A Feast for the Soul

By Rev. Katherine Jesch

Food is one of my favorite subjects, so when the General Assembly last summer voted to take on the topic of ethical eating as our Study Action Issue for the next four years, I was elated. I know how important it is to understand the environmental implications of where our food comes from and how it is produced. The industrial agriculture system is one of the greatest contributors to climate disruption. It is also responsible for soil erosion, over-use of water, the spread of toxic chemicals, loss of wildlife habitat, and a variety of social and economic ills that contribute to poverty and health problems. The injustices inherent in our food system and how we should respond will be the central focus of the Study Action Issue, and I hope all of our readers are participating in that process.
However, another aspect of food seldom gets our conscious attention, so here I would like to highlight the relationship between food and spirit. Homo sapiens is the only species that makes a bigger deal out of it than just survival. We not only eat to live, we have developed great traditions of living to eat. Practically every social occasion is organized around food and drink, whether it’s a date with a new friend, a quick meeting after school, a Saturday evening community gathering, or even our social hour after church every Sunday.
Because food is such a communal experience, it has a special role in gathering and building community. Sharing a communal meal somehow opens us to our interdependence with each other. We feel less threatened, more connected. For some of us, the task of planning and preparing a meal may bring as much pleasure as sitting down to eat. Sharing the preparation tasks: cutting, measuring, stirring, sauteing -- not to mention the cleaning up, all the while sharing stories and jokes – this is the stuff of community.
We learn from infancy that sharing food is a very powerful way of sharing love. Our mother feeds us, therefore she loves us. Or is it the other way around -- she loves us, therefore she feeds us? No matter...it works both ways. If someone is sick, a neighbor brings a casserole. To celebrate a birthday, promotion, whatever, a spouse or friend takes you out to dinner.
Ceremonies and rituals in cultures and religions around the world use food as a vehicle to connect to the deeper significance and meaning of life. Judaism holds a profound reverence and compassion for all life which is directly carried into the dietary laws and traditions. Devout Jews debate about the proper “eating style” that most accurately reflects Jewish concepts of holiness, whether the pure plant-based diet of Adam and Eve, or a meat-inclusive diet. The dietary rules of Kashrut define ritually pure, kosher food. Jewish philosophical debates about food suggest it’s important to pay attention to the foods we choose in our everyday life. Whether these dietary laws are interpreted literally, metaphorically, morally, or ethically, they understand that all food should be savored with a sense of holiness.
The New Testament is full of food miracles that show how to be nourished with God’s divine grace. Whether turning water into wine at the wedding feast or turning a few loaves and fishes into a feast for hundreds, Jesus knew food was central to communal life. But the liturgy of the Last Supper is a food miracle in a realm all its own. As the heart and soul of the Christian faith, bread and wine is transformed either literally or symbolically (depending on your beliefs) into the body and blood of Jesus. In Paul’s writings, the body of Christ is the Church, so when Christians share this common meal together, it is a recognition of their interrelationship and unity with one another. Drawn together as a family, they become brothers and sisters in Christ.
India’s great traditions are filled with food celebrations and ceremonies. The yogic diet is a part of a deep spiritual well, nourishing body, mind, and spirit by encouraging one to bring a loving consciousness to the act of eating. The Bhagavad Gita created a nutrition philosophy that describes foods as capable of influencing spiritual progress.
The traditional tea ceremony of Japan is filled with spiritual symbolism, integrating the spiritual with the secular in a very simple yet profound act. This “Way of Tea” was developed by Zen Buddhist monks in the fifteenth century. The ceremony, designed to enrich both body and soul, elevates tea to the realm of spiritual art.
These stories of various cultures don’t begin to transmit the depth and complexities of the cultural and religious traditions. There is more to each story, and there are more stories. But they all show that each time we approach food – whether gardening, shopping, cooking, or eating – we can access a meditative consciousness and make the experience an aspect of the sacred. Approaching food with compassion and intentional thought reinforces understanding of our interdependence with all other living entities: soil, plants, food animals; food “intermediaries” such as farmers, grocers, and chefs; and our families, friends and neighbors. As we experience these connections, the food we eat may help us to stumble across life’s true essence: the unity of all life.
Interconnectedness. Spirit and body chemistry. Loving intention. Awareness of our oneness with all aspects of life. These lie at the heart of enlightened eating and the mystery of food’s ability to nourish both body and soul. Through them we may intuit the sacred connection between Mother Earth, food, and humankind. In this way, the methods and practices of sacred traditions help us to perceive food as life force nurturer, and gift that recharges and sustains. We need only take time to listen to the message that emerges from the union of food, body, and soul.

Photo: Auntiep

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