By age 13, 53% of girls dislike their bodies. By age 17, this number jumps to 78%. An estimated 69-84% of women in the United States are unhappy with their bodies, yet, the Church tells us, Òman may not despise his bodily life. Rather he is obliged to regard his body as good and to hold it in honor since God has created it and will raise it up on the last dayÓ (Gaudium et Spes 14). What are we to do about such a discrepancy?
These statistics reflect not just a physical health crisis, but a deeper desperation, suffering, and spiritual starvation resulting from a search for sustenance and satisfaction apart from its Source in God. The Catholic ChurchÕs theology of food and eating, centered on the Eucharist and rooted in centuries of Biblical and theological study, offers a remedy to AmericaÕs insatiable hunger, both for natural and supernatural food, by properly orienting the suffering of hunger toward the supper of the Lamb.
True Freedom is a resource designed for small-group study that aims to facilitate healing through an authentic encounter with Jesus Christ who alone brings healing and freedom. True Freedom exposes the lies of the American food and diet culture and cultivates a sacramental view of food and the body rooted in the dignity of man and the goodness of creation, enabling a space for encounter, relationship, healing, and accompaniment for women suffering from disordered eating and body image., religion, spirituality, disordered eating, prayer, sacramentality, body image, Mira Wilson| | 26PAGES