Today the Fathers of the Church will tell you how to overcome the beginning of all passions and preserve your health. A few important tips from spiritual warfare professionals are in our today's text.
What is gluttony and why is it dangerous?
It seems to us that gluttony is not about us. Like eating in moderation. But the insidiousness of passion lies in the fact that in our days its understanding is completely simplified and underestimated. The Holy Fathers put gluttony in the third (!) place after pride and fornication. In general, from the habit of eating deliciously, the inability to limit oneself in food during fasting, and intemperance in general, many of the beginnings of other sins lie.
The Church does not limit a person: you need to eat, but you don’t have to overeat, you can drink, but not get drunk, it’s better to know the measure in everything.
The holy fathers said that gluttony lulls the mind and will. Gluttony in food and addiction to exquisite dishes exposes the passions of self-love and lust. The inability to get the desired treat makes a person angry and irritable. At first glance, it is very difficult to understand what the sin is here. After all, the desire to eat food is the most natural need.
But it turns out that everything starts with her. Look at the naughty children who suddenly didn't get a treat. We think it's just a childish prank. In fact, parents, not wanting it themselves, even at a young age accustom children to sin through delicacies. The most striking consequences of gluttony are clearly manifested in a person: from excessive consumption of food, you can earn obesity, undermine health by malnutrition (which is usually based on an addiction to sweet, fried or starchy foods), and also earn addiction (for example, from alcohol).
And one more extreme can be discussed here. Strange as it may seem, but dieting can also be considered a kind of sin of gluttony. Any excessive intelligibility in what we eat, attachment to certain products distract a person's thoughts from the main thing in life. By putting food first, we distance ourselves from God. Surely everyone in the environment has zealous followers of certain diets and nutrition theories, look at how arrogant they are with those who do not share their views. It turns out that anger, pride, and vanity can be born from gluttony.
Direct speech: the holy fathers on the fight against gluttony
“He who greedily indulges in food undermines the strength of the body, as well as reduces and weakens the strength of the soul”
“...Adam was expelled from paradise by gluttony; it was the cause of the chase in the time of Noah; it also brought down fire on the Sodomites. Although their crime was voluptuousness, but the root of both executions came from gluttony ... "
Saint John Chrysostom
“Gluttony is divided into three types: one type encourages eating before a certain hour; the other loves only to be satiated, whatever food it may be; the third wants tasty food. Against this, the Christian must be careful in three ways: to wait for a certain time for eating; do not get fed up; to be content with every humblest food."
John Cassian the Roman
“... If you own the womb, then you will dwell in paradise; but if you do not master it, then you will become the prey of death ”
Saint Basil the Great
“I told you and I say: eat to your full, but not to satiety. Satisfied, put down the spoon. And the other is already full, but still there is, yes, there is, the eyes are not full - this is a sin.
Varsonofy Optinsky (Plikhankov)
“... Avoiding immoderation in enjoyment, the goal of eating should not be pleasantness, but the need for food for life; for to grovel for pleasures is nothing else than to make one's belly a god."
Basil the Great
Fasting and prayer: how to overcome the passion of gluttony?
It is difficult to overcome the habit of gluttony by willpower alone.
“Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:1)
The Lord speaks to us from the pages of the Gospel. It turns out that the first step on the path to victory over the first passion is to resort to prayer:
Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon
Righteous John of Kronstadt
Blessed Matrona of Moscow
A glutton is a person whose priority is life for the sake of the stomach, that is, all thoughts and actions, first of all, are aimed at realization in terms of “devour”. Such a person even works with only one goal - to buy a lot of varied and tasty food. If this person is not married, then he is usually selfish; but if still bound by the bonds of family life, then this is a disaster for two. In the case of the appearance of children, this ailment, like an infectious disease, will amaze them too, due to an established family tradition.
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The percentage of such a population in the world is constantly growing: this means that this trend will continue in the future, especially in developed countries. Many of the injured, namely those who recognize their addiction and want to get rid of it, go to psychologists or priests; but for some reason the main part does not realize their plight.
The sin of gluttony and its consequences
In antediluvian times, the phenomenon of gluttony reached the stage when the whole earth was corrupted "from man to cattle", and disappeared in an instant from the action of God's holy intervention. It would seem that everyone got rid of this disease forever, but it reappears on the arena of life and demonstrates its strength. Common name for him. Now, already in a terrible fire, being incinerated, the sin of gluttony found its rest in the earth, which never again gave any food.
This story, although it continues, will not last long. The Gospel of Matthew reveals to us a mystery that has been hidden from eternity. Lord, shortly before His suffering, speaking of His return in power and great glory, said that, as it was in the days of Noah, they married, were given in marriage, ate, drank, and did not think until they were destroyed in the waters of the flood. It will be exactly the same at My coming,” the Savior said (Matthew 24:29–39).
St. Luke, continuing this theme, wrote down the Lord's words in the following exposition. The Lord Jesus Christ, addressing the disciples, said that when they see that coming true, let them know that the Kingdom of God has come near. Referring further to them, warned of satiety with food and aggravation with drunkenness, and for the sake of delivering them from the suddenness of those events, commanded them to watch at all times and pray (Luke 21:31-36).
