The sin of gluttony in Orthodoxy: what does it mean, the danger and causes of sin, consequences and punishments, atonement and victory over sin

What does gluttony mean?

There are several interpretations of this word. But all of them are associated with exceeding the amount of food consumed. In dictionaries we can find the following interpretations:

excess in eating; gluttony; lack of norms in food intake.

Many say that such a vice can be caused not so much by physical needs as by a violation of a person’s spiritual balance. It's no secret that sometimes we eat our problems. To overcome such an urge, a strong-willed decision alone is not enough. It is worth learning to understand the real place of food in our lives.

The passion of gluttony has a characteristic feature - it greatly influences a person’s life.

The first thing it affects is the human body, his organism. “First of all,” says St. Ephraim the Syrian, “gluttony affects the digestion of the human body.”

Since excess food in the human body leads to tension of all internal forces and digestive disorders. As for the spiritual side of the issue, a person begins to fall into carnal passions. Because the juices given by food taken in excessive quantities begin to ferment and splash out in a person. St. the fathers directly say that excess food gives rise to lustful thoughts.

Gluttony in Orthodoxy

Signs of addiction

In total, there are seven deadly sins in Orthodoxy, one of them is gluttony . There are certain points that distinguish gluttony from the natural consumption of food:

Before the main meal, eat various foods that stimulate digestion. The Holy Scriptures described a story in which King Saul's son took a small amount of honey some time before dinner, but the king punished his son with fasting; Craving different food. Very often people complain that they are tired of fish, vegetables or other foods, but they want something else. Such desires are a terrible sin, because we need to rejoice in what the Lord gives us. There is also a story in Scripture where the Israelites desired meat and asked God for it because they were simply tired of eating fish. The Almighty fulfilled their wish, but after several hundred years the people were punished for gluttony; Add seasonings to food to give it an unusual taste; You cannot eat food quickly and with great zeal, even if you are very hungry. You need to treat food with respect and never overeat.

The last point is considered the most terrible and unacceptable in Christianity.

From the following article you will learn what fornication is in Orthodoxy.

From a religious point of view, there are clear arguments why gluttony is considered a sin:

When a person overeats and gets drunk, he simply forgets about other people who also need food and water. Unfortunately, the world is structured in such a way that many people on the planet are always in search of food, they are constantly hungry, there is not enough food for everyone. Therefore, overeating is regarded as a sin - every extra piece of food should have been intended for the starving. Hedonism. This term is suitable for those people who have made pleasure the goal of their life. It doesn’t matter whether it was carnal pleasure or an extra piece of meat eaten.

People who do not strictly adhere to religious prohibitions know that gluttony has an extremely unpleasant effect on their physical condition. People with large bellies live much shorter lives and are regular visitors to clinics and hospitals.

The influence of the passion of gluttony on the human soul

First of all, gluttony is the mother, nourisher and head of all vices. This is the foundation on which all human vices are nurtured, nourished, grow and are under its protection. Without gluttony, none of the passions can take root in a person. She certainly stands at the head of all vices. By struggling against gluttony, we weaken other passions. But without gluttony, as one of the saints said. fathers: trying to defeat another passion is impossible, it is tantamount to fighting the enemy in the dark, because... gluttony will constantly fuel them.

Gluttony kindles various lusts and voluptuousness in a person. Elevation of the heart, arrogance, shameful dreams, inertia of feelings, callousness of the soul, and oblivion are born. When a person is full, then “the well-fed is no friend to the hungry,” he behaves very arrogantly, shamefully and defiantly. So it causes such a phenomenon as - whiteness of the heart. Those. petrification of the heart, it becomes motionless towards virtue, it seems to be knocking, working, but spiritually it is dead. It is no longer capable of receiving God's grace.

Gluttony undermines the strength of the human soul and, very importantly, makes the soul “carnal”

How to get rid of the sin of gluttony

In the Gospel of Matthew it is written that a demon can be driven out only in one way, constantly being in prayer and fasting. The Holy Fathers teach to oppose any sin with virtue, so drunkenness overcomes sobriety, fornication overcomes purity; gluttony - fasting It is true bliss to have the power of spiritual, mental and physical continence.

Fast

It is now fashionable to be in fasting. Restaurants are full of lenten dishes, confectioners offer candies and cookies prepared supposedly without the use of animal fats.

Lenten food

The essence of fasting is not in giving up animal products, but in pacifying your flesh. If a person replaces one tasty treat with another, then this is not fasting, but a modification of food products. During Lent, busy life seems to slow down, devoting more time to communicating with God in churches and among Christians.

Read about the posts:

Advent PostLent Peter's Fast

For a glutton, fasting is a feat for which only the Creator gives strength. On fasting days, sacrifice is made to the Almighty, but not in the form of offerings. God needs a heart, a contrite, humble spirit. By infringing on their desires, gluttons learn to fight passions, and a spiritual mentor will certainly help them with this.

The Lord sees our weak will. Having fallen and unable to withstand the test, you should not remain lying down, you should get up and start all over again. All things can be overcome through Jesus who strengthens us. (Phil.4:13)

Prayer gives strength

The saints are well aware of human weakness. In the book “The Ladder” by St. John the Climacus, gluttony is placed at the fourteenth level of spiritual growth out of thirty. Surprisingly, to defeat this demonic passion, you must first part with the following passions:

laziness; despondency; slander; slander; indolence; anger; verbosity.

