Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall. – 1 Corinthians 8:13

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 8, 2014): 1 Corinthians 8 & 9

Saying Grace. For some it is an antiquated ritual (and it is a really old practice) that no longer has any meaning in our society. However, it is also one of rituals that is truly cross cultural; and it is a practice that can be found in almost every society and it is a valuable part of almost every religion. A recent study revealed that, even today, 44 percent of us take part in the ritual on a regular basis – at least daily – and 46 percent of us rarely bother. The remaining ten percent fall somewhere in between. But even in our contemporary society there are some benefits to the act of saying Grace that those of us who don’t partake in the ritual may be missing.

Maybe most significantly saying grace connects us with something beyond ourselves. The obvious connection is with a deity of some sort, a power higher than us to whom gratitude is due. But it actually connects us to each other – and to the human condition. The act of saying thanks for what we have reminds us that there are those around us who do not have what it is that we have. Every one of us is lucky to have what we have. And so we say Grace – and we say thanks.

Too often we are too self-focussed, we need the reminder that others exist. In Paul’s time, the meat supply for the population had probably already been offered to a god other than the God of Israel. Because some other god had been given thanks for the meat, some believed that to eat the meat meant that you were following the god who had been given thanks for the food – who had been offered Grace. Paul disagreed, after all the god who had been given thanks for the food didn’t really exist, so how could they be followed. As far as Paul was concerned, meat was meat – thank God and eat.

But Paul understood that there were those who believed that the meat was tainted, and for them, the meat could not be consumed. And Paul had a choice. He could ignore the concerns of the other and ridicule those who held the belief, or he could see the other, and avoid the eating of meat so that they could remain strong. I am afraid that we would most likely choose the first, but Paul chose the second. He would see them and honor what they believed so that they could remain strong.

There is a Grace that is offered in South America. It is a simple prayer that focusses our attention on the other.  

To those who have hunger,

Give bread

And to those who have bread,

Give the hunger for justice.

Help us to recognize the other, and honor them so that they can remain strong.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 10