Chapter 39: The amount of food to be made available
Nothing is so opposed to Christian values as overeating, as we can see from the words of our Lord: take care that your hearts are not weighed down by overeating. (From para. 2 of Ch. 39 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)
These are strong words against overeating -- an indulgence all too easy to do in an affluent and fast-paced culture. But I hear St. Benedict in these words affirming the staunchly incarnational -- embodied -- nature of prayer and service. My body must be part of the integrated whole of selfless attention, and my body must be fit for selfless service.
Overeating and overworking are two things I have to watched out in my self. These I think are two forms of self indulgence ... that feed my ego. I need to experience starvation from the cares of the world so that I will have the opportunity to feed myself with the food of my soul.
ReplyDeleteFood addiction is a genuine, crippling, and, if untreated, often fatal, malady, as most addictions are. Flour and sugar and quantities, even of healthy foods, for example, can become drugs when the pleasure of consuming them becomes my principal way of dealing with life and its challenges. The word “addiction” comes from the Latin “addictio”, which means “surrender.” In fact, Webster’s Unabridged’s first meaning of the word “addict” is “one who surrenders to a substance (or behavior)”. Abba, ultimately, as Alcoholics Anonymous discovered for alcohol, the only real, long-term solution for an alcohol or food or other addiction is precisely surrender, but surrender to you, one day at a time.
ReplyDeleteHow can I stretch my roots to the stream of life and love if I seek my strength in flesh? according to Jeremiah 17: 5-8. Satiated with the pleasures of food and internet information, I am like "a barren bush" standing "in a lava waste", with no room or time for the fresh waters of God's word through the reading of Sacred Scripture or meditation. Benedict, I am grateful for your strong reminder.
ReplyDeletemeditation.