“Where Can We Buy Enough Food for Them to Eat?”
Tuesday, July 21st, 2009For Sunday, July 26, 2009
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
2 Kings 4:42-44
Ephesians 4:1-6
John 6:1-15
Mosaic of the loaves and fishes from the remains of the early 5th-century Byzantine church at Tabgha
While eating my liver sausage sandwich for lunch Tuesday, I was scrolling through the news, as I often do. In addition to the meat, the sesame Kaiser roll I had was spread with some mayo and crammed with fresh lettuce from my garden that had been picked earlier that morning. (It’s been a good year so far for both lettuce and raspberries!) During lunch I came across an article published Saturday in The New York Times, “Foie Gras Palates, Hot Dog Pocketbooks.” Of course, the headline grabbed my attention.
The article went on to describe the intense analysis that is now being given to even the most mundane of foodstuffs. The author suggests that heightened American awareness of the vast variety of great foods is running smack up against the economic crisis. And people who once may have been excited by an unusual restaurant dish, are now finding that the best they can do is compare a Tim Hortons Timbit to a Dunkin’ Munchkin. In describing the obsessive analysis that often characterizes restaurant critiques, and what has now been passed on to food blogs that review and compare the components of drive-through hamburgers, the author opined, “Food porn begets fast-food porn.” Some people seem to care that Timbits were described as “denser, more cake-like,” but Munchkins were favored because they were “sweeter, lighter, fluffier” (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/19/weekinreview/19bruni.html?hpw).
As I said, this article came out on Saturday. Just a month earlier, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), based in Rome, released its hunger estimates that show that, for the first time in human history, more than 1 billion people are undernourished. The full report will be presented in October, but you can review the startling statistics in the press release at http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/newsroom/docs/Press%20release%20june-en.pdf. As the FAO Web site states, “One sixth of humanity undernourished” (http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/20568/icode/).
In his new encyclical, Caritas in veritate, Pope Benedict says: “Life in many poor countries is still extremely insecure as a consequence of food shortages, and the situation could become worse: hunger still reaps enormous numbers of victims among those who, like Lazarus, are not permitted to take their place at the rich man’s table, contrary to the hopes expressed by Paul VI. Feed the hungry (cf. Mt 25: 35, 37, 42) is an ethical imperative for the universal Church, as she responds to the teachings of her Founder, the Lord Jesus, concerning solidarity and the sharing of goods. Moreover, the elimination of world hunger has also, in the global era, become a requirement for safeguarding the peace and stability of the planet. Hunger is not so much dependent on lack of material things as on shortage of social resources, the most important of which are institutional.” [CV, #27]
Before we leap into the deep Eucharistic themes of John 6, which we’ll cover for the next five Sundays, it might be good to take the miracle of this week’s Gospel at face value: a lot of hungry people got fed! We may well ask the same question that Jesus asked of Philip, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” Today, feeding 5,000 seems easy-caterers do it all the time-compared to the more than 1 billion in the world who are undernourished. What could any one of us possibly do?
It might not be so bad to take a page from the book of those who obsess over what is the better doughnut hole. I’m not suggesting that we now critique every morsel that we put in our mouths, but it might not be the worst thing in the world if we rediscovered a certain reverence for what we eat. After all, as the prayers of Mass state, the fruit of the earth comes from God’s goodness and is the work of human hands. Recognizing that every meal is in some way a gift from God and the work of many individuals almost requires a moment of reflection and a murmured “thanks” for what we’re about to put in our mouths.
Similarly, the injunction from our mothers not to waste food can apply to far beyond what is on our plate at any given meal. As the pope implies, it’s not that we don’t have enough food, but that we have not yet put in place the institutional resources to ensure that everyone has enough food. Maybe that’s the miracle of the loaves and fishes that is still waiting to happen. Just looking at our own family’s food policy may invite us to look at what we do as a nation. Check out the USCCB Web site: http://www.usccb.org/cchd/povertyusa/ to learn more.
Somebody had to bring the five loaves and two fish so that the miracle could happen. Can you perform one food-related charitable act this week? Can you start the miracle on its way?
Paul Michaels
Prayer
Most provident God,
you water the earth
and make every kind of plant to spring up to nourish your creatures.
You provide food for your people
so that we may serve you unfettered by anxiety or want.
Give a fruitful harvest to all who cultivate the land.
Ensure an abundant catch for all who fish the seas.
Guide the rulers of this world
that they may equitably distribute the goods of this earth
which come from your hand alone.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.
Notices
CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES-Serving the Poor; Promoting Fair Trade
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) offers many ways to help the hungry. Recently, a dedicated group of Americans have pledged up to $2 million to CRS in matching donations. Watch Archbishop Dolan’s video on the CRS Web site and learn how you can double your gift now. Visit: http://crs.org/.
In his new encyclical, “Caritas in veritate,” Pope Benedict speaks of the importance of development programs (#59). Catholic Relief Services suggests ways to get fair trade going in parishes in a July newsletter from CRS Fair Trade. Promote fair trade and concretely respond to Pope Benedict’s teaching at http://donate.crs.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=14461.0.
SUMMER CONFERENCES
It’s not too late to sign-up for upcoming summer conferences:
3rd Annual Symposium on Lay Ecclesial Ministry
August 6, Cardinal Stritch University, Milwaukee, WI
http://www.stritch.edu/Content.aspx?id=15348
Featured speaker: Dr. Edward Hahnenberg of Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH.
D+E+I Dialogues
August 13-15, Dominican Ecclesial Institute, Albuquerque, NM
http://www.d-e-i.org/dialogues/program.htm
Featured Speakers: Very Rev. Allan White, OP; Sr. Katarina Schuth, OSF; Ms. Marti Jewell
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE INITIATIVE FROM MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY
The Healing Circle is a one-hour documentary DVD to help parish members reflect on efforts to support victims of abuse and communities through the healing process. The DVD is recommended by Diane Knight, Chair of the USCCB National Review Board. Find out more at www.HealingCircleGroup.com.