The Liturgical Diet
More people have been showing up at the gym these days. That’s no surprise. After the first of the year, the gym is usually filled with people who have made a New Year’s resolution to get in shape. Besides trekking the treadmill and practicing Pilates, gym-goers are likely to adopt the latest, greatest diet. And they have plenty to choose from. Of course, there are the old standards like Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers. And, then there are the more unconventional diets like the Chubster diet, the Dukan diet (Kate Middleton’s FAV), the Mediterranean diet, the Thrive Vegan diet, the Raw diet, and the Caveman diet, all designed to do everything from strengthen muscles to trim muffin tops.
What if we created something called the Liturgical diet? It might look something like this:
Arrive in time for the beginning of Mass. The gathering song, like a healthy breakfast, is designed give you the energy you need for the work of prayer. Exercise your Baptismal right to worship by responding and singing with your whole heart. It is the best cardio workout. Feast on the Sunday readings as an appetizer throughout the week. The Word of God lasts longer when it is slowly digested. Savor the Eucharist. It is food for the soul. Don’t deny yourself the final blessing. Like a healthy dessert, it can leave you feeling fulfilled.
The word “diet” comes from the Medieval Latin dieta meaning “a daily food allowance.” Its Greek counterpart, diaita means “a way of life, a regimen.” And, therein lies the key to any successful diet. Counting calories and avoiding carbs are external tools to temporary weight loss. But, unless there is desire from within to change a way of life, the pounds are likely to return. And, so it is with liturgy. The liturgy provides what we need to maintain a healthy, spiritual life. But, unless we have an inner desire to allow the liturgy to change our way of living, our worship might wind up as empty calories. So, here’s to a New Year, to the Liturgical diet, and to a Body of Christ who is spiritually fit for the sake of the world! Amen.
