Wasting food/mortal sin

[Veronica97]

A few days ago I cooked some brown organic rice for my son. I followed the directions on the package. He ate some of it, but then told me that it was still “crunchy”. I covered the bowl and put the rest of it in the refrigerator. Tonight I needed to make room in the refrigerator for a big pan of lasagna, and so I threw out the bowl of rice. I figured no one was going to eat it realistically, as it hadn’t turned out that well. But I felt bad about throwing it away, even as I was doing so. Then afterwards I felt worse. I feel like I should have eaten it, crunchy or not. I asked my son again, “How bad was it really?” He said it was horrible–crunchy and watery (but he’s a little picky about food sometimes). I could have eaten it anyway b/c if I were starving I would have eaten it. I didn’t even taste it for myself. Is this grave matter? I have an examination of conscience that says, “excessive waste” is grave matter, but how much is excessive? It was a cereal bowl size.

 

[JaredR]

Most certainly this is not grave matter, or even excessive waste. Throwing out a bowl of rice will not kill sanctifying grace in your soul. It’s good that you’re concerned about waste, as I probably should be more sensitive about wasting food, but you probably also know that your concern is overly scrupulous, since you have written about scrupulosity before. It’s OK; no mortal sin here.

 

[PaulfromIowa]

You suffer from scrupulosity, don’t you? You need to talk to your pastor about counseling to deal with this. It is a real occasion of sin as it may well eventually separate you from your faith.

 

[Gramp3]

Somewhere on this sight this subject of wasting food was addressed and I found myself compelled to answer . I have never considered myself the most wise person but I do pray for wisdom . In my older years it occurs to me that there might just be some one out there who really sincerely needs an answer.

Well I don’t claim to have it all but when it comes to wasting anything, where are we going?? First off , “recycling” seems to be a big deal in the news. Anything not thrown away and reused is recycled , . Is it not? Why not turn this whole throw away idea into something positive . My parents told us to clean our plates or else . Should I blame them when I go for that delicious blueberry donut ?

My mother used to save a half a dozen peas or a spoonful of corn . A small piece of meat and more. My sister and I would snicker and think she was silly for doing it.

I had to go through some really hard times to understand it myself . Saving that few morsels is not going to feed the world but what it will do, is eventually get one in the habit of recycling and reusing.

Leftovers with a little imagination do not have to be something bad , but the beginning of a whole new meal. A part of a new recipe and there are sure plenty of ideas on the web for leftovers.

Martha Stewart uses the tops and leaves of vegetables . Some chiefs make a rue out of the scraps and pieces. Most ethnic groups can think of something their countrymen considered a staple , that was thrown away by a wealthier group. There are recipes for soups, using an accumulation of leftovers and scraps , stored in the freezer until a sufficient quantity was gained.

We or someone, paid good money for the food , and instead of spending more, try to do something with what we already have.

Learning to save , be it food or anything else has to start small . We are expected to be good stewards . Saving a dollar a day amounts to a lot more than you would care to have your car insurance raised or your taxes go up . Yet with a little saving , (recycling) one soon learns to save a lot more than a dollar a day.

I have , in the last four months , spent a month and a half in England, Ireland and Scotland . Made a trip to Washing State from Michigan , another to KY another to upper MI and more and on a pretty small income.

This was not the result of saving a spoonful of beans but the result of what saving that spoonful taught me.

Saving food as well as many other things, have a way of multiplying our dollars. A small amount saved might be a good part of another . Eventually It may be , the preparation of a meal can be more or less skipped . Maybe a trip to the store can be skipped saving costly gas , and on and on.

At the end of the year , having a few thousand dollars you hadn’t planned on is pretty nice and it has to start with a few pennies , or maybe dimes and a desire .

I believe God expects us to use our heads , do what we know is right ,be a good witness to our family and friends. , Nothing about forcing others to suffer form our being frugal . Nothing about saving or serving unhealthy or unsavorily food and nothing about living a life of clutter and chaos .

There are ways, and learning can be fun, to profit by saving many things , done in a sincere way.

Instead of worring about being a sin one might consider how can I make this work for the glory of God ?

 

[CaptFun]

Most certainly this is not grave matter, or even excessive waste. Throwing out a bowl of rice will not kill sanctifying grace in your soul. It’s good that you’re concerned about waste, as I probably should be more sensitive about wasting food, but you probably also know that your concern is overly scrupulous, since you have written about scrupulosity before. It’s OK; no mortal sin here.

Hi Veronica 97. I pretty much agree with Jared here. Rest easy on THIS “sin?”

Good news for you is:

You didn’t intend to waste anyway.
You were just prioritizing your storage space.
God can take care of the rice now. Birdies get hungry too.
And if not the birds, it may break down and replenish our dwindling oil supplies!

For all you know, you might be God’s great instrument of ecology today.

Wasting food COULD be a mortal sin I suppose, but not what you describe.
Jesus told a parable about a rich man who feasted each day while a beggar named Lazarus starved outside his door. That hard hearted neglect of a brother in need was the big sin there. And maybe that wasn’t mortal either since the rich man (though suffering in at least Purgatory) still cared about his loved ones at home and desired their salvation.

