It is always wise to bear in mind what Christ says brings blessedness. I was struck by the thought that when you read the story of Adam's creation you learn that God brought him forth and had him eat. As one who enjoys the intellectual life, this seems counter to my instincts. But the Lord didn't bring man forth to wonder at universal grammar, string theory, propositional calculus, theories of forms or of general relativity; he offered man food. Now this pre-fallen hunger is something I yearn to experience, for daily I fight a fallen aspect of hunger. But hunger as a good desire is foremost on Jesus' list of the Beatitudes; so it must bring blessedness if the hungry desire is pure. There are intimations of the Eucharist in this creation 'hunger' that would merit deeper analysis.
2006-07-13
A Thought on Creation, Hunger and Food
It is always wise to bear in mind what Christ says brings blessedness. I was struck by the thought that when you read the story of Adam's creation you learn that God brought him forth and had him eat. As one who enjoys the intellectual life, this seems counter to my instincts. But the Lord didn't bring man forth to wonder at universal grammar, string theory, propositional calculus, theories of forms or of general relativity; he offered man food. Now this pre-fallen hunger is something I yearn to experience, for daily I fight a fallen aspect of hunger. But hunger as a good desire is foremost on Jesus' list of the Beatitudes; so it must bring blessedness if the hungry desire is pure. There are intimations of the Eucharist in this creation 'hunger' that would merit deeper analysis.
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4 comments:
Hey Thomas,
Nice new template. I like it.
Your hunger post has gotten me thinking. I don't really have any comments to make yet as I am still turning my thoughts over. But I wanted to let you know I really enjoy reading your blog. Sometimes it feels good to think of things other than diapers and bottles.
You post and Amy's post got me thinking abou this. I think this kind of hunger is a pure need that has no negative emotional attachment to it; like a baby who eats because he is hungry AND because he desires the nurturing from the cuddles received while being fed. I think that is what God offered Adam; nurishment of soul and body at the same time.
How do we translate that to our own lives? I think one thing is eating good quality food that is as close to the way God created it; beautiful fruit, veg, meat, cheese, grain made with thought and love. I know I feel much more nurtured when I can share good food with family and or friends and am allowed the time to savour both the food and the company. It is about being mindful during the process and being fully engaged in the act of consuming both the food and the company. We spend so much of our lives distracted or trying to do too many things at once. I think we should try and be more like the French in this respect... make meal times an event. I am also of the opinion that we consume less if we use quality ingredients.
I agree Kim. I have been reading about the Slow Food movement. Fascinating. Sort of dovetails with the visit to the Naturopath.
I remember Fr. Chris, when talking about the cycle of fasting and feasting, stating that "Eating is our salvation."
That really made me think. So much of our faith is related to what, how, and when we eat, on training our hunger toward what is pure.
This brings our faith down to the basic, to the simple, to the place where all men can participate.
This is a Eucharistic faith.
This makes me glad.
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