The first thing to know about virtues and vices is that they exist on a continuum- the healthy virtue we seek is in the middle between two vices, neither of which will do us (or anyone else) any good. As the early church founders narrowed the vices down into the 7 deadly (or "root") vices, they chose the vice that dominated each vice continuum. They aren't the most common or even the "worst" sins- they are the thoughts behind the actions (which is why the word "thought" is often used in place of vice or sin in literature on this topic). Think about it like you're pruning a tree- you can lop off a specific action/sin, say, no longer watching movies that have gratuitous sex scenes in them, but if you don't address why you've been so interested in those movies in the first place, you'll likely just find another sin to take its place.
Now let's head all the way back to the start: we can trace writings on the 7 deadly sins/vices to within a few hundred years of Jesus' death. Many of the early church fathers and mothers went out to the desert to have time dedicated to finding God. But many also struggled as Abba Anthony struggled- he had renounced wealth, honor, status,
relationships, and comfort to live in the desert and know God. And he found
that no matter how hard he tried, his thoughts kept going back to his previous life, keeping him from the
mystical experience he had laid them aside to find. He realized that he had a
second renunciation to undergo, and that his thoughts mattered. He couldn’t
pray if he didn’t take them seriously, and he was struggling to move forward. So he began to train himself to notice
his thoughts, laying them out and examining them, rather than resisting them.
Opening the thoughts to scrutiny, he began to master them, quiet them, and finally start to experience
God.
Individual thoughts are important, but a passing thought
can come and go and just thinking it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a sin. Abba Anthony and those who followed him became interested in when idle brain "chatter" began to take on themes. One thought about sex doesn't mean you're filled with lust. Fifteen thoughts about sex might begin to tell us patterns of where your brain is trying to take you. Thoughts that are dwelt upon become desires. Desires that are dwelt upon become passions, which become actions.
Good thoughts often spur more good thoughts and good actions, which become virtues. Bad thoughts become bad desires, which often then become vices. It's about allowing an urge or a thought to become a habit, or a part of our character.
It's important to remember that we're not trying to become moral hypochondriacs, analyzing ourselves to death (or insanity)- but a little more
introspection can help us figure out why we’re struggling so much with certain
issues that just seem to linger. Looking into the wisdom of the 7 deadly sins (or vices or thoughts) helps us to identify patterns and strands of
sin that corrupt our lives without us realizing it- and we name them for the same reason it's important to name our blessings. The more aware we are, the better we can act!
So why should we care so much? Vices eat away at our ability to see things clearly,
appreciate things as we ought, or live in healthy relationship with others; they
are destructive to the goodness in our lives. They are addictions- and the simplest definition for addiction is anything we regularly use
to try to take the place that can be filled by God (or God’s gifts) alone.
Virtues, on the other hand, are what make our lives sing.
They are living in proper relationship to those around us, in ways that make
everything right. And they are as possible to acquire as vices are! There’s a
difference, though, between acting according to virtue and acting OUT of
virtue. It's the difference between constantly struggling to do right vs. acting rightly without thinking, because it's who you are! The good news is that the more you try to do right, the more it becomes a part of your character- and the easier it becomes to do right in the future. And you can probably already think of times when you've done this before.
Gluttony:
Gluttony is the focus on one’s own pleasure to exclusion of everything else- it's
not just how much or even what you’re eating, it’s about relationships and
intent. Food is meant to be enjoyed- it’s one of the reasons we have
taste buds. But food is also meant for nourishment and for building relationships, and gluttony doesn't give much thought to either of those reasons.
Gluttony dulls our appreciation for what we have, who we’re
consuming it with, and our gratitude for the God who provided both the food and
the ability to enjoy it. It twists those values until it's all about the consumer and what he or she wants at this VERY moment.
There are 5 forms of gluttony to consider, though we usually only think of one:
FRESH
Fastidiously/Daintily:
Being too particular in what you eat. You may use good manners, you may not eat too
much- but the focus is still on getting EXACTLY what you want, or else; you're not
concerned with how it makes your host feel. This type of gluttony could be sending your meal back to the kitchen, twice, because it's still not perfect- or it could be requiring something different or less than what's being offered to you (and not because you're not feeling well).