The price of negligent teachers
Let's think about this now. If we are disciples of Christ and followers of His teachings and want to fulfill His will to spread His Kingdom here on earth, then we must be prepared for every good deed and learn how to overcome. Therefore, satiation with food and aggravation with drunkenness will not lead us to the right result. The Holy Apostle Paul commands in such a case to be filled with the Spirit, instead of getting drunk. He tells us as we sleep, about a certain awakening and resurrection from the dead and illumination by Christ: to be prudent, wise and knowing the will of God, to act carefully, in view of the wickedness of the time (Ephesians 5:13–21).
Paul spoke about himself that he can do everything in Jesus Christ, who strengthens him. The apostle learned to be hungry and full, to be in short supply and in abundance. He endured such a feat for the sake of the Kingdom of God, in order to reach at least some of the perishing (Philippians 4:11-13).
In the history of God's people there is a sad experience of disobedience in terms of surfeiting food and wine so much that they forsook God and despised their salvation. They grew weaned, fat, fat, and became ruled by their wombs. Thus, Israel turned from charitable children into a glutton and, being darkened by reason, began to offer sacrifices to demons (Deuteronomy 32:9-17).
New Testament times did not change the situation in the slightest. Why Paul and taught the holy church to act in his image and not as enemies of the cross of Christ. He cited as an example many who go to destruction, glorifying themselves in shame, for their god is the womb. Everything is natural, “in a demonic way”, - having begun to think about earthly things, they forgot that their residence is in heaven; they had to wait for their Savior, who would come and transform their infirmity into glory. But they were tired of being weak and, not waiting for the Lord, they decided to transform themselves - according to the earthly. By changing their priority, the Christians turned into idolaters, gluttons, censing their own gods.
Another sad and bitter experience. From the time of Moses, the Lord appoints, as it is written, priests after His own heart, and one of the duties of these chosen people was to accept animals from the people for sacrifices. And so, in the period when Israel was ruled by judges, one priest served with his sons. These youths, being unbridled by their father did not know the Lord and were unfit for priestly work. Not possessing endurance and patience, without waiting for the end of the ritual, they shamelessly cut off their meat from carcasses and fried it in a pan, and also grabbed meat that was cooked in cauldrons with a fork.
Subsequently, the unfortunate sons were punished and God expressed his attitude towards this, saying to his father that those who dishonor God's name will be put to shame. If the youths were against people, then with the help of prayer it is still possible to stop this process, but actions against God turned out to be a sin. They rudely trampled on God's work, getting fat from the offerings of God's people - Israel (1 Samuel 2,3).
A similar situation occurred at the beginning of the church age. The Apostle Paul, who were gathered to serve the Lord's Supper, made a remark regarding impatience when food and wine were snatched before everyone came to the table. As a result, some got drunk, and some were left with nothing at all (1 Cor. 11:20–22).
Who knows how the sin of satiety spread in the early apostolic church, Paul would not intervene with the teaching.
Any activity related to eating always requires special training and the strictest discipline. This must be done until all the senses are accustomed to the skill. Everything would be different, the father taught his sons the culture of food and the right walk before the Lord; but they were all already corrupted enough by the corpulence of their minds and bodies to accept any sound doctrine. In all likelihood, the sin of gluttony struck not only the sons, but first of all the father, because, as it is written, he was heavy enough to fall from the horse and die on the spot.
Fight against gluttony
The term of gluttony, established in Orthodoxy: “Every piece of food eaten in excess of satisfying hunger and every sip of moisture drunk after quenching thirst just for pleasure is gluttony”
How to overcome gluttony
To always conquer every sin, including the sin of gluttony, it is necessary to fulfill the main condition of the Church of Christ (Acts 2:42–43):
- Participation in church life.
- To abide in the teaching of the Apostles and the instruction of the fathers of the Church.
- Communion.
- and prayer.
- Have the fear of God.
A few words about the post. Fasting is the main cure for the disease of gluttony. By prayer and fasting, the demon of gluttony is cast out, and the act of fasting is constantly performed on the basis of church fasting days. As soon as the fast ends, the demon goes and takes many more evil ones; and for this man the worst times of life come.
During fasting, our diminished spirit grows. It grows as our inner man is filled with the Word of God. Only then do we begin to understand the meaning of the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, which He spoke during the forty-day fast in the wilderness: "Man shall not live by bread alone...".
We eat to live, not live to eat. Alas, now this phrase is becoming irrelevant, because the store shelves are bursting with food variety. Simple food is a thing of the past, it is replaced by various delicacies, helping to develop the passions of gluttony.
What it is?
One of the eight passions, she is the first on the list. Gluttony is an addiction to tasty and plentiful food. Simply put, dependence on food delights and tasty dishes, respected by lovers of delicious food.
Passion makes you break fasts, because it is very difficult to control yourself when there are a lot of dishes on the table, and Great Lent is on the calendar. It is especially difficult at a party when the hosts of the house do not fast. That is why it is undesirable to make idle visits to unbelieving friends and relatives during fasting, because they will certainly invite you to the table with fast dishes.
What gives rise to gluttony?
What kind of sin is described above. More precisely, the concept of this passion is given, the consequences are not named.
If we turn to the possible consequences of sin, it becomes uncomfortable. It would seem that such a thing is that a person will eat an extra treat. Who will he harm with this? To yourself first.
Gluttony breeds relaxation. Remember: when it happens to eat well, and even tasty dishes, it starts to make you sleepy. After a hearty meal, you don't want to do anything. To sit quietly so that no one touches, or go to bed ... This is how relaxation looks like, obtained as a result of excessive consumption of delicious food.
