What’s for Lunch?
The spirituality of food, feasting, fasting and famine.

By the Reverend Dr. Sandra Bochonok, Assc./LSSC

Introduction

“What’s for lunch?” is my favorite question and I strive mightily to live by Miss Piggy’s wisdom: “Never eat more than you can lift.” Some live to eat while others eat to live. When stressed, remember the word “stressed” is desserts spelled backwards.

Eating is a physical act and spiritual experience nourishing body and soul. Universally we begin a relationship with others through food in utero and every time we are fed as babies. We must eat to live, thrive, develop mental clarity and keep up our strength. Young or old, we represent diversity in our personal food convictions: vegetarians, carnivores, kosher, cooked or uncooked, organically grown versus biotech food. Food is essential for human survival and like it or not, we are interdependent for our daily bread.

Food is a way to express love, acceptance and belonging. “Let’s do lunch” is a popular way to reconnect with old friends, make new ones, do a little business networking, while enjoying table fellowship and community. A sign says it all in Flora’s café: “Stay long, talk much, laugh often.” Food and friends are an unbeatable combination. Food at its most basic meaning brings sustenance, comfort, a sense of belonging, and symbolizes love and nurture.

But food can mask a myriad of deep feelings of rejection, punishment and isolation, as well as trigger life threatening eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, over-eating and dangerous fad diets.

Food is sometimes used by people in power as a weapon, a potent tool used as a hunger strike and a cruel way to starve opposing political parties into submission or out of existence. In the Middle East, sharing a meal is a sign of friendship and sanctuary. Betrayal by someone who has shared a meal with you is the ultimate despicable act of treachery.

Good nutrition is critical to healing physically, spiritually and emotionally. When participating at an American Cancer Society event, I learned that cancer, the second leading cause of death in the USA, would be greatly lessened if people followed their recommended cancer prevention diets combined with an exercise program.

But we hunger for more than food. We hunger for love and satisfying intimate relationships, divine meaning and purposeful living. As a global society, we are starved for good news in an often bad news world. People need food for body and soul.

Feasting is a cherished prayer form enjoyed by all faith traditions centered on the calendar year. These significant annual events and food offer powerful symbols.

A few examples: In Hindu tradition, coconut and mangos represent sacredness. Sliced bread and apples dipped in honey signify a wish for sweetness in the Jewish New Year. Eggs symbolize fertility in pagan festivals and Christian Easter celebrations. The Eucharist is a visible sacred meal of table communion practiced by Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox Christians.

Throughout history, feasts are frequently in the context of worshipping deities through sacred assemblies since the time of Moses. These feast days mark important spiritual passages, often celebrating the planting and harvesting of crops.

Feasts in the Muslim calendar tradition promote thinking of others. Eid Al Fitr is the feast of fast breaking after Ramadan. It is a three-day celebration and many gifts are given to the poor. Eid Al Adha is another feast when fresh meat is shared and distributed among friends and relatives, before being donated to the poor. Both Muslim feasts include prayers and gift giving, and visits to friends and relatives asking forgiveness for previous years wrongdoing.

We celebrate personal feasts in community – birthdays, weddings and funerals are a few examples. Certain faith traditions and ethnic groups feast at the birth of a child and the transition into puberty. These opportunities are gatherings of intimate groups and large communities that help us identify on many levels with family, religion, culture and country.

Feasting is a universal prayer practice when it does not incorporate gluttony. The Bhagavan Das teaches: “If you have to much of anything, you cannot know yourself.”

In societies geared towards instant gratification and stimulus and consumerism, we are bombarded with messages to acquire and consume more, more, more. Fasting may seem old fashioned to some, but increasing numbers of people are returning to fasting practices to enhance physical and purify spiritual health, believing it cleanses their bodies of toxins acquired by over consumption, while enhancing clarity of mind, experiencing increased energy, and preventing disease. Fasting empowers people to find and use their inner resources without the distraction of food preparation and meals, thus providing time to focus attention on the divine.