St. John advises that when thoughts about food arise and before eating food, constantly remain in prayer.

Prayers before eating food
Our Father, Who is in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Virgin Mary, rejoice. Blessed Mary, the Lord is with you; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for She gave birth to the Savior of our souls. Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Bless. Through the prayers of the saints, our fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.
Prayers after eating food
We thank You, Christ our God, for You have filled us with Your earthly blessings; do not deprive us of Your Heavenly Kingdom, but as in the midst of Your disciples you came, Savior, give them peace, come to us and save us. It is worthy to eat as you truly bless Theotokos, Ever-Blessed and Most Immaculate and Mother of our God. We magnify Thee, the most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison, the Seraphim, who gave birth to God the Word without incorruptibility. Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Through the prayers of the saints, our fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Against gluttony
God have mercy on me, for I am weak! Grant me to curb my belly and acquire the virtue of continence.
Against laziness
God have mercy on me, for I am weak! Help me curb my laziness! Grant me zeal for saving deeds and for acquiring the virtues I need! Grant me the strength to work and bear my cross!

During prayer, it should be clearly understood that every sin will have to be answered in court.

Important! With the help of a spiritual mentor, to combat gluttony in Orthodoxy, a person himself must learn to set punishment for himself in the form of physical labor and bowing.

Prayers before meals

Little advice from the holy fathers

To achieve victory over an addiction, priests recommend praying before every meal.

Secret prayer for those who eat immoderately
(read orally after prayer for eating)
I also pray to You, Lord, deliver me from satiety and lust and grant me in peace of mind to reverently accept Your generous gifts, so that by tasting them, I will receive strengthening of my mental and physical strength to serve You, Lord, in the short remainder of my life on earth.
Prayer of St. John of Kronstadt
Lord, our sweetest Feast, which never perishes, but arrives in the eternal belly: cleanse Thy servant from the filth of gluttony, all that is made flesh and alien to Thy Spirit, and grant him to know the sweetness of Thy life-giving spiritual Feast, which is Thy Flesh and Blood and the holy, living and Thy Word is efficacious.
St. Alexis, man of God
O servant of Christ, holy man of God Alexy! Look mercifully upon us, servant of God (names), and stretch out your honorable hands in prayer to the Lord God, and ask us from Him for forgiveness of our voluntary and involuntary sins, a peaceful and Christian death and a good answer at the Last Judgment of Christ. To her, servant of God, do not disgrace our trust, which we place in you, according to God and the Mother of God; but be our helper and protector for salvation; and through your prayers, having received grace and mercy from the Lord, let us glorify the love of mankind of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and your holy intercession, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov
O great and wonderful servant of Christ, Holy Hierarch Father Ignatius! Graciously accept our prayers offered to you with love and gratitude! Hear us, the orphaned 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 of those asking. We know that the prayer of a righteous man can do much, propitiating the Lord. From the years of infancy you have passionately loved the Lord, and having desired to serve Him alone, you have considered all the red of this world as nothing. You have denied yourself and, having taken up your cross, you have followed Christ. You chose the narrow and regrettable path of monastic life for yourself, and on this path you acquired great virtues. With your writings you filled the hearts of people with the deepest reverence and humility before the Almighty Creator, and with your wise words you taught sinners who had fallen in the consciousness of their insignificance and their sinfulness, in repentance and humility to resort to God, encouraging them with trust in His mercy. You rejected none of those who came to you, but you were a loving father and a good shepherd to all. And now do not leave us, who fervently pray to you and ask for your help and intercession. Ask us from our Humane-loving Lord for mental and physical health, confirm our faith, strengthen our strength, exhausted in the temptations and sorrows of this age, warm our cold hearts with the fire of prayer and help us, who through repentance have cleansed the Christian death of this life, receive and enter the palace of the Savior adorned with all the elect and there with you we will worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

We should not forget that man was taken from dust and will be transformed into it, while the food in the stomach is constantly transformed into excrement.

You must learn to hate that fetid load that is decomposing in your own body.

When putting food on a plate, you should gradually remove a fourth, third, and then half portion from it each time, which can be eaten in 2-3 hours if hunger arises, but it does not arise so quickly.

The devil will whisper in your ear that limited food intake is harmful to health, but this is only his lie.

Advice! Household and close people should support the glutton in his struggle by switching with him to proper nutrition.

Orthodox Life

Dejection is regret that everything is not happening the way we would like.

Most often, behind the dramatic circumstances in which people find themselves, there is despondency. The problem is that some people believe that nothing depends on them in this case, all the symptoms (apathy, anxiety, fears, loss of the ability to feel the joy of life, negativism of thinking, “frozen thoughts”, melancholy, acute feeling of inability to achieve what they want and etc.) are not of internal, but of external origin. Moreover, as in the case of all other passions, people at first enjoy despondency, justify it, consider it a defense mechanism, love themselves in this state, boast about it, flaunt it. And only later, when the consequences become painful, and despondency turns into a chronic disease, they are horrified and try to get out of it.

St. John classifies despondency as the third category of vices. This passion is very closely related to the unbridledness of the womb and the resulting laziness and impurity of the body. Also, the cause of despondency and laziness can be verbosity. “Despondency sometimes occurs from pleasure, and sometimes because there is no fear of God in a person... Dejection is often one of the branches, one of the first offspring of verbosity...” Therefore, the monk put the feat against these vices after the feat against verbosity.