A jaded person seeks entertainment. It's not enough for him, he wants more pleasure on the side. Readers understood that we are talking about prodigal adventures. Where there is fornication, there is drunkenness nearby, then it comes to greed.
Drunkenness is one of the types of gluttony, under the influence of alcohol the most bloody crimes are committed. A man is rapidly flying into the abyss, not noticing his fall. The drunk often does not have money for a bottle, but there is a need to drink. He begins to terrorize loved ones, demanding to buy alcohol, they refuse and receive a tub of insults against him (the sin of foul language). Desperate, the alcoholic goes to theft or murder, just to get hold of money and buy the coveted bottle.
What kind of sin - gluttony, is now becoming clear. It should be added that believers who become idolaters are also subject to passion. They put food and drink above God, turning them into idols. This is a violation of the commandment "do not make yourself an idol."
Satiation and drunkenness affect the physical component of a person. There are cardiovascular diseases resulting from excess weight, problems with the gastrointestinal tract due to the use of too fatty, spicy and bitter foods. Alcohol affects the nervous system and the brain, turning the drunkard into a miserable semblance of a person obsessed with drinking.
How to deal with passion?
When a human realizes that he has gone too far and flies into the abyss, he is able to stop. Man is weak, only the Lord God can help him. The fight against gluttony includes several stages:
Spiritual. Prayer appeal to God and saints, repentance, communion.
Ascetic. Abstinence from refined food, eating simple foods. Of course, this is difficult, especially when the neighbor eats an avocado with red fish, and a person who wants to get rid of sin forces himself to eat simple buckwheat.
Psychological. First of all, self-discipline and willpower. Labor plays an essential role in the fight against gluttony. When a person works and is passionate about his work, he has no time to think about food.
How to overcome gluttony is written above. Prayer, work and self-discipline are the first helpers in the fight against the passion for food.
Do you know that in many monasteries they eat twice a day? When fasting, food is eaten once a day, while monastic obediences are characterized by high physical exertion. Lay people who work in offices, for the most part, eat much more often and more plentifully than monks. You can justify yourself by saying that a person is weak and infirm, or you can pull yourself together and follow some rules when it comes to a meal:
Eat three times a day, avoid intermediate meals.
Get up from the table a little hungry, without trying to eat everything that is in front of your eyes.
Beware of participating in unnecessary feasts. It's one thing when the family gathers for some kind of celebration, and quite another - weekly gatherings with colleagues or comrades.
Observe multi-day and one-day fasts established by the church.
Prayer is a spiritual sword
What is the sin of gluttony, how to get rid of addiction to plentiful and tasty food, is described above. Let us dwell in detail on the spiritual method of dealing with passion.
A person must want to get rid of sin. As soon as an understanding of his addiction arises, he begins to ask the Lord for help in the struggle. There is a prayer read by those who want to overcome passion. It must be read secretly, after reading the prayer for eating:
I also pray to You, Lord, deliver me from satiety, voluptuousness and grant me in the peace of my soul to reverently accept Your generous gifts, so that by eating them I will receive strengthening of my spiritual and bodily strength to serve You, Lord, in the little rest of my life on earth.
This is what an Orthodox prayer from gluttony looks like, read by those who are eager to part with sin.
Prayer of Saint Righteous John of Kronstadt
How can you overcome the passion of gluttony? With the help of fasting, prayer and forcing yourself to keep from satiety and overeating with delicacies. There is nothing difficult in turning to the Lord with the words of the prayer of the holy righteous John of Kronstadt.
A short life of the saint for those who are not familiar with him: Righteous John was born in 1829 in a very poor family. The weak and sickly boy was soon christened, for they feared that he would go to God. But after the sacrament was performed, the child began to get better.
The father of the future saint served as a psalm reader in the church. He often took his little son with him. John developed a zeal for God and love for Him from childhood.
The future saint studied at the Arkhangelsk parish school, then at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. He was married, but there was no carnal marriage. Saint John and his wife Elizabeth lived like brother and sister.
All his life he served God and people, he died on December 20, 1908, leaving behind a rich spiritual heritage.
Prayer of the holy righteous John of Kronstadt:
Lord, our sweetest Brashno, who never perishes, but arrives in the eternal belly: cleanse Thy servant from the filth of gluttony, all flesh created and alien to Thy Spirit, and grant him to know the sweetness of Thy life-giving spiritual brush, which is Thy Flesh and Blood and Thy holy, living and active Word.
Prayer to Alexy - a man of God
Saint Alexei is a begging child. His parents, rich and pious, did not have children for a long time. Aglaida - that was the name of the mother of the future saint - earnestly prayed to God for the gift of a son, and a miracle happened. The woman gave birth to a son, to the great joy of her husband.
Named in holy baptism Alexy, the boy early studied the Holy Scriptures and church books. From a young age, he was inflamed with love for the Creator, refusing blessings and luxury. He wore a sackcloth on his body, dressed in rags, ate bread and water.
When Alexy came of age, his parents decided to marry him. The bride was chosen from the royal family. The young people were betrothed and married, but Saint Alexy left the estate of his parents after the wedding.
For many years no one knew what happened to him and where he was. Once, being a beggar, dried up from hunger and labor, Alexy met his father and asked to live at the court of his house. The saint lived there until the end of his days, enduring reproach and beatings from his father's slaves. But until the last day, no one knew that the wretched beggar is a son who disappeared many years ago. Only after the Assumption of the holy saint of God did the father recognize him as his child.
