St. Thomas Aquinas on Gluttony

  • Thread starter Thread starter mili1
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
M

mili1

Guest
He said that gluttony is a mortal sin when it turns man from his last end.
What does ‘his last end’ mean?
Gluttony
 
If having an addiction to compulsive overeating gets in the way of you being a good catholic then it’s a sin
 
Wasn’t St. Thomas Aquinas obese? I’m going by the paintings of him I have seen.
 
“End” here means “goal” or “purpose” (like the phrase “the ends don’t justify the means.”). In particular, it means the salvation of his soul–gluttony is a mortal sin when consumption and pleasure become the purpose (the “end”) of life. St. Thomas explains in your link:

“This is the case when he adheres to the pleasure of gluttony as his end, for the sake of which he contemns God, being ready to disobey God’s commandments, in order to obtain those pleasures.”
 
Last edited:
Being obese doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a glutton

It could mean you were a glutton
 
It isn’t certain, beyond his nickname of “The Dumb Ox”. It should be noted though that the Dominicans were practically in their infancy during his time and were a mendicant Order that begged for its food.
 
To be fair he was an academic and spent a lot of his time immobile

And those are probably paintings of him as an older man and it’s natural to gain some weight as you age
 
St. Thomas Acquinas, I am sure, spent his time studying, praying and writing.

He greatly graced the Church with his great theological insights and virtues.
 
Our last end is God. And mortal sin is always said to destroy our relationship between Him and us as it involves an act against love of God and neighbor, opposing and destroying love in us.

And even if St Thomas was a glutton, he still would have been rigorously honest to the point of teaching the truth as it is IMO.
 
Last edited:
That’s right. And he may have been one who confessed it regularly for all we know
 
Also, I have heard that quality of food is much more important than quantity for obesity. Especially in certain people, carbohydrates are more likely to increase fat. St. Thomas could have been one of those people, or if I’m wrong, he could have had some other tendency to gain weight.
 
In his times the Dominicans would have fasted regularly I think. Often they would fast on bread and water and the bread would often be very dense and full of carbohydrates which may have led to weight gain in some. Also the sedentary lifestyle. There are also health problems that can cause weight gain although most often it has to do with diet
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top