Their God Is Their Stomach

Before I even laid eyes on the second reading today, the question came to my mind as I was thinking about the meals of the day this morning, “Am I making my stomach a God”? 

Then I saw the line “Their God is their stomach” in the second reading and I knew God was up to something for my meditation time today!

While not overweight, I do think about food and my next meal quite a bit. I think about the quality of food I eat. I think about whether I’m getting the right nutrients if my body isn’t feeling up to par. I eat on a rigid schedule rather than when I’m hungry, and if I’m really honest, I like the experience of food such as new recipes and restaurants. We also probably spend more money on food than the average couple.

Does food take me away from God? No, not necessarily. I retain my prayer times every day. But does food consume a great deal of my thoughts and time? Maybe yes. Does it take up a lot of my resources? Yes. Do I have the opportunity to reduce how much focus in my life is on food? Yes.

As a Franciscan, I often wish I was a bit more like St. Francis who ate in a purely functional way - as little as possible and as simply as possible. Not only would that make life easier, but it would also probably reduce all the time I spend thinking about what I’m going to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; where we’re going out to eat this weekend; and what new meals I’m going to cook for the week ahead. It would also allow for more resources to go to the hungry.

So perhaps God struck my conscience today with this line, and maybe yours too. Consider: Is your stomach your God? Is more of your headspace, time, and money going to food than to God and His purposes? A worthwhile question during this season of Lent and fasting.