Please note that Climacus practically equates despondency and laziness. In fact, despondency not only prevents a person from doing good, but, according to the expression of the ancients, is the mother of all vices. That’s why he says: “Despondency for a monk is his death.” This illness is no less deadly for every Christian (see 2 Thess. 3:6-12). “Despondency is relaxation of the soul and exhaustion of the mind, neglect of the Christian feat, hatred of the vow, a pleaser of worldly people, a slanderer of God - as if He is unmerciful and inhumane; in psalmody it is weak, in prayer it is weak, in physical service it is strong as iron, in needlework it is not lazy, in obedience it is hypocritical... Each of the other passions is abolished by one virtue opposite to it, but despondency for a Christian is an all-defeating death...” .

Most of all, despondency fears prayer. Driven by the passion of despondency, a Christian can undertake (any) good deeds, as long as he does not pray: “Despondency leads to hospitality; exhorts to give alms from handicrafts; diligently encourages to visit the sick; reminds us of the One who said: sick... beh, and come to me (Matthew 25:36); exhorts to visit the mourning and faint-hearted; and, being itself cowardly, inspires to console the faint-hearted.”

When a despondent person nevertheless forces himself to go to prayer, then “the evil spirit reminds of the necessary things to do and uses every trick to only distract from the conversation with the Lord, as if by some plausible pretext.”

Sometimes despondency can be disguised as a physical illness, which disappears during a meal and reappears during prayer: “The demon of despondency produces three hours of trembling, pain in the head, fever, pain in the stomach; when the ninth hour comes, it allows a little to arise; and when the meal is already offered, he forces him to jump off the bed; but then, at the hour of prayer, it again burdens the body; He puts those standing at prayer into sleep and steals poetry from their lips in untimely yawns.”

Remedies against despondency:

1) Prayer and unfeigned obedience. “An obedient husband does not know despondency, correcting mental and spiritual (deeds) through sensory deeds,” states St. John.

2) Life and friendly communication with other people: “Community is contrary to despondency, and to a husband who is in silence, it is an everlasting companion; before death it will not leave him and until his death it will fight him every day. Seeing the hermit’s cell, (despondency) smiles and, approaching him, moves in next to him.” But the Lord especially rewards those who are alone and courageously endure despondency: “In times of despondency, ascetics are revealed; and nothing brings a monk so many crowns as despondency.” Those who overcome this passion will be skillful in everything, testifies St. John.

3) Recollection of our falls (“He who mourns for himself does not know despondency”), mortal memory and imagination of the future blessings prepared for us; and private ones - hard work, handicraft and prayer: “Let us now bind this tormentor with the memory of our sins, we will beat him with handicrafts, we will entice him with thoughts of future blessings, and we will kill him with the sword of prayer with hope in the Lord...”. Saint John Chrysostom sees the most reliable remedy against despondency in good thoughts: “Whoever feeds on good hopes, nothing can plunge him into despondency.” The Monk Isaac the Syrian talks about this passion in approximately the same way: “Despondency is born from a soaring of the mind, and a soaring of the mind from idleness, vain readings and conversations, or from satiety of the belly.”

4) A decisive victory over despondency can only be achieved by victory over the disease of gluttony, from which this vice arises and by which it is supported, according to the thought of St. John.

It is interesting that, unlike other Church Fathers, Climacus does not say anything about sadness, which can precede the passion of despondency and is most often associated with some kind of loss or unjustified expectations. As noted at the beginning, in medical language sadness and despondency are called depression. The so-called neuropsychiatric factor, which doctors see in the etiology of almost all diseases, is most associated with depression. Apparently, in ancient times, the correct structure and rhythm of monastic life did not give monks a reason to grieve over any losses or unjustified expectations, unlike worldly people. Monks who renounced worldly concerns and attachments could only be exposed to joyful sorrow, about which the holy Apostle Paul writes: “Sorrow for the sake of God produces unchangeable repentance leading to salvation, but worldly sorrow produces death” (2 Cor 7:10).

Fourteenth stage: fight against gluttony

“Gluttony is a pretense of the belly, because even when it is full it cries out: “It’s not enough!”, being filled and dissipated from excess, it cries out: “I hunger.” Gluttony is the inventor of seasonings, the source of sweets. Whether you have abolished one vein of it, it flows from another. Have you blocked this one too, another one breaks through and overcomes you. Gluttony is a deception of the eyes; we contain it in moderation, but it incites us to consume everything at once,” argues St. John.

The cause of gluttony, in addition to the verbosity, despondency and laziness discussed above, is a habit associated with our nature: “Why do you, who are guilty of me, beat me with annoyances? And how you try to free yourself from me when I am naturally connected with you. The door through which I enter is the property of food, and the reason for my insatiability is habit; the basis of my passion is long-term skill, insensibility of the soul and oblivion of death.”

Gluttony is a terrible and humiliating vice in a person, as it makes him incapable of any activity, and most of all, of pious activities. It relaxes and suppresses the spirit, making an animal out of a person: “Whoever caresses a lion often tames him, and whoever pleases the body increases his ferocity.”

The glutton perceives even church holidays only as a convenient time to please his belly: “The Jew rejoices about his Saturday and about the holiday, and the gluttonous monk rejoices about Saturday and about Sunday; During Lent, he counts how much is left until Easter, and prepares food many days before it. The slave of the belly calculates what food to honor the holiday with; and the servant of God is thinking about what gifts he can be enriched with... The time of joy and consolation with food for the perfect is the putting aside of all care, for the ascetic it is a time of struggle, and for the passionate it is a feast of holidays and a celebration of celebrations.”

