Food

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BloodyRose3000

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I remember watching a show on the history channel some time ago about how during the middle ages, indulging in food was considered a sin. The friars at the time who had to stay at the homes of those who welcomed them would even put things into their food so that it wouldn’t taste as good. So that begs the question, is it a sin to enjoy food? Is it bad to look foward to what you’re going to eat? What’s the morality involving such a thing?
 
Not at all a sin - remember Jesus Himself was accused of being a glutton and a drunkard, which could hardly have been possible if he didn’t at least somewhat enjoy a good meal and the occasional tipple. At the same time He wasn’t ATTACHED to the pleasures of the table - He was quite able, for example, to fast for 40 days when it was required. Most of us would find that difficult, so we could do with a little detachment in this regard.

Remember friars and monks have a particular calling to divorce themselves from worldly pleasures, hence their often cloistering themselves away from the world, or living in poverty as mendicants or beggars, wearing humble or at least uniform and plain rather than decorative clothing, keeping long periods of silence rather than idle chitchat, vowing chastity etc etc. A high degree of asceticism in regards food is part of that ethos.

We can and should all enter at least somewhat into that spirit though. I’ve learned to take my tea and coffee without any sugar, and try to limit my consumption of sweets of any kind to at most two occasions a week, rather than having it as an every day thing. Admittedly it’s getting more difficult as Christmas approaches - people naturally get chocolate and the like as presents and want to share when they do.

And my mother has recently gone on an extended fast from alcohol, she used to have a glass of wine (but only one) most days.

Little sacrifices like this in regards foods that you particularly like are a good thing, but we need not go to the level of a medieval monk.
 
I remember watching a show on the history channel some time ago about how during the middle ages, indulging in food was considered a sin. The friars at the time who had to stay at the homes of those who welcomed them would even put things into their food so that it wouldn’t taste as good. So that begs the question, is it a sin to enjoy food? Is it bad to look foward to what you’re going to eat? What’s the morality involving such a thing?
It is NOT a sin to enjoy food.
 
I remember watching a show on the history channel some time ago about how during the middle ages, indulging in food was considered a sin. The friars at the time who had to stay at the homes of those who welcomed them would even put things into their food so that it wouldn’t taste as good. So that begs the question, is it a sin to enjoy food? Is it bad to look foward to what you’re going to eat? What’s the morality involving such a thing?
Like everything this is between two opposites:

God creates and sustains everything in existence, so everything is good in itself. To deny this goodness of the things is sin. The evil is always deficiency only. The food in itself with moderation is good, the sex in moderation within married couple is good etc.

In other hand one belongs either to the worldly things or to God. For this reason the self denial is necessary, and for this reason not as obligations but to express their desire to belong to the heavenly some religious put bitter spices into their food, either in the monastery and outside of that. Their vows obliged them only for poverty, chastity and obedience, not for eat only undesirable food.
 
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