Fasting is time tested, respected and a cherished part of religious life since antiquity among all world religions and cultures.

When preparing this message, I was astonished to learn Jesus spoke more on fasting than repentance, confession or baptism. Mahatma Gandhi in 1930 called his 21-day fast as “21 days of uninterrupted prayer,” concluding “there is no prayer without fasting.” He used fasting as a powerful form of nonviolent protest. Pope John Paul II encourages “penitential fasting” for those suffering from diseases caused from overeating, believing fasting in its own way “can be considered therapy for the soul.”

Fasting is a significant way to enhance faith practices. Judaism practices penitential fasting, confessing remembered and forgotten sins during Yom Kippur, Hindus fast monthly for spiritual gain, Native Americans fast before going on vision quests. In the Muslim tradition of Ramadan, the faithful fast an entire month as a special form of worship and act of devotion, breaking their fast only in the evening. The Bahai’s also fast for a month as a symbol of self-restraint. Many Christians fast during Lent and frequently Catholics fast an hour before partaking of the Eucharist.

Fasting humbles oneself before God, feeding the inner spirit, focusing on the Divine in a closer communion.

We can fast from food, and negative influences and destructive habits. A few examples: violent television programs and action movies, sleazy romance novels, gossiping and even recreational shopping and the Internet.

All fasts can be deeply spiritual, but experience small fasts before going on to bigger ones. All the sources I consulted strongly encouraged seekers who had not fasted before to start slowly by skipping a meal and using that time for intentional prayer and/or meditation. For longer fasts, consult a physician if you have medical concerns and needs.

One billion people in the world suffer from hunger and malnutrition. Approximately 24,000 people die every day from hunger or hunger-related causes. Three-fourths of the deaths are children under the age of five.

Famine and wars cause about 10% of hunger deaths. The majority of hunger deaths are caused by chronic malnutrition. “Families facing extreme poverty are simply unable to get enough food to eat.” (ref: The Hunger Site, www.hungersite.com)

According to the United Nations World Food Programme (http://www.wfp.org), the world’s largest international hunger relief organization, one hunger related death occurs every 3.5 seconds. 14 million children die each year from hunger related causes, about 24 a minute, or one child dying every 7 seconds.

The good news is that the world has enough resources to feed every person in need – it’s a matter of distribution, politics and economics. Individually and collectively we can make a difference. Margaret Meade understood this when she stated: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed its’ the only thing that ever has.”

1. Generously give to local food banks, support food drives, promote site meal programs that help the homeless, the elderly, and homebound. Some churches offer some financial assistance to poor families who must chose between paying rent/utilities and food. Write and call elected officials to encourage support of state and federally funded feeding programs. (ref: Results, www.results.org)



2. Be aware that many children in the USA are eligible for a free or lower priced meal through CNP – Child Nutrition Program, but only 10% of eligible kids participate in the Summer Food Service Program – encourage parents to them get enrolled. Many babies can benefit from WIC, a Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Woman, infants and Children. Ask young Mom’s if they have applied.



3. With a click of your mouse, you can donate a free cup of food to a hungry person in the country of your choice through The Hunger Site (www.hungersite.com). Visit some of the provided hunger websites and learn how you can make a difference.



4. Consider your own eating habits by keeping a simple food journal. The practice can quickly became spiritual, causing profound awareness of personal consumption habits, portion sizes, and even eating disorders. Often people eat through boredom, frustration, anxiety and stress. And a food journal combined with reflecting on the famous Lord’s prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread,” can lead to personal prayers and involvement to fight hunger locally, nationally and globally.

About the author: The Rev. Dr. Sandra Bochonok is a labyrinth retreat and workshop facilitator. She earned her Doctor of Ministry degree at Wesley seminary in Washington, DC, while completing studies at the famous ecumenical Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation in Bethesda, Maryland. She is available for interfaith and ecumenical labyrinth pulpit supply, retreats and workshops. Email: revsandyb@aol.com for more information. Your comments and insights are deeply appreciated.