We
are all familiar enough with the urges of gluttony. But perhaps we have not stopped to fully consider the
spiritual dangers of gluttony.
This is something St. John spends a great deal of time discussing. His analysis is very helpful, for he
opens up to us the interconnectedness of the spiritual life. St. John expresses the teaching of the
Fathers in this way: "the belly is the cause of all human shipwreck."
Why? For two reasons: first, a gluttonous
lifestyle feeds the passions which are inherent in man. Unrestrained eating habits spill over
into an unrestrained lifestyle.
The reason for this is clear: "Gluttony is the prince of the
passions." St. John gives
several examples. If you struggle
with unclean thoughts, remember: "The mind of someone intemperate is
filled with unclean longings."
If you struggle with talking too much, remember: "The tongue
flourishes where food is abundant."
If you struggle with a lack of repentance, remember: "A full
stomach dries up one's weeping."
If you struggle with sexual sin, remember: "The man who looks after
his belly and at the same time hopes to control the passion of fornication is like
someone trying to put out a fire with oil." Of course, these are just a
few examples of many. The point
which St. John is making may be summarized as follows. The passions with which you struggle
are energized by your gluttonous habits.
Gluttony feeds your passions.
Fasting takes away their nourishment.
The
nature of the spiritual life is that all passion are interconnected. We cannot allow just one passion to be
unrestrained. This is especially
true of gluttony. If we are
gluttonous we will be overwhelmed by other passions as well. And what is true in a negative way is
also true in a positive way. If we
struggle with gluttony and gain some victory, we also gain victory over our
other passions.
But
gluttony is not only dangerous because it unleashes our passions. The Fathers also teach that gluttony is
dangerous because the demon of gluttony is the front man for other more
dangerous demons. "You should
remember," counsels St. John, "that frequently a demon can take up
residence in your belly and keep a man from being satisfied, even after having
devoured the whole of Egypt and after having drunk all of the Nile. After we have eaten, this demon goes
off and sends the spirit of fornication against us, saying: `Get him now! Go after him. When his stomach is full, he will not put up much of a
fight.' How seldom do we consider
this when we are moved to eat. We
have been taught to pamper our bodies and submit to their ever demand. Very few of us, however, question what
spirit may be behind these desires.
1-2 Gluttony
defined. What it produces in the soul.
Gluttony
is hypocrisy of the stomach.
Filled, it moans about scarcity; stuffed, and crammed, it wails about
its hunger. Gluttony thinks up
seasonings, creates sweet recipes.
Stop up one urge and another bursts out; stop that one and you unleash yet
another. Gluttony has a deceptive
appearance: it eats moderately but wants to gobble everything at the same
time. A stuffed belly produces
fornication, while a mortified stomach leads to purity. The man who pets a lion may tame it but
the man who coddles the body makes it ravenous.
3-4 The
thoughts and behaviors of the gluttonous are described, as well as the
self-deceit that accompanies this vice.
The
gluttonous monk celebrates on Saturdays and Sundays. He counts the days to Easter, and for days in advance he
gets the food ready. The slave of
the belly ponders the menu with which to celebrate the feast. The servant of God, however, thinks of
the graces that may enrich him.
If
a visitor calls, then the slave of gluttony engages in charitable acts - but
for the reasons associated with his love of food. He thinks that by allowing relaxations for himself, he is
bringing consolation to his brother.
He thinks that the duties of hospitality entitle him to help himself to
some wine, so that while apparently hiding his virtuous love of temperance, he
is actually turning into a slave of intemperance.
5-7 We
must constantly cultivate temperance while we have the strength, not letting up
on our discipline unless we have good reason.
As
long as the flesh is in full vigor, we should everywhere and at all times
cultivate temperance, and when it has be tamed - something I doubt can happen
this side of the grave - we should hide our achievement.
I
have seen elderly priests tricked by demons so that on feast days they
dispensed the young men with a blessing, though they were not in their charge,
from abstinence from wine and so on.
Now if priests giving such permission are quite clearly holy men, we may
indulge. But within limits. If such priests tend to be careless,
then we should ignore the permission they give, and we should do so especially
if we are in the thick of the fight against the flesh.
8-10 Our
temperance must be sensible and prudent.
We must know what kind of food to eat and when to eat it. John also warns us that we must guard
against the demon who suggest that we should modify our fast or extend it.
When
our soul wants different foods, it is looking for what is proper to its
nature. Hence, we have to be very
cunning in the way we deal with this most skillful opponent. Unless we are caught up in some crisis
or unless we happen to be doing penance for some particular failings, what we
ought to do is to deny ourselves fattening foods, then foods that warm us up,
then whatever happens to make our food especially pleasant. Give yourself food that is satisfying
and easily digestible, thereby counteracting endless hunger by giving yourself
plenty. In this way we may be
freed from too great a longing for food as though from a plague by rapid evacuation. And we should note too that most food
that inflates the stomach also encourages desire.
Be
sure to laugh at the demon who, when supper is over, says that in the future
you should eat later, for you may be sure that at the ninth hour he will change
the arrangements made on the previous day.
