Honoring earth’s Creator in how we eat

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Eating is a moral act.

That statement comes from a bulletin insert in a Lenten series at my parish reflecting on Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment, “Laudato Si: On Care for our Common Home.”

So this week the topic is food and our relationship to it. Does anything hit closer to home than that? I look suspiciously at my coffee cup. I know the Kirkland brand of beans I buy says “Fair Trade.” Is that good enough? I also know that coffee travels very far to reach my cupboard, upping my carbon footprint quite a bit.

I get obsessive about this stuff. The other day, I found myself murmuring an apology to Pope Francis as I threw away some celery I had let rot in the refrigerator.

Most of us, especially women, have a complex relationship with food. And now we’re called to consider the global and ethical implications of what we consume.

I’ve heard two theology professors give their take on Laudato Si, and I’ve read it myself, or at least skimmed it — encyclicals are never the easiest read, and although this one is very understandable it’s not exactly a cliffhanger.

Except maybe it is. Our earth itself may be hanging from a cliff, so we best pay attention.

Pope Francis reminds us we are intimately connected to the earth. When we abuse it, or waste its resources, we’re insulting earth’s Creator.

And our use of the world’s resources also reflects our relationship to others: when most of the commercial chocolate available is produced by slave labor, often by exploited children, do I have a responsibility to drive across town and buy the cocoa which is in my cupboard now? The one that’s labeled “Equal Exchange, Fairly Traded, Small Farmer Grown” and is much more costly than the kind at the grocery store?

Thomas Merton said, “From the moment you put a piece of bread in your mouth you are part of the world…You are in relationship with all who brought it to the table.”

Lent presents a great time to think about our relationship to food. Instead of thinking only in terms of how great it is for my body to hide the chips for 40 days, I can reflect on how everything I eat tells a story about limited resources and the people who touched my food along the way.

My bulletin insert suggested a visit to eatlowcarbon.org. This is a fun site for kids as well. You can figure out the carbon footprint left by your eating habits, and consider some changes. I’m not much of a meat eater, but this site challenged my cheese consumption, and I do love cheese.

The use of meat, especially beef, contributes mightily to climate issues and carbon usage. Maybe for Lent, pledge not just Fridays but an extra meatless day. If we all pledged two meatless days a week all year long, it could have a big effect.

For Lent, you might also challenge your kids to look at their food, school lunches and snacks. What packaging is recyclable? How can we eliminate some of that plastic? Can we rely on reusable containers more?

I still remember the beautiful, dark soil we produced by composting in Anchorage. It’s pretty simple, the yield is great, and it’s a good project for kids. So is growing some of our own, and purchasing from the wonderful community gardens in Alaska.

Eating is a moral act. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, but challenging yourself to make two or three concrete changes during Lent can be a good beginning.

The writer is formerly from Anchorage. She now lives in Omaha, Neb.