I just joint one of the yahoo groups, TheologyandReligion. One article that I love to read over and over which I want to share with you is the following:

Nourishing the Body of Christ
By Simone Campbell, SSS
Our study of the food and farm bill
has stirred up my thinking about politics
as well as food. I love cooking and
delight in a fine meal. I have worked
in and supported foods banks over the
years and have cared about international
food aid. But I have been less aware
of the impact of U.S. subsidies on the
international market and the free trade
disruption of Central American and
Mexican economies. I was unaware of
the issues of rural development, sustainable
agriculture, and the pressure
of agribusiness. I had not known how
bigger farmers can save money by shipping
directly to overseas distributors.
I, as a city girl, had not thought about
the politics of food—I just enjoy the
delicious act of eating. But as we have
begun to work on what most people
call “the farm bill,” this has changed.
I have realized that food is perhaps
the most elemental aspect of all of life.
Food keeps us alive. Food is absorbed
and changed by living organisms. Food
becomes energy for life and various
waste products. Those waste products
become food for other beings. Food is
at the core of living and breathing. Anything
this elemental will stir up the passions
of all concerned.
There are also the practicalities of providing
us with food—how it gets to our
tables and what we do to share it. For the
last three summers, my family members
and I have purchased a Community Supported
Agriculture share that enables us
to participate in the harvest of a nearby
organic farm. This fresh vegetable link
provides us with locally grown food and
supports local agriculture. I try to buy local
produce and resist Chilean tomatoes and
peaches in mid-winter. We have learned in
our study that buying locally is even better
than buying organics when organics have
been shipped over a long distance.
I have also come to see that we need to
take our images of food to another level
because they are at the core of our faith.
Over and over, Jesus spoke in parables
using agricultural images—a mustard
seed, grains of wheat and weeds, and vineyards.
But even more central to our faith is
Eucharist—the actual eating of bread and
wine, Body and Blood. It is this elemental
act that brings the food and farm bill
to the core of faith. Jesus invited all to eat
and drink. Jesus calls us all to the table. So
those of us with eyes to see are challenged
to see the food and farm bill as essentially
Eucharistic. It is how we nourish the Body
of Christ by sharing with all so that none
go hungry. It is working with policy to
make certain that the earth is nurtured
and future generations protected. Eucharist
knows no national boundaries so it
also means advocating for a food and farm
bill that finds a balance for the international
common good.
Thus, I have come from the simple
enjoyment of a meal to see this piece of
policy work as Eucharist. It is essentially
a time of thanksgiving for the richness of
the nourishment around us and a time
for justice in our formation of policy. We
need to ensure that all are nourished,
all are welcomed to the table. We, as a
Eucharistic people, must work to ensure
that U.S. policy cares for the earth, provides
access for all families to healthy
food, creates vibrant rural communities,
and is fair for U.S. and global farmers.
This work is the Eucharistic work of nurturing
the Body of God.

Simone Campbell, SSS, is NETWORK
Executive Director.

Isn't it a real challenge?