First Deadly Thought: Gluttony

Gluttony is an emotional escape, a sign something is eating us. ~ Peter De Vries

Gluttony. One leering face of an eight-headed bully is blocking my way. I’m hungry, my heart cries, as I swerve to avoid him. Stop here, he beckons, and I’ll show you a shortcut. Come, make your choice from the menu in my hand. As long as you’re filled, what could possibly matter? He waves it before me, the

Menu du jour

Specialty of the house: 

• Food

Other popular items:

• Drink
• Luxury
• Clothing
• Cars
• Technology
• Travel
• Entertainment
• Work
• Exercise
• Applause

Check back tomorrow–new items each day. Don’t forget this is an all-you-can-eat buffet. Our motto: More is always better. Less is never enough.

The Problem With Gluttony

Gluttony, from the Latin, gluttire, lit. gulp down. To over-indulge, to over-consume. In our propaganda-swamped culture, everyone’s promoting the next-shiny-new-thing. And a voice assures us,

• You deserve a reward
• It’ll help numb the pain  
• No one is hurt if you choose to upgrade.

But gluttony is deadly because of the lie it upholds:  God (he made every morsel you pile on your plate) hasn’t and isn’t and will never be enough.

For the 4th century monastics who warned of the Eight Deadly Sins, meals were simpler. But the voice of temptation sounded as strong: What difference does it make if you go back for seconds? But unconsumed food was set aside for the poor–if a monk over-indulged, he sent a child away hungry.

For many of us, the consequences of gluttony are more hidden, but the lesson is the same. We say “no” for the sake of God’s compassionate “yes.” We say “enough” so love will have its way.

Beheading The Bully: The Spiritual Practice Of Enough

1. Make a habit of paying for groceries with cash. Remove from your cart any food low in nutrition. Place the money you save in an envelope for the poor.
2. Borrow what you can; refuse to buy new until you’ve worn out the old.
3. Purchase for usefulness, rather than status.
4. If food is your weakness, bring a meal to a neighbor. If you’re a glutton for shoes, give them away. If you drool over luxury, share life with the poor.
5. Write a letter “releasing” your chocolate, your work, or your iPhone from the burden of providing comfort and escape. “Remind” them of their true, but far lesser role.
6. Keep a Journal of Contentment, listing all you’ve been given.
7. Find ways to enjoy f00d-free, gadget-free fun.
8. Aim for significance not self-indulgence when you travel.
9. Cultivate a holy gluttony for God.

Photo Credit