Food for our hunger.

Food for our hunger.

We know so much about healthy eating and yet our society is plagued by the results of unhealthy eating: obesity, anorexia and excessive emphasis on body image.  Let’s just consider the issue of body image.  People will chose what they eat not according to whether they want or need it but because of how some one else will judge their body at a latter date. This is crazy, but it is also common.  Recent studies have shown that people who eat slowly and take time to enjoy what they eat are less likely to be obese.  In other words they focus on what they want and need and enjoy that.  They do not mindlessly eat food they particularly don’t want or need.  A good way to balance our eating habits is to ask “Do I really want or need this?” and if the answer is “Yes” to take the time to enjoy it.

Jesus used food as a sign of our relationship with him.  Deep down we hunger for God’s love, yet we pursue experiences and things that we neither want nor need, things that make us unhappy.  Jesus so desires to fulfil our true needs and wants that he even offers himself in the Eucharist, his Body and Blood given under the form of Bread and Wine. We need to often stop and ask ourselves about the things we do, “Will this fulfil the deep hunger in my heart?”

Loving Father, you give us bread from heaven – your own Son Jesus.  Give us the wisdom of the Spirit to open ourselves to him and fulfil the hunger of our hearts.  We ask this in his name, confident that you will hear us.