Anyone who suffers from this passion is looking for any excuse to resolve his abstinence from food: “When the stranger came, the glutton was all moved towards love, instigated by gluttony, and thought that the opportunity to console his brother was permission for him too. He considers the coming of others as an excuse to allow him to drink wine, and under the guise of hiding his virtue, he becomes a slave to passion.” The monk does not advise young people to drink wine, even if the priests bless him, for this hospitality may hide an evil passion: “I have seen elderly priests mocked by demons, who blessed young people who were not under their guidance to have wine and other things at feasts. If they have a good testimony about the Lord, then with their permission we can allow a little; if they are careless, then in this case we should not pay attention to their blessing, and especially when we are still struggling with the fire of carnal lust.”

The glutton does not know tenderness, since the satiety of the belly dries up the sources of tears; the highest aspirations of the spirit towards God are unknown and incomprehensible, since for the incontinent one God is the womb: “The saturation of the womb dries up the sources of tears; and the womb, dried up by abstinence, gives birth to tearful waters.”

Gluttony is the cause of many other passions: “The leader of demons is the fallen star, and the head of passions is gluttony... My firstborn son is fornication, and the second fiend after him is hardness of heart. The third thing is drowsiness. A sea of evil thoughts, waves of defilements, a depth of unknown and ineffable impurities come from me. My daughters are laziness, verbosity, insolence, ridicule, blasphemy, bickering, stiff-neckedness, disobedience, insensibility, captivity of the mind, self-praise, insolence, love of the world, followed by defiled prayer, soaring thoughts and unexpected and sudden misadventures; and behind them follows despair - the fiercest of all passions.”

It is impossible to overcome the lust of the flesh for one who indulges in gluttony: “Whoever serves his own belly and meanwhile wants to overcome the spirit of fornication is like one who extinguishes a fire with oil... When we are full, this unclean spirit departs and sends the spirit of fornication upon us; He tells him in what state we are left, and says: “Go, stir up so-and-so: his belly is full, and therefore you will work a little.” This one, having come, smiles and, having tied our hands and feet with sleep, does whatever he wants with us, desecrating the soul with vile dreams and the body with discharges.”

Pure prayer is unknown to those possessed by the passion of gluttony, since the thoughts of the intemperate are often defiled by impure ideas: “The mind of a faster prays soberly; and the mind of the intemperate is filled with unclean dreams.” “Satiation is the mother of fornication, and oppression of the belly is the culprit of purity.” “Be master of your belly before it dominates you, and then you will be forced to abstain in shame. Those who have fallen into the pit of iniquities, which I do not want to talk about, understand what I said; those who are chaste have not learned this by experience... Let us be careful, and we will see that overeating is the only reason for the drownings that happen to us.” “If the flesh is inflamed, then it must be tamed by abstinence at all times and in all places. When it subsides (which, however, I do not hope to wait until death), then we can hide our abstinence from others.”

The Reverend Nile the Myrrh-Streaming also discusses the close connection between gluttony, spiritual relaxation and lustful passion: “Multiple eating does not strengthen, but weakens; That’s why now we cannot fast like the ancient fathers. Now people take care of themselves so as not to catch a cold and damage their corruptible body, but the more they take care of the body, the more it decays. Yes, they take care of it, but how do they take care of it? Preserving them in gluttony in order to feed oneself with various refectory foods and nourish one’s perishable body with them. But their corruptible body, instead of being fattened by these various dishes, decays even more from them... Rich food turns into male semen... But whoever eats with abstinence never accumulates semen, nor does his chastity become corrupted. He does not become poor with his blood; He is always bright and pure in body, and therefore always has an abundance of blood, that is, he does not waste it in vain, and he never pollutes his soul, that is, with prodigal sins. By immoderate eating and drinking, a person darkens his heart and destroys the strength of his heart. So, the strength of a person’s heart is destroyed by gluttony, and the soul thereby removes the grace of the All-Holy Spirit, for a person, pouring out his semen, becomes a fornicator, commits adultery, commits fornication, engages in philandering or only mental philandering, that is, enjoying lustful thoughts. From this corruption, the blood perishes in a person, and passion acquires such strength in him that neither mountains nor hills can stop it, nor forests nor thickets can prevent it. But the unfortunate person does not notice this... Gluttony and not fasting are especially destructive for a monk, for with this gluttony he destroys himself and his salvation, without noticing it. Some say: we cannot fast. For what reason are you unable to fast? Do you know why? Because you do not have the grace of the All-Holy Spirit; for this reason I can’t. So, force yourself to fast in order to acquire the grace of the All-Holy Spirit. When a person eats many different dishes, the body delights, but grace withdraws from it and the person’s heart dies. Then a person cannot fast; he grumbles when a fast day or Great Pentecost comes. Why are you grumbling, unfortunate man? Fast and abstain if you want the grace of the All-Holy Spirit to come to help your fasting.”

Varieties of the passion of gluttony (carnal pleasure) include smoking and drunkenness. Doctor of Medical Sciences, priest from St. Petersburg Georgy Grigoriev claims that among the two hundred most terrible drugs in the world, alcohol ranks third, and smoking takes sixth place. According to medical statistics, among all drinkers, only about 5% do not become dependent. In the world, 3/4 of people do not drink alcohol: Muslims, residents of China, India. Mostly people with white skin drink, and there are less than 20% of them in the world.