Gluttony? Turn prayerfully to Saint Alexy - the man of God:
O saint of Christ, holy man of God Alexis! Look mercifully upon us, servant of God (names), and prayerfully stretch out your honest hands to the Lord God, and ask Him for forgiveness of our voluntary and involuntary sins, a peaceful and Christian life, and a good answer at the Last Judgment of Christ. She, the servant of God, do not disgrace our hope, hedgehog, according to God and the Mother of God, we place; but be our helper and patron for salvation; yes, having received grace and mercy from the Lord through your prayers, let us glorify the philanthropy of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and your holy intercession, now and forever and forever and ever.
Prayer to St. Ignatius Brianchaninov
The future saint came from a noble noble family. He received an excellent upbringing and education as a military engineer. The career of Dmitry - the worldly name of the saint - could become the most enviable.
But Dmitry fled from fame and worldly goods. After graduating from a military school, he submitted a letter of resignation, and after a difficult and long illness, he took root in the desire to become a monk.
At the age of 20, the future saint enters the Alexander-Svirsky Monastery, after 3 years he takes monastic vows with the name Ignatius.
All subsequent years - serving the Lord and the people. The great saint introduced himself at the age of 60, leaving behind numerous spiritual works, the instructions from which believers still use to this day. As for material wealth, after the death of the saint, a few kopecks were found in the pocket of his cassock.
Are you wondering how to get rid of gluttony? Pray to St. Ignatius Brianchaninov:
O great and wonderful saint of Christ, Father Ignatius! Graciously accept our prayers with love and gratitude brought to you! Hear us, orphans and helpless (names), who fall to you with faith and love and your warm intercession for us before the Throne of the Lord of Glory asking. Vema, as the prayer of the righteous can do a lot, propitiating the Lord. From the years of your infancy, you have passionately loved the Lord, and having desired to serve Him alone, you have imputed all the red of this world to nothing. You denied yourself and, taking up your cross, you followed Christ. You have chosen the path of a narrow and regrettable life of a monastic will, and on this path you have acquired great virtues. You filled with the writings of your hearts people of the deepest reverence and humility before the Almighty Creator, while the sinners who fell wise with your words in the consciousness of their insignificance and their sinfulness, in repentance and humility, resort to God, instructed you, encouraging them with hope in His mercy. You did not reject those who came to you, but you were a loving father to all and a good shepherd. And now do not leave us, fervently praying to you and asking for your help and intercession. Ask our human-loving Lord for our spiritual and bodily health, affirm our faith, strengthen our strength, exhausted in the temptations and sorrows of this age, warm with the fire of prayer that has cooled our hearts and help us, who have cleansed the Christian death of this belly by repentance, and enter into the palace of the Savior, embellished with all the elect, and there with you bow to the Father and Son and Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer to the Monk Akhila of the Caves
From childhood, the monk loved God, deciding to reject all worldly blessings and devote his life to serving Him. At a young age, he came to the Kiev Caves Monastery in order to stay here forever, completely surrendering himself to obedience to the Lord.
The monk was distinguished by incredible fasting, his meal was one prosphora a week. He was temperate in water no less than in food. He surpassed many with his feat of fasting. Prayer to Akhila of the Caves from gluttony will help those who firmly believe in her:
Having kissed the fasting life and overlaid with many labors from young nails, having been promoted to the degree of deacon, all-honored, in which you served in the Church of the Mother of God without blame, even pray, in which souls be saved ours.
Kontakion to the Monk Akhila, Deacon of the Caves
You truly had abstinence, glorious, and you showed a lot of forgiveness, O Achilo, for barely a single week, and behold, one little prosphora was eaten and with vigilant standing to Him, taking out fraternizing, thee, I to the faster and the venerable accomplice, we bless.
Prayer to the Matrona of Moscow
The blessed old woman can be called our contemporary; she died in 1952. She was canonized at the beginning of the 21st century, the relics of the saint of God are in the Intercession Convent in Moscow.
Probably every pious Christian knows her life. The righteous was born into a poor family, from infancy she was blind. By the age of 17, she had been decapitated, she could not walk, she just sat in her corner, allocated by kind people. Why good people? Blessed Matrona did not have her own home. She traveled through acquaintances, staying where they gave shelter.
Despite her own infirmities, the old woman helped the sick and suffering. Through her prayers, some were healed, others got jobs, and others got married. Mother did not refuse anyone, except for those who came to laugh at her, not at all believing in the Lord.
To this day, numerous miracles are performed at the relics of Matronushka. Here is the text of the prayer to Matrona from gluttony and other needs experienced by a person.
Prayer to the Matrona of Moscow (first)
O blessed mother Matrono, now hear and receive us, sinners, praying to you, who have learned to accept and listen to all those who suffer and mourn in all your life, with faith and hope for your intercession and the help of those who come running, quick help and miraculous healing to everyone; May your mercy not fail now to us, the unworthy, restless in this many-fuss world and nowhere else finding comfort and compassion in spiritual sorrows and help in bodily illnesses: heal our sicknesses, deliver us from the temptations and torment of the devil, passionately fighting, help us carry our lifely Cross, endure all the hardships of life and not lose the image in it God, keep the Orthodox faith until the end of our days, have strong hope and hope in God and unfeigned love for our neighbors; help us, after departing from this life, reach the Kingdom of Heaven with all those who please God, glorifying the mercy and goodness of the Heavenly Father, in the Trinity of glory, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer to the Matrona of Moscow (second)
O blessed mother Matrono, with your soul in heaven before the Throne of God, your body is resting on the earth, and the grace given to you from above exudes various miracles. Look now with your merciful eye on us, sinners, in sorrows, illnesses and sinful temptations, our dependent days. Comfort us, desperate ones, heal our fierce ailments, from God to us because of our sins, deliver us from many troubles and circumstances, beg our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive us all our sins, iniquities and falls, we have sinned from our youth even to this day and hour, and having received grace and great mercy with your prayers, glorify the One God in the Trinity , the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever.
