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Good morning to you. Broadcasters often speak of their main morning programme (like Today) as ‘the breakfast show’. I do wonder if that nickname will go on being used in the future. My wife and I sit down together every morning for breakfast. Not a fry-up, but cereal, toast and a fresh cup of coffee. Despite our best efforts, our grown-up children have not inherited this tradition, and I have the impression that the same would be true in many families. They might have a cup of tea before they face the day, and on their daily commute they might (or might not) chew a cereal bar, and that’s it. If we mutter how important it is to eat breakfast, they look at us with something between humour and pity!
I’ve no idea whether it really does matter if we eat breakfast from a nutritional point of view, though it does seem common sense that we start the day with food. What I do believe is that people who are able to have any meal together should relish that privilege. If I eat alone, I can still enjoy the food, but it can never match the sense of sharing and the companionship and conversation. So yes, it’s a privilege to eat together. And of course, as it’s often said, several, perhaps all of the major faiths have meals, in the home or in community, as expressions of commitment and devotion. That’s a sure sign of the truth that around the provision and sharing of food there is a deep and lasting value which goes well beyond the calories we take in, or the posh recipes we get from Masterchef.
Today, then, whether or not we have managed, or will manage a proper breakfast, let’s thank God for our food, and for the friends, colleagues or families with whom we can share it. Amen.