LADDER OF DIVINE ASCENT STEP 14
Step Fourteen “On Gluttony Controlling our Habits”
Spiritual, Physical and Material Passions… Gluttony: “On that clamorous mistress, the stomach”
Scriptures on Gluttony
Philippians 3:19 - Whose end [is] destruction, whose God [is their] belly, and [whose] glory [is] in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
Proverbs 23:21 - For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe [a man] with rags.
Deuteronomy 21:20 - And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son [is] stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; [he is] a glutton, and a drunkard.
Psalms 78:18 - And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.
Romans 13:14 - But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof].
Proverbs 23:20 - Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:
Galatians 5:16- [This] I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh
1 Corinthians 10:31 - Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
Romans 12:1 - I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
Your spirit man, just as the physical, hungers… But question is what are you feeding him??
At gluttony's root is a lack of self-control, and our self-discipline is tested every time when we are as is says in James 1:14, "Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed." The responsibility for our actions is upon each of us individually.Verse 15 continues, "Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death." This is the process that leads to gluttony—and to death.
Gluttony adversely affects our character in all areas of self-control, exhausting us of perseverance for good and draining us of resistance to evil. Speaking from firsthand experience, Solomon warns, "When you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you; and put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food" (Proverbs 23:1-3). A person given to appetite has little or no willpower to resist his excessive cravings; he will do anything for the object of his excessive desire.
Gluttony is hypocrisy of the stomach. Filled, it moans about scarcity (being scarce, inadequate supply); 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.
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.
We must constantly cultivate temperance while we have the strength, not letting up on our discipline.
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.
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.
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 (excessive, not temperate, too much) 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.
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.
The nature of the spiritual life is that all passions are interconnected. We cannot allow one passion to be unrestrained. This is especially true with gluttony. If we are gluttonous, we will be overwhelmed by other passions as well (like trying to put out a fire with oil). 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.
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.
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.
How the demon of fornication pursues the gluttonous man "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.' 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 . . .
How seldom do we consider this when we are moved to eat!! We have been taught to believe everything our body tells us about its needs and desires. Our modern “evolutionary” world has taught us that the body is pure and can experience no evil desires. We assume this to be the case, not knowing that very often the body’s desires are demonic desires. We have been taught to pamper our bodies and submit to their every demand. Very few of us, however, question what spirit may be behind these desires.
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. Attend and you will hear Him who says: Spacious and broad is the way (of gluttony) that leads to perdition of fornication, and many there are who go in by it: because narrow is the gate and hard is the way (of fasting) that leads to the life of purity, and few there are that go in by it (Matthew 7:13-14).
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.
John reveals a great deal about the nature of gluttony when he allows her to speak:
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?
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 . . He who is able to achieve it should hasten towards dispassion and total chastity.
Spiritual, Physical and Material Passions… Gluttony: “On that clamorous mistress, the stomach”
Scriptures on Gluttony
Philippians 3:19 - Whose end [is] destruction, whose God [is their] belly, and [whose] glory [is] in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
Proverbs 23:21 - For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe [a man] with rags.
Deuteronomy 21:20 - And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son [is] stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; [he is] a glutton, and a drunkard.
Psalms 78:18 - And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.
Romans 13:14 - But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof].
Proverbs 23:20 - Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:
Galatians 5:16- [This] I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh
1 Corinthians 10:31 - Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
Romans 12:1 - I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
Your spirit man, just as the physical, hungers… But question is what are you feeding him??
At gluttony's root is a lack of self-control, and our self-discipline is tested every time when we are as is says in James 1:14, "Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed." The responsibility for our actions is upon each of us individually.Verse 15 continues, "Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death." This is the process that leads to gluttony—and to death.
Gluttony adversely affects our character in all areas of self-control, exhausting us of perseverance for good and draining us of resistance to evil. Speaking from firsthand experience, Solomon warns, "When you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you; and put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food" (Proverbs 23:1-3). A person given to appetite has little or no willpower to resist his excessive cravings; he will do anything for the object of his excessive desire.
Gluttony is hypocrisy of the stomach. Filled, it moans about scarcity (being scarce, inadequate supply); 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.
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.
We must constantly cultivate temperance while we have the strength, not letting up on our discipline.
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.
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.
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 (excessive, not temperate, too much) 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.
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.
The nature of the spiritual life is that all passions are interconnected. We cannot allow one passion to be unrestrained. This is especially true with gluttony. If we are gluttonous, we will be overwhelmed by other passions as well (like trying to put out a fire with oil). 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.
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.
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.
How the demon of fornication pursues the gluttonous man "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.' 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 . . .
How seldom do we consider this when we are moved to eat!! We have been taught to believe everything our body tells us about its needs and desires. Our modern “evolutionary” world has taught us that the body is pure and can experience no evil desires. We assume this to be the case, not knowing that very often the body’s desires are demonic desires. We have been taught to pamper our bodies and submit to their every demand. Very few of us, however, question what spirit may be behind these desires.
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. Attend and you will hear Him who says: Spacious and broad is the way (of gluttony) that leads to perdition of fornication, and many there are who go in by it: because narrow is the gate and hard is the way (of fasting) that leads to the life of purity, and few there are that go in by it (Matthew 7:13-14).
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.
John reveals a great deal about the nature of gluttony when he allows her to speak:
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?
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 . . He who is able to achieve it should hasten towards dispassion and total chastity.
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