Prayer to Xenia of Petersburg
Another Russian saint, especially revered by the people. The life of Blessed Xenia of Petersburg is complete self-denial, renunciation of worldly goods and the feat of foolishness. Left a widow at the age of 26, the young woman dressed in her husband's clothes and ordered to call herself Andrei Feodorovich. Having given a rich estate to a woman who once rented a room from her, Xenia remained homeless. Dressed in rags, without a roof over her head, she wandered around the outskirts of St. Petersburg, causing ridicule from the inhabitants. Adults beat her with words, children threw stones and dirt. The saint endured many insults and humiliations before people realized that before them was a very wise and reasonable person, to whom the Lord revealed a lot.
Even during her lifetime, the saint became famous for miracles, and they still occur today at the grave of Blessed Xenia. To whom to pray from gluttony? Of course, Blessed Xenia of Petersburg:
Oh, holy all-blessed mother Xenia! Under the roof of the Almighty, who lived, guided and strengthened by the Mother of God, suffered hunger and thirst, cold and heat, reproach and persecution, received the gift of clairvoyance and miracles from God and rest under the shadow of the Almighty. Now the Holy Church, like a fragrant flower, glorifies you: coming to your burial place, before your holy image, as if you live with us, we pray to you: accept our petitions and bring them to the Throne of the Merciful Heavenly Father, as if having boldness to Him, ask those who flow to you eternal salvation, and our generous blessing for good deeds and undertakings deliverance from all troubles and sorrows, appear with your holy prayers before our All-Merciful Savior for us, unworthy and sinners, help, holy blessed mother Xenia, illuminate the babies with the light of Holy Baptism and seal the gift of the Holy Spirit, seal the youths and maidens in faith, honesty, God-fearing and chastity, bring up and success in teaching them a gift ovati; Heal those who are sick and ill, send down family love and consent, honor the monks with a good feat and protect them from reproach, affirm the pastors in the fortress of the spirit, preserve our people and country in peace and serenity, pray for those deprived of communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ at the dying hour: you are our hope and hope, soon hearing and deliverance, we send thanks to you and with you we glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer in the temple
We talked about prayer at home to the saints of God, is it possible to carry it out in the temple?
How to get rid of gluttony? Be sure to attend Sunday liturgies, ask for deliverance from addiction during church prayer. There is no need to cry out to the Lord, an inner cry for help is enough.
More often proceed to the sacraments of confession and communion, order prayers to the above saints, asking them for help. The main thing is to force yourself to fight, nothing will work without effort.
Conclusion
The article is coming to its logical conclusion, we talked about how to get rid of gluttony. Three components of the struggle with passion - prayer, fasting, self-discipline.
Avoid idleness, for it is the mother of all vices. Work hard, pray and ask the Lord for help, as well as His saints.
Gluttony is an excessive predilection for the pleasure of the flesh, which becomes for a person higher and more important than God. It is the sin of gluttony in the Orthodox tradition that refers to the "mortal" sins. This does not mean that the Lord punishes them with death. A person himself puts himself on the brink of death when he does not try to overcome addictions. Often, Orthodox people, with special and even excessive zeal, take up the fight against mortal sins, which include gluttony. This leads to the fact that a pregnant woman can adhere to such severe restrictions during fasting that it harms her unborn child. And someone will take on the unbearable feat of asceticism in food, which will lead to an exacerbation of chronic diseases. But God does not expect us to self-mutilate or completely refuse food, otherwise He would not have created our bodies with the need for food.
What is the difference between gluttony and ordinary eating? Where is the line that separates sin from the satisfaction of the natural needs of the body?
Manifestations of gluttony: how is it different from ordinary eating
Gluttony includes those cases when a person tries to get special pleasure from food and the search for this pleasure becomes higher than the relationship with God. For example, a person who does not have any health problems undertakes the feat of fasting. But he cannot resist the desire to eat non-lean food and overeats every evening. Gluttony also includes the sins of smoking and drinking wine.
"Can't you drink wine? Many Biblical characters drink wine, and Jesus himself turned water into wine at a wedding, but vice versa?” the reader will ask us. Can. Moderate wine drinking is not a sin of gluttony. But the key word here is "moderate". Excessive consumption of alcohol can turn into a dangerous disease, addiction - alcoholism.
Thus, the Lord protects us. Certain restrictions are placed for our own good. The sin of gluttony has not become a sin because the Lord wants to forbid us from eating sweets. Heavenly Father knows us better than we do, and overindulgence in sugar, for example, can lead to bodily ailments.
Possible consequences of gluttony for the soul and body
Even secular doctors clearly oppose gluttony. Of course, the word "gluttony" you most likely will not hear in the hospital. But nutritionists warn that a tendency to eat a lot of fatty, spicy and sweet foods leads to the development of:
- obesity;
- diabetes;
- Cardiovascular diseases;
- Gastritis.