The most effective remedies against the disease of gluttony, which St. John points out:

1) Memory is mortal. “Sitting at a table full of food, imagine death and judgment before your mental eyes, for even in this way you will hardly be able to tame the passion of gluttony even a little. When you drink, always remember the value and gall of your Master, and in this way you will either remain within the limits of abstinence, or at least, having groaned, you will humble your thoughts.

2) Post. “Do not be deceived, you cannot free yourself from the mental Pharaoh, nor see the heavenly Passover, if you do not always eat bitter potion and unleavened bread. Bitter potion is the compulsion and patience of fasting, and unleavened bread is unpuffed wisdom. May this word of the psalmist be united with your breath: I, when the demons were always cold, clothed myself in sackcloth and humbled my soul with fasting, and my prayer returned to the bosom of my soul (Ps. 34:13).”

The monk writes that although fasting violates our nature, it then gives health to the body and enjoyment of many virtues: “Fasting is violence of nature, rejection of everything that delights the taste, extinguishing bodily inflammation, extermination of evil thoughts, liberation from bad dreams, purity of prayer, the luminary of the soul, the guardianship of the mind, the destruction of heartfelt insensibility, the door of tenderness, the humble sigh, the joyful contrition, the restraint of verbosity, the cause of silence, the guardian of obedience, the relief of sleep, the health of the body, the cause of dispassion, the resolution of sins, the gates of heaven and heavenly pleasure.”

However, you should not sharply limit yourself in food, because this can lead to various diseases and despondency. “This,” says St. John, “is the same as if someone told a child to climb to the very top of the stairs in one step.” He advises those who have previously eaten deliciously and variedly to make a prudent choice of type and gradually limit the amount of food eaten: “If the soul desires various foods, then it seeks what is characteristic of its nature; and therefore we must use prudent caution against our cunning belly; and when there is no strong carnal warfare and there is no opportunity for a fall, then we will cut off first of all the food that fattens, then the food that inflames, and then the food that delights. If possible, give your belly sufficient and digestible food so that through satiation you can get rid of its insatiable greed and, through rapid digestion of food, get rid of the burning sensation, like a scourge.”

Climacus distinguishes between different degrees of abstinence: “One abstinence is appropriate for the innocent, and the other for the guilty and repentant. For the former, movements of lust in the body are a sign of the perception of special abstinence; and the latter remain in it even until death and until death do not give their body consolation, but fight with it without reconciliation. The former always want to preserve the well-being of their minds, while the latter, through spiritual lamentation and meltdown, appease God.”

3) Physical labor. Bodily inactivity is not conducive to eating large quantities of food; moreover, even a small amount of food cannot be digested as it should, as a result of which the person becomes obese and relaxed. Physical labor produces the opposite effect.

4) In the fight against drunkenness, in addition to drug treatment, the prayerful and moral help of neighbors is especially important, and the venerable elders of Optina advised getting rid of smoking with the help of general confession throughout your life.

Archimandrite Markell (Pavuk), confessor of the Kyiv theological schools

How to get rid of the sin of gluttony

In the Gospel of Matthew it is written that a demon can be driven out only in one way, constantly being in prayer and fasting. The Holy Fathers teach to oppose any sin with virtue, so drunkenness overcomes sobriety, fornication overcomes purity; gluttony - fasting It is true bliss to have the power of spiritual, mental and physical continence.

Fast

It is now fashionable to be in fasting. Restaurants are full of lenten dishes, confectioners offer candies and cookies prepared supposedly without the use of animal fats.

Lenten food

The essence of fasting is not in giving up animal products, but in pacifying your flesh. If a person replaces one tasty treat with another, then this is not fasting, but a modification of food products. During Lent, busy life seems to slow down, devoting more time to communicating with God in churches and among Christians.

Read about the posts:

Nativity Fast Great Lent Peter's Fast

Prayer gives strength

laziness; despondency; slander; slander; laziness; anger; verbosity.

St. John advises that when thoughts about food arise and before eating food, constantly remain in prayer.

Prayers before eating food

Our Father, Who is in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Virgin Mary, rejoice. Blessed Mary, the Lord is with you; Blessed are You among women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for She gave birth to the Savior of our souls. Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Bless. Through the prayers of the saints, our fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen. Prayers after eating food

We thank You, Christ our God, for You have filled us with Your earthly blessings; do not deprive us of Your Heavenly Kingdom, but as in the midst of Your disciples you came, Savior, give them peace, come to us and save us. It is worthy to eat as you truly bless Theotokos, Ever-Blessed and Most Immaculate and Mother of our God. We magnify Thee, the most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison, the Seraphim, who gave birth to God the Word without incorruptibility. Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Through the prayers of the saints, our fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Against gluttony

God have mercy on me, for I am weak! Grant me to curb my belly and acquire the virtue of continence.

Against laziness

God have mercy on me, for I am weak! Help me curb my laziness! Grant me zeal for saving deeds and for acquiring the virtues I need! Grant me the strength to work and bear my cross!

During prayer, it should be clearly understood that every sin will have to be answered in court.

Important! With the help of a spiritual mentor, to combat gluttony in Orthodoxy, a person himself must learn to set punishment for himself in the form of physical labor and bowing. Prayers before meals

Little advice from the holy fathers

To achieve victory over an addiction, priests recommend praying before every meal.

