Thanksgiving – ‘Eating is a Moral Act’

Bishop Callahan features NCRLC and Ethics of Eating Cards

This article originally appeared in the November 17th issue of “The Catholic Times” by Bishop William Callahan, Bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse and NCRLC Board Member.

One of the things I have learned as a bishop with a largely rural diocese is respect for those who work the land. Respect for farmers goes deep in our diocese. As I have celebrated Rural Life Days in the diocese I am also happy to be a member of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference, along with several other bishops, priests, teachers, lawyers, and, of course, farmers. One of the Conference brochures offers a great message: “Eating is a moral act.”

The brochure links the reader in many ways with a profound sense of the connection of human beings to the growth and production of the food we eat, along with a greater understanding of thankfulness and generosity – some of the moral imperatives associated with the production and consumption of the food we eat.

Thanksgiving is certainly an appropriate time to pause and remember the challenges and hard work faced by those who grow and produce the food we eat – the abundance of the earth that we, in the United States, so often take for granted given our large grocery stores, shelves stocked to capacity and options plentiful.

In our diocese it may be a little easier for us to focus our attention on those who “grow the groceries” we will use in many of our homes this Thanksgiving holiday. I often think about this during the year as I make my way through the diocese and see the growing season “in action.” I learned a lot about how corn grows and its various stages when I lived in Peoria, Ill., some 20 years ago… Read more at The Catholic Times.

                                            Visit the NCRLC store to purchase Ethics of Eating Cards!