Ravenously/Greedily: Eating
as much as you can of something you like, just in case it’s not there when you
go back for more- even past the point of fullness! For example, eating a piece of cake, even though you're not particularly interested in it, because otherwise your brother will eat it. It also includes taking
large helpings, no matter how many people are in line behind you, because YOU
want to eat that thing. It’s a very childish way to eat, because it’s
inconsiderate of others; it actively seeks to keep good things from others, even if you're not conscious of that as a motive.
Excessively: Too
much! The classic glutton, this is eating too much even if it’ll make you sick!
These would be the capital people in the Hunger Games; you might relate when
you think about how you eat during the holidays. This glutton, however, does
this regularly- not just during the once-a-year celebrations.
Sumptuously: Eating
the richest, most fattening and delicious foods ever- all. the. time. A scroll
through the Pinterest food and drink category is full of sumptuous recipes; the
point of this type of gluttony is that if it tastes good, you need more of it.
There is no consideration of whether it’s healthy for you, giving you needed
nutrition, or whether there are any sort of social justice ramifications to it.
Hastily: This
form of gluttony can also be called “the shoveler.” Stuffing it all in as
quickly as possible, it’s gluttony without the good stuff. It might be gluttony
with fear (in case it disappears!), but it also includes mindless eating, like
inattentive snacking.
So how do we counter it? First, we remember that eating is a
physical need- an urge that we will have again and again and again in our
lives. Nothing we do will make it go away as long as we live, so there’s no one
time cure-all. Second, we need to remember WHY we eat- for connection (both
social and spiritual), for nutrition, AND for pleasure. There is no hard and
fast rule or diet to tell us how and what to eat. The pregnant lady is going to
eat differently from the two year old, who will eat differently from the
Olympic athlete. So the virtue is
TEMPERANCE.
Temperance
Perhaps the oldest sounding virtue, basically it means
moderation. It takes the long view of eating. And it includes all of the following:
Feasts: Jesus’ first recorded miracle was turning
water into wine at a wedding celebration! It’s good to have feast days, and
certainly you shouldn’t count every calorie you eat to make sure that you are
ONLY eating what you need to survive to your next meal and nothing else. That puts an excessive focus on
food- gluttony isn’t just the actual eating, but also the pattern of thought
that goes into it. Obsessive focus on food is a form of gluttony, whether it's about consuming too much or barely enough.
Fasting: It’s also good to have plain, simple meals-
and to pay attention to what you’re consuming, so you know that you are, in
fact, giving your body the fuel it requires to function well. Christians
throughout history also include actual fasts- both from food in general and
individual items, in order to fully appreciate them. This is also a really good
way to figure out what controls you- how hard is it for you to give it up, even
for a week or a month? Another thing to note: people who regularly practice
fasting from food report that they feel clearer headed, light, healthy, and
refreshed- they don’t view it as a sacrifice, they view it as enlightening and
a worthwhile tool.
Social responsibility: Moderation based on the
specific situation. Food is a great way to connect people- it’s one of the
reasons that scripture has Jesus teaching at so many dinners! That also means
that you subordinate your specific desires in order to properly enjoy that time
together- Don’t eat meat but your hosts do? Don’t make a big show of it- just
quietly pick it out or choose the salad. Your food isn’t organic? Doesn’t look particularly
appetizing? Try to remember that it’s rarely just about the food itself, and
adjust your standards to best honor God and your hosts.
Gratitude: Temperance includes a mindfulness of how
it’s even possible to be putting that bite of chicken in your mouth- who
created the chicken? Gave you the ability to buy it? Thought up the idea of
taste buds that can happily determine the difference between barbeque sauce and
honey mustard? In both fasting and feasting, giving thanks to God is the best
way to truly enjoy your food in the right way.
Note: The opposite end of this virtue/vice continuum is the inability to enjoy food (think, perhaps, anorexia, or the scientist who severely restricted his calorie intake in the hopes that it would help him live longer).
5 Minutes of God Time: The Mission/How Great Thou Art by The Piano Guys