Secret prayer for those who eat immoderately

(read orally after prayer for eating)

I also pray to You, Lord, deliver me from satiety and lust and grant me in peace of mind to reverently accept Your generous gifts, so that by tasting them, I will receive strengthening of my mental and physical strength to serve You, Lord, in the short remainder of my life on earth.

Prayer of St. John of Kronstadt

Lord, our sweetest Feast, which never perishes, but arrives in the eternal belly: cleanse Thy servant from the filth of gluttony, all that is made flesh and alien to Thy Spirit, and grant him to know the sweetness of Thy life-giving spiritual Feast, which is Thy Flesh and Blood and the holy, living and Thy Word is efficacious.

St. Alexis, man of God

O servant of Christ, holy man of God Alexy! Look mercifully upon us, servant of God (names), and stretch out your honorable hands in prayer to the Lord God, and ask us from Him for forgiveness of our voluntary and involuntary sins, a peaceful and Christian death and a good answer at the Last Judgment of Christ. To her, servant of God, do not disgrace our trust, which we place in you, according to God and the Mother of God; but be our helper and protector for salvation; and through your prayers, having received grace and mercy from the Lord, let us glorify the love of mankind of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and your holy intercession, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov

O great and wonderful servant of Christ, Holy Hierarch Father Ignatius! Graciously accept our prayers offered to you with love and gratitude! Hear us, the orphaned 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 of those asking. We know that the prayer of a righteous man can do much, propitiating the Lord. From the years of infancy you have passionately loved the Lord, and having desired to serve Him alone, you have considered all the red of this world as nothing. You have denied yourself and, having taken up your cross, you have followed Christ. You chose the narrow and regrettable path of monastic life for yourself, and on this path you acquired great virtues. With your writings you filled the hearts of people with the deepest reverence and humility before the Almighty Creator, and with your wise words you taught sinners who had fallen in the consciousness of their insignificance and their sinfulness, in repentance and humility to resort to God, encouraging them with trust in His mercy. You rejected none of those who came to you, but you were a loving father and a good shepherd to all. And now do not leave us, who fervently pray to you and ask for your help and intercession. Ask us from our Humane-loving Lord for mental and physical health, confirm our faith, strengthen our strength, exhausted in the temptations and sorrows of this age, warm our cold hearts with the fire of prayer and help us, who through repentance have cleansed the Christian death of this life, receive and enter the palace of the Savior adorned with all the elect and there with you we will worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

We should not forget that man was taken from dust and will be transformed into it, while the food in the stomach is constantly transformed into excrement.

You must learn to hate that fetid load that is decomposing in your own body.

When putting food on a plate, you should gradually remove a fourth, third, and then half portion from it each time, which can be eaten in 2-3 hours if hunger arises, but it does not arise so quickly.

The devil will whisper in your ear that limited food intake is harmful to health, but this is only his lie.

Advice! Household and close people should support the glutton in his struggle by switching with him to proper nutrition.

What it is?

One of the eight passions, it 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 food lovers.

Passion forces you to break fasts, because it is very difficult to control yourself when there are a lot of dishes on the table, and Lent is on the calendar. It is especially difficult when visiting when the owners of the house do not fast. That is why it is not advisable to make idle visits to unbelieving friends and relatives during Lent, because they will most likely invite you to the table with savory dishes.

The sin of gluttony and its consequences

In antediluvian times, the phenomenon of gluttony reached a stage when the entire earth was corrupted “from man to cattle,” and disappeared in an instant due to the action of God’s holy intervention. It would seem that everyone has gotten rid of this illness forever, but it reappears in the arena of life and demonstrates its strength. Its common name is Sodom and Gomorrah . Now, already in a terrible fire, having been incinerated, the sin of gluttony found its rest in the land, which never again gave any food.

This story, although it continues, will not last long. The Gospel of Matthew reveals to us a secret that has been hidden from eternity. The Lord, shortly before His suffering, speaking about His return in power and great glory, said that as it was in the days of Noah, they married, gave 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,” said the Savior (Matthew 24:29–39).

Saint Luke, continuing this theme, wrote down the Lord’s words in the following presentation. The Lord Jesus Christ, addressing the disciples, said that when they see this coming true, let them know: the Kingdom of God has come near. Turning further to them , he warned them about being full of food and burdened by drunkenness, and in order to save them from the suddenness of those events, he commanded them to stay awake at all times and pray (Luke 21:31-36).

The cost of teachers' negligence

Let's think about this now. If we are disciples of Christ and continuers of His teaching and want to fulfill His will to spread His Kingdom here on earth, then we must be prepared for every good deed and learn to win. Consequently, satiety with food and heavy drinking will not lead us to the right result. The Holy Apostle Paul commands in this case to be filled with the Spirit, instead of getting drunk. He tells us, like those who 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 walk carefully, in view of the wickedness of the times (Ephesians 5:13-21).

Paul said about himself personally that he can do everything in Jesus Christ, who strengthens him. The apostle learned to hunger and to be filled, to be in want and in abundance. He endured such a feat for the sake of the Kingdom of God, in order to reach at least some of those who were perishing (Philippians 4:11-13).

In the history of God's people there is a sad experience of disobedience in terms of satiety with food and wine so much that they abandoned God and despised their salvation. They grew obese, fat, fat and became governed by their belly. Thus, Israel turned from godly children into gluttons and, being darkened in mind, began to make sacrifices to demons (Deuteronomy 32:9-17).