And this is only an incomplete list of what can await a person who overeats or smokes, abuses alcohol. The sin of gluttony is "mortal" in the truest sense of the word.
If we talk about the soul of man, then everything that comes between God and man will not bring any benefit to the soul. Overeating a person himself is tormented by guilt, the passion for drunkenness destroys the family, friendship, and then the personality of a person, “killing” his soul.
How to get rid of the sin of gluttony
Man's struggle with sins is a difficult question, and there is no universal advice. You can always turn to your confessor, read about what the saints say about gluttony. Sometimes the help of a specialist is required: a dietitian, a psychiatrist who works with addiction to alcohol and smoking. Sin can take hold of a person so strongly that he himself can no longer cope. But what is beyond the power of man is within the power of God, therefore prayer, confession and Communion, hope in the mercy of the Lord will help fight the sin of gluttony. The apostle Paul wrote that gluttony is a sin because food becomes the God that man worships. We know that we have one God, our Lord Jesus Christ.
It would be wonderful if someone, before his descent into the tomb, freed himself from this passion.
Saint John of the Ladder
About gluttony. Its modern manifestations
Although to many people the talk of gluttony seems to be something outdated and archaic, this passion lives firmly in the people of our time. True, it can be called completely different words, more modern and more familiar to our ears. "Obesity", "overweight", "overeating", "eating disorders". All these are different names for this terrible disease, which leaves its mark both on the soul and on the human body.
The life of modern people is full of excess food. Of course, there are still many poor people and poor countries where things are completely different. However, harsh statistics show that currently every sixth inhabitant of our planet suffers from obesity. Never before have so many varieties of food been available to people. Go to any supermarket and you can easily see how every time sellers come up with new ways to present their goods in the most attractive way. And this is at a time when manufacturers make their dishes as fresh as possible, portions for the same money are even larger, and the taste is fuller and richer. Recently, even synthetic flavor enhancers have appeared to replace natural seasonings, the main task of which is to make even completely artificial food tasty, devoid of at least some taste before. But that's not all. The presence of such flavor enhancers (emulsifiers) in foods can become addictive over time. The cult of food, the stimulation of human gastronomic needs and preferences is another step towards gluttony, which, having become a habit, causes obesity and many other diseases.
Obesity and excessive, unbridled passion for food is an additional burden on all body systems, primarily the cardiovascular system. As a result, this leads to an increase in blood pressure, the occurrence of arrhythmias, angina pectoris, etc. And undoubtedly, this also creates an incredible load on the gastrointestinal tract, which is now forced to work without rest, around the clock. The endocrine system also changes, which causes metabolic disorders. In the end, you can see the impact of gluttony on the functioning of the human brain. After an excessive meal, laziness, fatigue appear, thinking processes slow down. A person cannot concentrate and do business as well as he did just before. "A full belly is deaf to prayer." That is why self-restraint and fasting are a necessary practice for ascetics of all world religions. And the ascetics of piety - Orthodox monks - are directly called "fasters", thus defining the nature of their main service - the pacification of the flesh with the help of restrictions on food and other pleasures.
Eating food in moderation for a person is a vital necessity, because hunger is biologically determined. When the balance of sugar, water, or another important substance is disturbed in a person’s blood, an impulse automatically appears to replenish this deficiency with what the body needs right now. The centers that regulate the process of eating are located in a special part of the brain - the hypothalamus. Its individual zones are responsible for the feeling of hunger, thirst and satiety. In a normal state, this well-coordinated system maintains the existence of our body and weight at an optimal, genetically fixed level.
However, human nature afflicted with sin made possible distortions of this, completely neutral in itself, physiological need. So doctors know that when the food craving is weakened, a person ceases to feel hunger and thirst, up to the complete disappearance of appetite. And vice versa - gluttony, the use of even obviously spoiled food, is typical for people with congenital or acquired mental retardation.
Illustration: Hieronymus Bosch "Gluttony" from "The Seven Deadly Sins", 1475-1480
St. John of the Ladder, like other ascetics of piety, in his ascetic writings noted three main ways in which a person can violate the spiritual norm established by God, using the process of eating to spite and harm himself.
- 1) First of all, people sin by gluttony when they take food in excessive quantities, significantly larger than what the body actually needs. For such a person, it is important to fill his own stomach with food as much as possible, almost through force.
- 3) The third sin is secret eating. This sin is predominantly monastic, the danger of which is primarily experienced by monks living in cenobitic monasteries. The essence of this passion lies in non-observance of the monastic charter and daily routine, in untimely eating, more often when needed, after prayer or secretly from the brethren. Of course, the laity can also sin with this, eating food that is not according to the daily routine, doctor's prescription, or the requirements of the church charter.
2) The second sin is voluptuousness or throatiness. This passion is realized in a person who seeks to enjoy refined food, gourmet, all kinds of spices and unusual, complex ways of cooking. In this passion, unlike the previous one, it is not the amount of food consumed that is sinful, but its sophistication, the search for unusual tastes, impressions and pleasures by a person. It should be understood that we do not eat in order to enjoy the taste, but to give the body the necessary amount of nutrients. It is known that the enjoyment of taste almost does not depend on the refinement of dishes. Even a piece of stale bread will bring more pleasure to a hungry person than a piece of cake to a pampered gourmet in the middle of a meal.
