I think it would be better to look at it from a perspective of ‘excess’. In our western culture we eat meat excessively. This not only has an effect on our own countries, but on others around the world. No longer are we nomadic people that need meat to survive as a staple part of the diet. Not to mention the health risks of eating highly fatty red meat.
Infact our western lifestyle is one of excess fullstop. We don’t think about how we will get water, we simply walk into the kitchen, draw a glass of water and end of problem. That is not the case for other people in the world. In parts of Africa it has not rained for three years! If for some reason the water goes off say due to some burst in a pipe we can’t cope, people are in uproar on the phone to the water company, imagine coping regularly with the lack of water.
We take so much for granted.
It would therefore be sensible to have some intake of meat but to reduce it to a level that is not excessive, such as two or three times a week to eat some red meat and make one of those days a Sunday in celebration of our Lord’s day and the others could be attributed to feast days and days of specific Saints and ask for their intercession for the poor, this way our eating of meat takes on significance.
Infact why not reassess our lives of excess and study where we can cut back and donate that money to Christian Charities that help those less fortunate than ourselves. Do we really need so much technology? Do we really need all those different fashion clothes? Do we really need to purchase endless DVD’s and CD’s? Do we really need to buy so much food with so many varied brands? Do we really have to have such extensive interior furnishings? Do our kids need the latest toys and fashions? Do we need the latest model of car? Do we need more than one car? Do we even need a car? Etc! The list we can examine goes on and on and this surely demonstrates our excessive mindset in the 20th Century.
It is not bad to have possessions, but I think the age of excess has done nothing for us, almost squeezing spirituality out of the forefront of our hearts and minds and what has replaced that is a constant striving to possess. This culture of ‘me’ has ended up where we assess our success by what we own and that is certainly not the message of the Gospel. Jesus owned nothing and is the most ‘successful’ man who ever lived, no other person who has lived has so affected the world as the Person of Christ Jesus. Now this culture of ‘me’ has led to the culture of death, where ‘me’ takes priority over the weakest in society and we are fighting for the right to destroy each other in law courts and even to destroy ourselves!.
I think this approach of assessing and curtailing the excess of our lifestyles not only aids our spiritual journey, but helps those less fortunate than ourselves and this is the culture of life. When we consider what a bit of money can do in poor countries isn’t it really worth making a start to cut back on the excess of this greedy spiral we are falling into deeper and deeper? If meat is given up just a couple of days a week, that money could feed a family in Africa (and in other underdeveloped countries) for the entire month.
Just a bit of ‘food’ for thought!