11-13 If
we are guided by the right spirit, we should find joy in our discipline, rather
than constantly longing to bring it to an end. We should only be looking for the consolation that God
offers.
Joy
and consolation descend on the perfect when they reach the state of complete
detachment. The warrior monk
enjoys the heat of the battle, but the slave of passion revels in the
celebrations of Easter.
In
his heart, the glutton dreams only of food and provisions whereas all who have
the gift of mourning think only of judgment and of punishment.
14-16 Fasting
strengthens prayer, calms one's thoughts, makes one more docile and puts a curb
on talkativeness; whereas Gluttony dries up the tears of compunction and
encourages the spirit of fornication.
A
fasting man prays austerely, but the mind of someone intemperate is filled up
with unclean imaginings.
A
full stomach dries up one's weeping, whereas the shrivelled stomach produces
these tears. And the man who looks
after his belly and at the same time hopes to control the spirit of fornication
is like someone trying to put out a fire with oil.
Begrudge
the stomach and your heart will be humbled; please the stomach and your mind
will turn proud. And if you watch
yourself early in the morning, at midday, and in the hour before dinner, you
will discover the value of fasting, for in the morning your thoughts are
lively, by the sixth hour they have grown quieter and by sundown they are
finally calm. If you can begrudge
the stomach your mouth will stay closed, because the tongue flourishes where
food is abundant. Fight as hard as
you can against the stomach and let your vigilance hold it in. Mark the effort, however little, and
the Lord will quickly come to help you.
17-18 Nature
will eventually work in favor of the one who fasts.
If
leather bottles are kept supple, they can hold more; but they do not hold so
much if they are neglected. The
man who stuffs food into his stomach expands his insides, whereas the man who
fights his stomach causes it to shrink, and once it has shrunk there is no
possibility of overeating, so that henceforth one fasts quite naturally.
19 How
the demon of fornication pursues the gluttonous man.
You
should remember that frequently a demon can take up residence in your belly and
keep a man from being satisfied, even after having devoured the whole of Egypt
and after having drunk all of the Nile.
After we have eaten, this demon goes off and sends the spirit of
fornication against us, saying: "Get him now! Go after him.
When his stomach is full, he will not put up much of a fight." Laughing the spirit of fornication,
that ally of the stomach's demon, comes, bind us hand and foot in sleep, does
anything he wants with us . . .
20-22 In
these paragraphs, Climacus touches upon the mystery of the human person, the
relationship between body and spirit and how the body is both enemy and
friend. It is a subject he will
explore in greater detail in Step 15, On Chastity. The path of true temperance is straight and narrow, John
tells us, and we must keep to it, always remembering our destiny and what
Christ suffered for us.
23 Fasting
described: what it fosters and helps to conquer.
To fast is to do violence to
nature. It is to do away with
whatever pleases the palate.
Fasting ends lust, roots out bad thoughts, frees one from evil
dreams. Fasting makes for purity
of prayer, an enlightened soul, a watchful mind, a deliverance from
blindness. Fasting is the door of
compunction, humble sighing, joyful contrition, and end to chatter, an occasion
for silence, a custodian of obedience, a lightening of sleep, health of the
body, an agent of dispassion, a remission of sins, the gate, indeed, the
delight of Paradise.
24-26 John
concludes by telling us to listen to Gluttony describe herself, her children
and her enemies.
Let
us put a question to this enemy of ours, this architect of our misfortunes,
this gateway of passion . . .this guide to every uncleanness. Let us ask her from whom she is born,
who her children are, what enemy there is to crush her, who finally brings her
low. Let us ask this bane of all
men, this purchaser of everything with the gold coin of greed: "How did
you gain access to us? To what
does your coming lead? How do you
depart from us?
Angered
by such abuse, raging and foaming, Gluttony answers us: "Why are you
complaining, you who are my servants? How is it that you are trying to get away from me? Nature has bound me to you. The door for me is what food actually
is, its character and quality. The
reason for my being insatiable is habit.
Unbroken habit, dullness of soul, and the failure to remember death are
the roots of my passion. And how
is it that you are looking for the names of my offspring? For if I were to count them, their
number would be greater than the total of the grains of sand. Still, you may learn at least the names
of my firstborn and beloved children.
My firstborn son is the servant of Fornication, the second is Hardness
of Heart, and the third is Sleepiness.
From me flow a sea of Dirty thoughts, waves of Filth, floods of unknown
and unspeakable Impurities. My
daughters are Laziness, Talkativeness, Breezy Familiarity, Jesting,
Facetiousness, Contradiction, Stubbornness, Contempt, Disobedience, Stolidity
of Mind, Captivity, Boastfulness, Audacity, Love of Worldly Things, followed by
Impure Prayer, Distracted Thoughts, and sudden and often unexpected
Catastrophes, with which is linked that most evil of all my daughters, namely,
Despair. The thought of past
failings is an obstacle to me, but hardly overcomes me. The thought of death is my enemy
always, but nothing human can really wipe me out. He who has received the Paraclete prays to Him against me;
and the Paraclete, when entreated, does not allow me to act passionately. But those who have never tasted Him
inevitably seek pleasure in my sweetness."
Victory
over this vice is a brave one . . .
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