In addition to these three main passions associated with food, St. Ladder recalls two more, no less dangerous cases.
The first passion is an unrestrained craving for a favorite food, an addiction to a particular dish. Saint John the Prophet describes people affected by this infirmity as follows: such a person constantly dreams, fantasizes about a particular dish, often imagines it and tells others about it, and at the meal asks to serve it first or move it closer. "In the passion of gluttony, the belly and satiated cries out:" I want more! And even sighing from satiety, he laments: "I am hungry." This passion teaches us to devour everything that stands before our eyes "(Ladder 2.1.4: 1).
And the apogee, the extreme point of the development of the sin of gluttony, is the complete darkness of the mind to the questions of food and pleasure of the stomach. In the language of the fathers, this sin is called the terrible word "belly-madness." A person with such a mental illness lives for food, and does not eat in order to live.
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The passion of gluttony is one of the most dangerous human passions, known as a mortal sin in the tradition of the Western Church, and in fact, “passion” in the tradition of the Eastern Church. Often appearing under a pious pretext, she seduces even the strongest in faith. Therefore, special wisdom is needed in order to learn to distinguish between objective reality and the temptation of the devil or our own passion.
“What, then, lowered Esau so much that it made him a slave of his brother? Is it not one food for which he sold his birthright? And vice versa, didn’t prayer with fasting give Samuel’s mother? What made the great wrestler Samson invincible? Great. About fasting 1.)
Only those who have managed to curb their body, their own passionate flesh, will be able to make a good start in the struggle with more subtle spiritual and spiritual sinful states. It follows from this that the struggle with one's stomach and carnal passions is the beginning of a person's struggle with his other, more dangerous spiritual vices. Gluttony, like other bodily passions, is only a means, and the goal of demons is to subdue the human soul through them.
Not a single spiritual warfare can begin without fasting and self-restraint. And vice versa: weakening in food leads to the development of other passions in the human soul. For example, in the classical scheme of the dependence of some passions on others, voluptuousness (love of pleasures) gives rise to gluttony, and it, in turn, gives rise to fornication thoughts and impure deeds. Thus, in order for a person to overcome fornication, one must first overcome gluttony. From here, we can conclude that it is important for every person, and not just for a monk, the ability to control one's desires, actions and dreams. Including in the field of their own gastronomic preferences.
Testimony of Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition
"Look after yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with overeating and drunkenness and the cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly" (Luke 21:34)
"Do not be among those who drink wine, between those who are sated with meat: for the drunkard and the satiated will become poor, and sleepiness will put on rags" (Prov. 23: 20-21).
"You found honey - eat as much as you need, so as not to get fed up with it and not vomit it" (Prov. 25: 16).
"The one who keeps the law is a wise son, but he who knows the spendthrifts (gluttons) will shame his father" (Prov. 28 7).
“For many of whom I have often spoken to you, and now I even speak with tears, act as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in shame, they think about earthly things” (Phil. 3: 18-21).
"For there are also many disobedient, idle talkers and deceivers, especially those who are circumcised, with whom mouths should be blocked: they corrupt entire houses, teaching what they should not, out of shameful self-interest. Of them, one poet said: `Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy wombs" (Titus 1: 10-11).
“But I subdue and bring my body into subjection, lest, having preached to others, I myself should not become unworthy” (1 Corinthians 9:27).
"The true and lonely widow hopes in God and continues in supplication and prayer day and night; but the lustful woman has died alive" (1 Tim 5:5-6).
"As in the day, let us conduct ourselves decently, [indulging in] neither feasting and drunkenness, nor sensuality and debauchery, nor strife and envy; but put on our Lord Jesus Christ, and do not turn the cares of the flesh into lusts" (Rom. 13: 12-13).
"It is natural for a person to feel hunger. Nevertheless, it is necessary to take the food necessary to maintain life, and not according to passions and not for satiety. Sleep is also natural for a person, but not to satiety, effeminacy of the body, so that we can subdue the passions and vicious desires of the body." (Sayings of nameless elders)
"The perfect goal of restraint is to achieve not only the curbing of the body, but to become more favorable for serving spiritual needs" (St. Gregory of Nyssa).
"... Gluttony is a deception of the stomach, because even being saturated it cries out: "Not enough!", Being filled and expanding from excess, it cries out: "I want!" (Ladder).
"Ahead of all virtues is obedience, and ahead of all passions is gluttony" (Abba Isaiah the Hermit).
"Gluttony is a violation of the second commandment:" Do not make yourself an idol ... do not worship them and do not serve them. It really is idolatry "(Anthony the Great).
"Gluttony destroys everything good in a person" (Rev. Nil of Sinai).
What contributes to gluttony?
Very often people serve this vice by inventing various excuses for themselves. The Holy Fathers of the Church, as subtle psychologists and connoisseurs of human souls, have learned to see these cases and warn us about them.
The first and most common way to be captured by this dangerous passion is to attribute indulgence in food to concern for one's own health and a craven fear of possible diseases associated with abstinence. In fact, it is very rare to speak of such a categorical abstinence from food that it could pose a threat to our life and health. The Orthodox Church preaches the "royal way" - the golden mean, from which there is only benefit. Its goal is not to starve us to death, but to teach us to control everything we do. Including, to teach how to properly worry about your own body - the temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)
"Fasting is always useful for those who welcome it. For those who fast will not dare to attack evil spirits. On the contrary. The speedy guards of our life - angels help those who purify their soul (and body) by fasting. (St. Basil the Great, On fasting 2).
