"Hey, Jesus--you want some fries with that?"
Another March Friday in Northeast Ohio, and you can't swing a dead possum without hitting a sign advertising "Friday Fish Fry." Everyone--churches, VFWs, restaurants, grocery stores, volunteer fire departments, the Elks--wants to sell you fried fish.
Fish on Friday is a practice connected with Lent, the portion of the Christian calendar recognizing the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert, fasting, praying and being tempted by satan. Fasting on Fridays, the day of the crucifixion, dates to the first century church. Hence, not eating meat on Friday during lent is both a reminder of sacrifice and an act of devotion. This is all good.
And...I have to admit I’m having a really hard time this year connecting faith and food. I live a life of privilege in a world where many have neither meat nor fish. My part of the world is extremely wealthy yet still beset by poverty. And in the past several weeks, the government of my supposedly Christian nation has acted to stop serving the poor, stop feeding the hungry. On the state level, Ohio has proposed decreasing food assistance funding by 25%. Nationally, the federal government wants to cut funds (already approved) for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and programs that supply local produce to food banks* and schools.** Globally, USAID has been whacked.
Why is this? Efficiency? Fiscal responsibility? Reducing the deficit? Or is it just, "if we stop feeding them, maybe they'll finally go out and get a job."I don't think it matters, because I see no plan for improvement. In any other realm of life, this would be insane. If your roof leaks, you don't let the roofers tear off the old roof, then say, "we'll come back in a few months to put on a new one." You cover the holes so the whole house is not damaged in the interim. Cutting alone does nothing to serve those who work the hardest just to survive.
The gospels of Matthew and Luke speak of Jesus at the end of the forty-day fast with the words, "he was hungry." Hungry for bread for himself, or for a world that hungers, literally and figuratively? We know the answer. Jesus never says, "feed yourself, feed your family, feed those like you, feed those from your own land, then if there is anything left over, maybe feed others that are hungry." He just says do it. No qualifications. This is the point I will make in my next note to my congressman and state representative, both firm in their Christian faith.
Whether this Friday finds you fasting, substituting fish for meat, supporting fish-serving community organizations, finding joy in a shared meal, or none of the above, I offer this thought: the story of the forty days in the desert is not about me eating fish or fasting or supporting the VFW. It’s about resisting temptation, in this case the temptation to accede to the power of wealth and position being so directly targeted at those who do not fast by choice.
As always, your thoughts about where to go and what to do are welcomed.
*Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement
**Local Food for Schools Program