The seven Corporal Works of Mercy provide us with “a model for how we should treat all others, as if they were Christ in disguise [and] are charitable actions by which we help our neighbours in their bodily needs [to] respond to the basic needs of humanity as we journey together through this life.”[1] Feeding the hungry is one of the seven Corporal Works of Mercy. How can you, as a couple, grow by feeding the hungry in your lives?
There are many ways to feed the hungry, yet it is important to start within your relationship. This is a busy time of year with preparing for school to start at home or in school. Even if you aren’t connected with the school system, many activities in the community or parish restart in the fall.
As a couple, in the midst of your busy lives, can you take the opportunity to slow down and share regular meals together? This can be an opportunity to pray together as you say grace by thanking God for the food you have, those who go without food, and other needs and thanks you have.
As you eat, you can take the time to connect by talking about how you are both doing physically and emotionally, or about the changes you want to make with this upcoming academic year. You may also reflect on aspect of your lives that are going well. If you or your spouse are feeling irritable and hungry, it may be helpful to take a break to eat and then come back together. Hunger can be a detriment to a good conversation and emotional regulation.
As you seek to nourish your relationship, you may also make efforts to cook each other’s favourite meal, go to your favourite or a new restaurant, or have a picnic to have the opportunity to be together and spend quality time that you need. Even if you and your spouse are in different locations, you could take time to share a meal over a video call. The important thing is to have the opportunity to be together regularly while you eat and help each other get the food you both need.
If you have children, making meals can be tiring, especially with lunches to be made during the school year. As you feed your spouse and children, it may be helpful to shift your perspective to remember that you are feeding the hungry.
As your family is tired from their activities, schooling, and work, you get to feed them with food to nourish them physically, emotionally, and spiritually. As you prepare the food, you can pray for the needs of your family or the person who’s meal you are making. After all, feeding the hungry definitely includes your children!
There are many transitions this time of year, which can involve anticipatory anxiety of how things will go with new teachers, activities, and routines. For example, a child going off to college or university for the first time, starting a new job, going to a new school, beginning to homeschool, starting a new activity, or forgoing an activity was previously done.
As your children or spouse are fed, these can be opportunities to not only physically nourish them but also to connect as a family to see how their day is going, pray together, check in about the transitions that are occurring, discuss an important topic, laugh, and appreciate the presence of each person.
Research shows that children and adolescents are positively impacted in their mental health when they experience frequent family meals.[2] They can be moments to slow down from the busy pace of the day as it is beginning, to pause midday, or to rest as it is coming to an end. How can you and your family enjoy regular meals times together? How can you not only eat together but prepare meals together?
St. Louis of France, whose feast day was August 25, was the King of France and was referred to as the “model Christian monarch.”[3] St. Louis is known for dining with and waiting on people who were poor everyday, eating the same food they ate, and providing them with money as they would leave.[4] St. Louis is a great model for how to share one’s abundant blessings by feeding the hungry. By following the example of St. Louis, how can you and your spouse feed the hungry in your community?
There are many ideas to explore. For instance, you can donate to different groups or organizations that feed the hungry, such as the Marian Centre, your local food bank, or Chalice. Many grocery stores have boxes for donating food to the food bank as you exit to make it easy to buy a couple of extra food items and drop them off as you are exiting. Is there an individual or family you could invite over for a meal who is struggling or undergoing a big life change? If having someone over isn’t doable, could you double a meal you are preparing and drop it off to someone who would appreciate it?
Another idea is to “try not to purchase more food than you are able to eat. If you notice that you end up throwing groceries away each week, purchasing less groceries would eliminate waste and allow you to donate the savings to those in need.”[5] During a meal that you and your spouse share together, you could discuss different ways to feed the hungry in your community and come to a decision together before acting on it.
As you feed the hungry in your life, whether it is yourself, your spouse, your children, and people in your community, may this be a time to reflect on how you live out this Corporal Work of Mercy or want to grow in it. After all, “If you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday,” (Isaiah 58:10). St. Louis of France, pray for us!
– Melissa Guzik is a registered psychologist who works in private practice in the Greater Edmonton area. She is the co-author of the Catholic marriage preparation and enrichment book and workbook To Know, Love, and Serve: A Path to Marital Fulfilment: 2nd Edition. Information about Melissa’s private practice can be found at www.melisssaguzik.com
Read more about Service to Marriage and Family, one of three Pastoral Priorities of the Archdiocese.