New Testament times did not change things at all. Why did Paul teach the holy church to act in his image , and not like the enemies of the cross of Christ. He cited as an example many who go to destruction, glorifying themselves in shame, for their god is their belly. Everything is natural, “in a demonic way” - having begun to think about earthly things, they forgot that their residence is in heaven; they were to wait for their Savior, who would come and transform their weakness into glory. But they were tired of being weak and, without waiting for the Lord, they decided to transform themselves - according to the earth. Having changed their priority, Christians turned into idolaters, gluttons, burning incense to their own gods.

Another sad and bitter experience. Since the time of Moses, the Lord, as it is written, has appointed priests after His own heart, and one of the duties of these chosen people was to receive animals from the people for sacrifice. And so, during 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. Lacking endurance and patience, without waiting for the end of the ritual, they shamelessly cut off meat from the carcasses and fried them in a frying pan, and also grabbed with a fork the meat that was boiled in cauldrons.

Subsequently, the unfortunate sons were punished and God expressed his attitude about this, telling his father that those who dishonor God’s name will face shame. If the sin of the youths was against people, then with the help of prayer this process could still be stopped, but actions against God turned out to be a sin. They grossly trampled on God's work, growing fat from the offerings of God's people - Israel (1 Samuel 2.3).

A similar situation occurred at the beginning of the church period. The Apostle Paul, who had gathered to eat the Lord's Supper, made a remark about the impatience when food and wine were snapped up before everyone had arrived at the table. As a result of this, 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 chief apostolic church, Paul would not have intervened with teaching.

Any action related to eating always requires special preparation 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 food culture and proper walking before the Lord; but they were all already sufficiently corrupted 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 also first of all the father, because, it is written, he was heavy enough to fall from his horse and die on the spot.

General effects of gluttony on a person:

Gluttony destroys and destroys everything good in a person - it does not leave a single grain of good in a person.
Gluttony makes a person an idolater. St. Basil the Great says: “He who is a slave to his own belly prays to his idol.” And as Ap said. Paul: "God is their belly." All who do not struggle with their belly are Christians only on the outside, but pagans on the inside.
Gluttony deprives a person of purity and integrity.
Gluttony crushes the firmness of virtue, i.e. we cannot maintain virtue; if we are subject to this passion, it will certainly be crushed. Remember the example from St. John Climacus, as soon as he heard the bell ringing in the refectory, he would stop crying and run to dinner.

Thanks to gluttony, from the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, Orthodoxy turned into a religion. We have turned the immense and incomprehensible Divinity into a minimum: a minimum of fasting, prayers, piety, a minimum of everything through which we must ascend to God. We began to come to the temple to do what was required, and we go home with a clear conscience - this is religion, but not faith. And, the worst thing is, we are all quite happy with this, with rare exceptions. There are few truly believing people. Basically all people are religious. Why do many people convert to Islam? A true believer will not find anything in Islam, because... this is the beginning, Islam is the faith of Abraham. This is where Christianity began. But “pagan Christians”, of course, find a lot of new things for themselves in Islam, because they have not comprehended Orthodoxy, but have already become disillusioned with it. Christianity calls us to perfection, but we do not strive for it, although everyone should, because... this is a commandment.

Now I would like to give you a diagram of the vices that come from the sin of gluttony, according to the teaching of the passions of St. John Climacus. Of course, this is all conditional, and they do not reflect the whole picture, because... no table here is enough to display all the vices that arise from this passion.

First of all, this is fornication, worldly or carnal wisdom, voluptuousness, insensibility, hardness of heart or hardness of heart, false piety, despair, ridicule, untimely laughter, much verbiage, bickering, arrogance, boasting, disobedience, blasphemy and, as its form, wit, insolence , laziness, stiff-neckedness, peacefulness and people-pleasing, from which very harmful acts occur in our lives - meanness, deceit, intrigue and slander.

So, gluttony is the head and nourisher of all passions; it stupefies a person and makes him, in fact, an animal, i.e. the person will become “bestial.” And therefore, a Christian must devote all his efforts to significantly limiting this passion, so that Christ can remove the veil of carnal wisdom from the eyes of our soul. This requires spiritual struggle.

Any spiritual activity today must be accompanied by reading the patristic works, absolutely. For those who are philosophically educated, such fathers as Blzh. Augustine, people without theological education can easily read St. Theophan the Recluse or St. Ignatius Brianchaninov. They wrote specifically for ordinary people. This is necessary because creations of St. Fathers play a decisive role for us in order to correct our brains, because it forces us to rethink our position in life on many things. Of course, this is necessary in order to take root in virtue, in order to acquire some habit in it. Anyone who wants to live by faith, a spiritual life, needs to read St. fathers who wrote about spiritual life. Without this, it is simply impossible to be saved, because... Without these instructions, you and I will not be able to understand where we should move in order to achieve perfection.

How to get rid of sin

Coping with the task is not so easy. For the most part, this decision depends on the individual. If he sets such a goal for himself, he will achieve it. The support of others is also important. Remember that if they tell you that you can handle it, then so be it. This is not as simple as many may initially think. It's worth putting in a lot of effort.

How to get rid of the sin of gluttony? In this aspect, it is important to understand for ourselves that everything we do will have a result not only on our appearance, but also on our internal state. In the case of food, identifying the reason that leads to such cravings can help cope. Don’t think that you can improve your life by constantly snacking and chewing everything you have at hand. This is absolutely not true. In some cases, the result will be completely opposite.

