The Jewish people believed that eating only kosher foods was an extremely important part of their covenant with the Lord. This was so important that many Jews died rather than eat unclean food (see 2 Mc 6-7). Consequently, while in exile, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah insisted on a vegetarian diet. This would assure them of eating kosher food.
In the new covenant, Jesus has made "all foods clean" (Mk 7:19). "Nothing is to be rejected when it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by God's word and by prayer" (1 Tm 4:4-5). So we need not obey kosher food laws. However, the new covenant does not abolish the commands of the old, but fulfills them (Mt 5:17). In the new covenant, the emphasis is not so much on the kinds of food we eat, but on the lordship of Jesus. Lord Jesus will not only tell us what to eat, but how much, when, where, why, and how to eat. Jesus may tell us to fast or eat with the poor (Lk 14:13). He may command us to eat with family, not the TV; in thanksgiving, not compulsion; at home, not the drive-through.
We want Jesus to be the Lord of our eating because by obeying His commands we express our love for Him. Jesus said: "You will live in My love if you keep My commandments" (Jn 15:10), including His commandments about eating.
| PRAYER: | Father, may everything in my life be kosher with Jesus. |
| PROMISE: | "They make contributions out of their surplus, but she from her want has given what she could not afford – every penny she had to live on." –Lk 21:4 |
| PRAISE: | Pope St. Clement started as a Jewish Roman and ended as a Christian martyr. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College