Yeah, you probably have a touch of scrupulosity … but I will say that’s better than the other way around (sinning by presumption, thinking God is merciful so why think about right and wrong). The trouble with scrupulosity is that it can be a distraction that keeps one’s eyes on oneself a bit too much – which can mean we are there less for others while we indulge ourselves (even negatively) in me-world.

How nice you are to cook for others. And wise you are to care about sin when many don’t. And not force your child to eat something that doesn’t taste good (to him).

If your conscience bothers you still … go ahead and confess it (as you did here) but in a confessional. But then forget it. I don’t even think you sinned a venial here - but if you violate your own conscience you do need peace. Let Jesus put your sins as far as east is from west.

And maybe make sure this little thing isn’t the “gnat” that you are straining out (Jesus words for some who spent all sorts of time avoiding tiny wrongs) while “swallowing a camel” somewhere else (Jesus’ teaching that the Pharisees’ concern over food and rules had blinded them to a bigger law they were breaking - love of Neighbor).

Love to you Veronica. For your penance exude the joy of the Lord within eyesight of
those who saw you so worried about God’s wrath.

PS: Kidding about the penance. I’m not a priest anyway. Seriously hope you’re able to experience the joy, though. :dancing::extrahappy::bounce:

 

[Veronica97]

Thanks, Gramps. Your post was very inspiring. It’s a good attitude to have–to be good stewards of what God has given us. Waste not–want not. And in your case, what you’ve saved has resulted in an abundant life, and not just financially. And thank you, too, CaptFun, your post made me smile. Everything is okay–I confessed this a couple of weeks ago and the priest agreed with those who responded to this post-- it wasn’t mortal sin. I recently read a message a priest had written in his parish bulletin. He talked about how we can become overwhelmed by following the rules but if our actions and words are guided by love, we will make fewer mistakes and have peace. That really made an impression on me. Yes, God is still working on me.

 

[DayZeroTV]

Thanks, Gramps. Your post was very inspiring. It’s a good attitude to have–to be good stewards of what God has given us. Waste not–want not. And in your case, what you’ve saved has resulted in an abundant life, and not just financially. And thank you, too, CaptFun, your post made me smile. Everything is okay–I confessed this a couple of weeks ago and the priest agreed with those who responded to this post-- it wasn’t mortal sin. I recently read a message a priest had written in his parish bulletin. He talked about how we can become overwhelmed by following the rules but if our actions and words are guided by love, we will make fewer mistakes and have peace. That really made an impression on me. Yes, God is still working on me.

Does this also mean forgetting to say grace before meals and/or accidentally eating tiny bits of meat on abstinence days, equate to mortal sin? Does this mean I don’t have to confess and can take communion since your parish priest said it’s not mortal sin so I don’t have to task mine? Thanks, let me know…

 

[Ronman]

Some animal or bird will eat that rice thrown by you.

 

[steymard]

Does this also mean forgetting to say grace before meals and/or accidentally eating tiny bits of meat on abstinence days, equate to mortal sin? Does this mean I don’t have to confess and can take communion since your parish priest said it’s not mortal sin so I don’t have to task mine? Thanks, let me know…

Of course it’s not mortal sin! It’s impossible to commit mortal sin “accidentally”. Yes, deliberately and in full knowledge eating meat on abstinence days is grave matter, but if it was accidental it is NOT mortal and you’re totally fine for communion. Here’s the Catechism on mortal sin:

1857 For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: “Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent.”

Note “full knowledge and deliberate consent”. I repeat, nothing accidental can be mortal, because sin is an act of the will. You’re totally fine!

As for saying grace before meals: it’s not grave matter so it’s impossible for it to be mortal sin even if you deliberately decided not to say grace. The only prayer mandated by the Church under pain of mortal sin is attendance at Holy Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation (and Confession once a year during Lent). Saying grace is totally optional, and although it’s a great practice, it’s a free choice for any Catholic.

If you’re really concerned, ask your priest in confession and he will tell you the same thing.

 

[DayZeroTV]

Of course it’s not mortal sin! It’s impossible to commit mortal sin “accidentally”. Yes, deliberately and in full knowledge eating meat on abstinence days is grave matter, but if it was accidental it is NOT mortal and you’re totally fine for communion. Here’s the Catechism on mortal sin:

1857 For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: “Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent.”

Note “full knowledge and deliberate consent”. I repeat, nothing accidental can be mortal, because sin is an act of the will. You’re totally fine!

As for saying grace before meals: it’s not grave matter so it’s impossible for it to be mortal sin even if you deliberately decided not to say grace. The only prayer mandated by the Church under pain of mortal sin is attendance at Holy Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation (and Confession once a year during Lent). Saying grace is totally optional, and although it’s a great practice, it’s a free choice for any Catholic.

If you’re really concerned, ask your priest in confession and he will tell you the same thing.

Oh wow… awesome Thank you so much!! I am relieved to hear this. I must be way over my head about these things as I’m wanting to please the Lord. I went ahead and took communion this past Sunday and I really felt good, I felt Him! So I think it was, like some have said, the devil trying to stop me and pretend that it was a sin in my mind. I will definitely be asking more questions in confession, particularly next weekend because we’re having a ton of priests come by from other parishes for a big confessional (this is unusual but it’s Lent so I suppose they do this once at least eh?).