Honorable Festivity: An Oxymoron? | Prof. Michael Foley
Nov 27, 2024
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Michael Foley, a Catholic theologian and Professor of Patristics at Baylor University, dives into the concept of 'honorable festivity.' He discusses how dining transcends mere sustenance, linking it to cultural and divine significance through the Eucharist. Foley also highlights modern challenges like the decline of family meals and ethical dilemmas in agriculture, advocating for personal engagement and charity. He explores the moral complexities of food consumption, emphasizing gratitude and respect in our eating practices.
Human dining experiences elevate the act of eating into a cultural event, intertwining physical needs with social interaction and meaning.
The decline of family dinners and socioeconomic segregation present challenges to honorable festivity, affecting relationships and diminishing communal dining's unifying power.
Deep dives
The Human Transformation of Appetite
Humans transform basic biological appetites, such as hunger, into a more profound cultural experience. Unlike animals, which fulfill their basic needs without reflection, humans elevate eating to a dramatic social event, often filled with etiquette and performance. This act of dining merges our physical needs with high-level activities like conversation and sharing ideas, creating a unique cultural tapestry around meals. The evolution of eating reflects a desire for meaning beyond mere sustenance, leading to sophisticated dining experiences that enhance our connection with one another.
The Catholic Dimension of Dining
The Catholic transformation of dining turns ordinary meals into sacred, shared experiences, culminating in the Eucharist. This sacrament symbolizes the profound union of the shareable and unshareable aspects of food, where even the smallest particle of the host represents the entirety of Jesus Christ. Early Christian practices, such as the agape meal, exemplified this understanding by blending the spiritual with the social, emphasizing the importance of charity and community. Such teachings present dining as not merely a physical act, but a means of fostering relationships with God and with one another, bringing a sense of honor and purpose to the act of sharing food.
Modern Challenges to Honorable Festivity
Contemporary society faces several complications that hinder the practice of honorable festivity, particularly the decline of family dinners. Research shows that a drop in shared meals correlates with negative outcomes for both children and adults, highlighting the crucial role of communal dining in maintaining healthy relationships. Additionally, socioeconomic segregation contributes to the growing divide between the rich and poor, complicating traditional charitable practices associated with meal sharing. Lastly, the modern fixation on mindful eating introduces moral dilemmas regarding food choices, making the simple act of sharing a meal increasingly fraught with ethical concerns, thus detracting from the unifying potential of dining together.
Professor Michael Foley examines the idea of honorable festivity, demonstrating how human culture elevates the basic act of eating into a dramatic, artistic experience. He then explores how Catholic tradition further transforms this cultural practice, particularly through the Eucharist and traditional feast days. Finally, he addresses modern complications to honorable festivity, including the decline of family dinners, socio-economic segregation, and the moralization of food choices, offering potential solutions to these challenges.
This lecture was given on March 8th, 2024, at Our Lady of Corpus Christi Retreat Center.
Michael Foley is a Catholic theologian, a Professor of Patristics at Baylor University, and the author of over 400 articles and seventeen books, including the Politically Incorrect Guide to Christianity, Drinking with the Saints, and Dining with the Saints. He can speak on a wide variety of topics touching upon Catholicism, culture, and liturgy.
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