Discussion Questions November 2007

Adults

Seen on a bumper sticker: “Eating is a moral act.” What does that mean to you? Who all are involved in bringing your food from the field to your table?

What is being done to help the hungry in your parish or your community? Is there a food pantry? A “walk for the hungry”? What else? How can you help?

It’s so easy for us to take food for granted. But many people in many places do not have enough to eat – and the struggle to find sufficient food just to survive shapes and scars their lives. Find a copy of Sleeping with Bread: Holding What Gives You Life (by Dennis Linn and others) to read for Advent or Lent.

Teens

This parable is pretty “black and white.” Does your family eat dinner together? How often? What is your family’s attitude toward food?

Jesus gathered his disciples around a table at the Last Supper. In what ways is the Eucharist a meal? A current bumper sticker says, “We are what we eat.” What might that mean in this context?

Does your family gather for special dinners at Thanksgiving or Christmas? How are those celebrations different from ordinary meals at your house?

Children

What is your favorite food? Where does it come from ... an animal? … a plant? See if you can name all the people who have a part in making it possible for you to enjoy it.

Does your family have special things you do only at special meals like Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner?

Make a list of all the things you are most thankful for. Then share it with the oldest person who comes for dinner on Thanksgiving Day and ask what he or she is grateful for. See how many things on your list are also on theirs!