. The sound and the aroma are enough to bring him to attention, waiting for the right move that might bring him a morsel. Baxter is focused on food, and he doesn’t get distracted from pursuing his next meal or snack. He is a feline version of a “Foodie”.

But Baxter is in good company. How many of us exchange recipes or suggestions for places to eat out? Movies about chefs and restaurants and their rivalries are popular. The Food Channel has a large viewership, and many of us have our favorite programs where we watch other’s prepare delectable delights. Occasionally, we are even inspired to produce our own culinary creations, and when they work, we want to tell others about our success. Food takes up a large portion of our lives financially, socially and physically. We are concerned about our diets for health and for the pleasure that comes with eating. The cost of food has risen in the grocery store, the fast food counter and the fine restaurant. We pay it though because we have to eat to live, and we love to eat well to find joy in living. Without noticing it, we focus on food a lot.

What about the food for our souls, the Eucharist? Do we pay as much attention to the Bread of Life and the Chalice of Salvation as we do to our physical nourishment? The Eucharist is the heart and center of our lives of faith as Catholic Christians. When we gather each week to worship, we celebrate the Eucharist. It incorporates into one liturgical prayer all of our hearts’ desires. We ask for forgiveness and healing there. We give praise and thanks to God for His blessings, especially the blessing of His Son who saved us in His cross and resurrection. We seek what we need to live our faith concretely in the circumstances of our families, friends, and neighborhoods, and in the demands of our work and world. We strengthen our bond of unity as God’s people by singing, praying, listening and taking communion together. We intimately share in God’s divine life while we share this life with each other. All of these dimensions are part of our Eucharist each week. It is a complete, balanced meal for our soul, and without it, we struggle to remain spiritually healthy.

Lent calls us to fast from bodily food a little, so that we can indulge ourselves on the spiritual food offered at Eucharist. It’s a slight change of focus to assure that our whole persons— not just our physical selves are nourished and grow. Take the time to think about what we are doing when we come together each week at Eucharist. Savor its tastes. Take in its atmosphere, and use this food to offer excellent service to others because of this nourishment God’s gives us. Become fat with grace this Lent through eating well and fully at God’s table. There is no greater joy in life.