First week of Lent | Feb. 21-27 2010
Christian Simplicity Online at www.lent45.org
Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus – Living in Harmony with Creation, God and the Entire Human Family
Family
Food Our Lenten practice in simplicity this week is buying and eating our food responsibly . .
Food is sacramental. Eating is a moral act. “Jesus was led into the desert by the Spirit to be tempted by
the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and after-
“Give us today our daily bread” ward was hungry.” – Matthew 4:1-2
The daily bread provided by God comes directly from the Earth.
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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
What the Church is Saying
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included in our food.
Every purchase of food and every act of eating becomes a moral 1. Listen to the Earth, Don’t Misuse It
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decision. When making food choices, we need to consider the “We cannot simply do what we want with this Earth of ours, with what
manner in which crops were planted and fertilized, the method used has been entrusted to us. We must respect the interior laws of creation,
to raise animals for eating, and the distance food has to be shipped. of this Earth, learn these laws and obey them if we want to survive
Obedience to the voice of the Earth is more important for our future
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While our agricultural system produces a lot of food, it also happiness than the desires of the moment. Our Earth is talking to us and
has a downside. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides from large we must listen to it and decipher its message if we want to survive.”
agricultural farms contaminate the soil. Animal waste from factory
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– Pope Benedict XVI, 2007
farmed meat defiles the water. Transporting food over long
distances pollutes the air. Our food choices are having a huge 2. Responsibility of U.S. for World Food
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impact on the whole of creation. “Farm owners and farm workers are the immediate stewards of the
natural resources required to produce the food that is necessary
Food is not only central to survival. It is a sacramental gift of God’s to sustain life. These resources must be understood as gifts of a
grace and providence. Our Lenten fast this week will aim to develop generous God. When they are seen in that light and when the human
greater sensitivity to how our food choices can honor, rather than race is perceived as a single moral community, we gain a sense of the
exploit, God’s creation. substantial responsibility we bear as a nation for the world food system.”
– U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1986
PRAY. FAST. THINK BEFORE YOU EAT! 3. The Responsibility to Use Land Wisely
“Natural resources should be used in such a way that immediate benefits
do not have a negative impact on living creatures, human and not,
present and future…that human activity does not compromise the
fruitfulness of the earth, for the benefit of people now and in the future.”
Our food choices – Pope Benedict XVI, 2010
are having a huge 4. How Animals are Raised for Food Production is an Ethical Issue
impact on the “Catholic teaching about the stewardship of creation leads us to
whole of creation. question certain farming practices, such as the operation of massive,
confined, animal feeding operations. We believe that these operations
should be carefully regulated and monitored so that environmental risks
are minimized and animals are treated as creatures of God.”
– U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2003
“Lord, to those who are hungry, give bread. And to those who have bread, give the hunger for justice.”
– Latin American Prayer
Imagine if the Earth were divided equally among all of us. Each person would receive 4.5 acres. Now imagine that everything you need – food, energy, home,
clothing, gadgets – must come from those 4.5 acres. But it takes 22.3 acres to maintain the average American lifestyle. There is a new way of observing Lent
that helps us care for God’s creation by taking steps toward using only our fair share of its resources. Moving in the direction of 4.5 is essential for anyone Page 1
walking in the footsteps of Jesus today. Online at www.lent45.org
Online at www.lent45.org
Christian Simplicity
How many miles per bite?
“If your brother or sister is being injured by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love.”
– Romans 14:15 On average, food travels from
between 1,500 to 2,500 miles
to reach our tables.
Action Steps
With every meal we can choose to bless or spoil God’s creation. This first Like coffee? Drink only organic fair trade coffee/tea. Give these
week of Lent offers suggestions on how your grocery shopping and eating farmers a fair price for their product and work.
habits can make a difference. Always remember to begin meals with a
Lent = Fish. Select seafood that’s good for you and good for the
prayer of gratitude for the gift of food. Then take practical steps
oceans. Download a consumer’s guide to sustainable seafood.
to reduce your negative impact.
Buy in bulk whenever possible, reducing needless packaging waste.
Listed below are ways you can reduce the ecological footprint of your
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food choices. Check the box of the steps you can take this week. At Home
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Purge the kitchen of disposable storage containers. Learn about the
If There’s Only One Thing You Can Do …
toxicity of some plastic containers.
Abstain from meat this week... or, make it only a side-dish. Eating
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Purchase and set up a food composting bin at home. Send food waste
lower on the food chain is probably the single most important thing you
back to the soil instead of to landfills.
can do to protect creation. Global livestock grazing and
feed production use 30% of the land surface of the Learn how to fast safely. Develop eating patterns that fit with your values,
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planet, destroying forests and grasslands. Livestock and notice when you slip into eating food that is fast, cheap and easy.
consume more food than they yield and compete Set an extra place at your table this week to remember Christ’s
with humans for water. Waste disposal from factory-farming presence and the millions who go hungry.
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of animals pollutes water supplies. 800 million people suffer
from hunger or malnutrition while the majority of corn and soy grown Dining Out
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in the world feeds cattle, pigs and chickens for wealthy eaters. Try out a local vegetarian restaurant this week. Bring your own
container for leftovers.
What and Where to Buy Pack real food for a healthy lunch at work or school in reusable containers.
As much as possible, purchase and eat only seasonal, unpackaged Check out the Slow Food movement. Bring balance to fast food and fast life.
food. Hint: most foods from the middle aisles of the supermarket are
preprocessed and packaged. Shop the perimeter of the store.
Steps Continued
Explore local farmers’ markets. Transportation of food guzzles
energy. Buy food that was grown and processed nearby. Set your own Available online at www.Lent45.org
limit: 200, 500 or 1000 miles from your home.
1. Learn about your food: where it comes from, what
levels of pesticides it contains. Calculate your
food footprint.
Prayer
2. Watch a 4-minute video, “The Meatrix,” on factory
Gracious God, farming of animals.
you provided manna in the desert
for your chosen people. 3. Read about the dark side of food issues in our
May we recognize that our food country – two articles from Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food
comes not only from your bounty, Nation are available online.
but also from the generosity of our
planet and the strenuous work of
4. Learn more about the global food crisis.
many human hands. 5. Explore joining a CSA (Community Supported Agricul-
Teach us to reverence your creation ture), and enjoy fresh, locally grown food this summer.
which supplies our food.
And show us how to make room at 6. Consider growing a vegetable garden.
the table for everyone. – Amen.
Passionist Earth & Spirit Center online resources available at www.earthandspiritcenter.org
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© Copyright 2010 by Passionist Earth & Spirit Center, Louisville, KY