The Fathers even recall such a reason for the fall as negligent, indifferent to their ministry priests, often recklessly blessing others for indulgence in fasting. Such a blessing, at first glance, may indeed look like a good deed, a deed of love, but for the soul of a person it can bring death, because it not only serves to satisfy the flesh. It also teaches people about the alleged non-obligation of fasting for the salvation of a person, and in general, gives rise to doubts about the inviolability of church requirements, rules and canons. ("Ladder" 14:11-12)
Another way of gluttony is imaginary hospitality, the desire to visit friends or receive guests for the sake of a good meal and wine. This is a very subtle passion that not everyone can notice in themselves. Especially this danger increases when the great Christian or national holidays come. It seems that on such days gluttony gets all the excuses for itself. However, there is no doubt that gluttony and the use of alcoholic beverages, as well as laziness and fornication on holidays or on any other days, are unacceptable for Christians. "Instigated by the insatiability of the stomach, he believes that the opportunity to please the guest is also for him a permission for everything" (Ibid. 14: 8)
Sometimes, the holy ascetics write, the passion of vanity wants to fight the passion of gluttony. This is when some observe a fast in order to prove to themselves and others - "How cool I am, strong in spirit, have great patience, etc." The desire to show oneself as the best fights for a person, as for a bought slave. Which is better: to observe a strict fast or to give yourself an indulgence? Overcome pride or taste food? St. Diodochus advises nevertheless to eat food, because a mournful heart will bring more benefit to the soul, reminding a Christian of his imperfection than pride about his own fasting. (Ibid 14:9)
It should also be said about the psychological causes of the passion of gluttony. The pleasure that a person receives by eating high-calorie foods can become a strong drug that can cause a person to become addicted. While eating, a person produces hormones of pleasure, which for some time can improve mood and general psychological state. Thus, food, most often in combination with alcohol and smoking, becomes a fairly simple way to ease the pain of stress or depression. Many try to "jam" their problems: lack of fulfillment in life, low self-esteem, unsuccessful family life, anxiety, negative emotions. And since the problems themselves are not solved, very soon a person will need another portion of pleasure. So a person falls into a vicious circle of passion of gluttony. In the desire to find happiness and get rid of suffering and slavish fetters, people receive another shackle. Only an experienced specialist can help in this - a priest and a psychologist, a psychotherapist. Of course, now we are talking only about the spiritual and mental causes of gluttony, leaving aside the physiological causes: various diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, thyroid gland, metabolic disorders or invasions.
Practical steps in the fight against passion
As we have repeatedly mentioned, the most effective way to overcome any passion is to develop in yourself the traits and virtues that are opposite to this passion. Thus, gluttony is overcome by abstinence and fasting. Although this vice is considered the first among other carnal passions, this does not mean at all that it is the easiest to eradicate. Vice versa. Since gluttony is the foundation of other human passions and sins, there are a number of reasons that directly or indirectly affect the development of this passion in a person and contribute to it in every possible way. Since passions are deeply rooted in human nature, in order to overcome them, efforts must be made at all levels: mental, spiritual and bodily.
In the spiritual realm. First of all, a person needs to realize and honestly acknowledge the presence of this passion in himself. The Sacraments of Repentance and Communion, as well as an active prayer and spiritual life, can become invaluable helpers in overcoming it. Looking at the sincerity of a person, the Lord will surely help him to receive spiritual and physical healing faster.
In the spiritual (psychological) sphere. There are a number of effective practices that allow a person to more consciously approach the solution of psychological problems associated with gluttony and other gastronomic abuses. Of course, the greatest result here can be achieved by consulting a specialist - a psychologist or psychotherapist. And already together you can try existing techniques. In particular, keeping a food diary, establishing personal reasons for gluttony, working with motivation, setting goals, overcoming situations that provoke excessive eating.
in the physical realm. First of all, a medical consultation is necessary to make sure that food abuse has not yet led to irreversible changes that are life-threatening. At the same time, together with a nutritionist, you need to develop an individual diet and strictly adhere to it. And, of course, increase physical activity. A professional trainer can help you create an individual, most optimal and effective exercise schedule.
The main means to combat the addiction to gluttony is fasting and abstinence. It's good to leave the table a little hungry. The pleasure that naturally accompanies the intake of delicious food loses its character of sensuality and becomes spiritualized if one eats with prayer and feelings of gratitude to God.
Conclusion
And in conclusion, I will repeat the most important thing. According to the testimony of the majority of the Holy Fathers - ancient ascetics and ascetics - the subordination of the soul to carnal passions is direct evidence that the human soul has estranged from God. By themselves, appetite and desire to eat cannot have a negative connotation. They can only have spiritual states of voluptuousness (irrepressible desire for pleasure). That is why the passion for gluttony is considered by us not as an exclusively bodily vice, but as a mental and spiritual state of the fall of a person. Careful observance of the fasts established by the Church contributes to the humility of the flesh, which weakens voluptuousness and all our other passions. Why does a person sin? Through selfishness, pride, desire for the pleasure of the flesh. All this is eradicated by love for God, the fear of God, sorrow for committed sins, cutting off passions, and, undoubtedly, self-restraint and self-control. Help us in this Lord!
Archpriest Evgeny Zapletnyuk,
PhD in Theology
Ternopil.
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