All this suggests that it is worth thinking about eating in this way. Reconsider your views on this process and everything can return to normal. Try to find harmony between your spiritual and physical state. Turn to the Lord for help and He will not leave you alone in this situation.

May the Lord protect you!

Influence on the human spirit.

Although spirit and mind are approximately the same thing, I would like to make a small distinction:

“Gluttonia is the driving away of the Holy Spirit from a person,”
Gluttony drives away prayer. A person becomes completely incapable of prayer. Many people think that prayer is the lot of monks, but good deeds are enough for us, we can barely read the rules. You see how firmly this already sits in us, we no longer even notice that this is “carnal wisdom.”
Gluttony deprives a person of fervor and zeal for God, i.e. the spirit of a person fades and becomes “luke-cold”, i.e. dead, indifferent to his salvation. This is the most terrible and dangerous human condition.

Religion's opinion on proper nutrition

Thoughts of the Holy Fathers

Recently, people have increasingly begun to commit this sin. For many, food has become a kind of cult: they always talk about it, add a lot of herbs and spices.

As Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, says: “Gluttony is idolatry , because sinners put their pleasure above everything else, for them God is their own womb, and this is nothing other than an idol.”

Anatoly the Great also believes that gluttons are idolaters, because the second commandment says: “Thou shalt not make unto thee an idol,” and in reality many people are the strongest idols of food.

Abba Dorotheos believes that there are two types of gluttony. In the first case, people do not tend to eat a lot of food, but they add a lot of spices, which greatly enhance its taste. A person holds it in his mouth for a long time and chews it because of its pleasant taste, not daring to swallow it. In Orthodoxy, this type of gluttony is called laryngeal madness.

The second case of gluttony is gluttony, when people want to eat a lot. At the same time, it doesn’t really matter to them whether the food tastes good or not. They just care about filling their belly as much as possible.

Instilled in eating food

Many of you have probably already understood how not to eat, but now you need to figure out how to eat food so as not to become a glutton. The Holy Fathers report that:

Needless to say, nothing can be changed. If you realize that you have been eating incorrectly, this only means one thing - it can still be corrected; Spices and spices do not need to be used in everyday food, but they can be added during celebrations; Avoid sweets; Avoid fatty foods; You need to stop eating when your hunger is satisfied, but you still want to eat a little; When the process of eating food occurs, you need to remain silent. During a conversation, a person can eat much more than necessary.

There are quite a few people who adhere to proper nutrition. However, God forgives everyone. And if you realize that you behaved incorrectly, then all is not lost.

What circle of hell is prepared for gluttons?

The scripture says that for violating mortal sins, a person falls into one of the circles of Hell. Believers dream of avoiding such a fate and pray for forgiveness from the Lord, asking him to give them the strength to fight human passions. Others are trying to understand who will guard their “peace” after death, what circle of the dark monastery they will fall into. (see how to protect yourself from the evil eye and damage yourself)

You will find answers to all these questions in church literature or Dante's Divine Comedy. It talks about the existence of nine circles of hell. Each of them is dedicated to its own “heroes”, so that after death people do not pass on sins to each other and do not incline them to commit new ones.

Gluttonians “live” in the third circle. It rains constantly on its territory, and the souls of the dead drown in puddles of mud.

They are guarded by the demon Cerberus, who holds them under his paw. The Lord chose this punishment for them - they rot in the rain.

Related "friends" of gluttony

All sins are interconnected. With repentance, a person cleanses his soul for Jesus, but gradually laziness pushes the worship of God into the background, making the human temple empty, open to demons who will rush to settle there. (Matthew 12:42)

Gluttony is accompanied by:

Anger. Gluttons justify the anger they often fall into by being fat. Entering a state of excitement, stress eating begins, and it is not peace that is acquired, but the accumulation of fat. Prolonged gluttony intensifies the fear of being left without food, and stinginess is born. A sinful person begins to hoard food, consuming even spoiled foods that are a pity to throw away. Misers often finish the food left by others, despising themselves for this, but they cannot do anything about it. The demon is stronger than their pathetic flesh. Why is overeating dangerous? The shame of eating a huge amount of food causes secret eating. In public, such a person behaves quite decently, but fills his belly in a secret corner away from human eyes. Important! Few people know that devouring means making a sacrifice; the womb becomes an idol, requiring more and more sacrifices. Christians who change their priority become idolaters.

Prayers to help the suffering:

Prayer to Matrona of Moscow for weight lossOrthodox prayers for weight loss and against gluttony

Related "friends" of gluttony

Gluttony is accompanied by:

Anger. Gluttons justify the anger they often fall into by being fat. Entering a state of excitement, stress begins to be consumed, and not peace is acquired, but the accumulation of fat. Prolonged gluttony intensifies the fear of being left without food, and stinginess is born. A sinful person begins to hoard food, consuming even spoiled foods that are a pity to throw away. Misers often finish the food left by others, despising themselves for this, but they cannot do anything about it. The demon is stronger than their pathetic flesh. Why is overeating dangerous? The shame of eating a huge amount of food causes secret eating. In public, such a person behaves quite decently, but fills his belly in a secret corner away from human eyes.

Important! Few people know that devouring means making a sacrifice; the womb becomes an idol, requiring more and more sacrifices. Christians who change their priority become idolaters.

Prayers to help the suffering:

Prayer to Matrona of Moscow for weight loss Orthodox prayers for weight loss and against gluttony