Within ten minutes of meeting someone for the first time the conversation gravitates to the issue of weight. It doesn’t seem to matter where the conversation starts, personal weight is what we will end up talking about. It works something like this: “Did you read that article in today’s paper about the Russian economy?” “Yes, things look pretty bad for them. Just think, making a meal out of a single potato…it sure wouldn’t hurt me to eat like that for a while.” Or ‘Good looking suit.” “It would look a lot better if I lost ten pounds.” Or “I saw your son the other day; is he getting big.” “Yes, he grows up and I grow out.” You know what I mean, you do it, I do it, we all do it. We have become obsessed with our weight. And now new very expensive medicines have made it easier to lose the weight but keeping it off is still a challenge.
For years, the church tried to get us to think about the weight of sin with the same kind of fanaticism. The truth is, I don’t think that is what God wants. I think it is better to concentrate on what is good and holy rather than thinking so much about what is sinful.
In any case, the best way to get rid of all that extra weight is to experience the weightlessness of God’s Grace. If we are going to be obsessed about something, isn’t it better to be obsessed about something good? Besides, no one goes to hell for eating a second helping of mashed potatoes.
Father Bill Myrick
