Spiritual gluttony, as described by St. John of the Cross, refers to the excessive pursuit of sweetness and pleasure in spiritual exercises, rather than seeking spiritual purity and discretion 1 2. This can manifest in various ways, particularly concerning the Sacrament of Confession.

Here's a breakdown of spiritual gluttony and its relation to confession:

Understanding Spiritual Gluttony

• Seeking Sensible Sweetness: Spiritual gluttony involves seeking to "feel and taste God" in a palpable way, not only in Communion but in all acts of devotion 3.
• Imperfection: St. John of the Cross identifies this as a significant imperfection that can lead to great evils 3.
• Extremes: Those with spiritual gluttony may go to extremes, exceeding the limits of moderation in their spiritual practices 1 2. They may harm themselves through excessive penances or fasts, disregarding advice and obedience 1 2.
• Inordinate Love of Sweetness: It arises from an unrestrained desire for spiritual sweetness, causing individuals to prioritize the pleasure derived from spiritual exercises over genuine spiritual growth 4 5.

Manifestations in Relation to Confession

• Insisting on Frequent Communion: Individuals may insist on frequent Communion, driven by a desire for the sensible sweetness they experience, rather than a genuine sense of their own unworthiness and the reverence due to God 6.
• Careless Confessions: The eagerness to receive Communion frequently can lead to making confessions carelessly, prioritizing the act of eating over the cleanliness and perfection of their confession 6. They become more focused on the reception of the sacrament than on genuine repentance and amendment of life 6.
• Disregarding Counsel: Some may even dare to communicate without the permission of their confessor, relying on their own judgment and concealing the truth 6. This boldness is considered harmful and potentially punishable 6.
• Delaying Confession: Ironically, seeking spiritual highs can also manifest as delaying confession. Thomas Aquinas notes that delaying confession for spiritual disease is more dangerous than delaying medical attention for physical disease 7. Similarly, Thomas a Kempis notes that too much carefulness or anxiety can hinder someone from devotion 8. He recommends following the counsel of wise men and laying aside anxiety and scruples, because it hinders the grace of God and destroys devotion of mind 8.

Avoiding Spiritual Gluttony

• Prioritize Purity and Discretion: Focus on spiritual purity and discretion rather than seeking sweetness in spiritual exercises 1 2.
• Embrace Aridity: Recognize that God may restrain concupiscence and curb desire, leading to a period of aridity and darkness in which the soul cannot feed on pleasure or sweetness 4 5. This is a necessary part of spiritual growth 4 5.
• Spiritual Sobriety: When desire and concupiscence are quenched, the soul can live in spiritual tranquility and peace 4 5.
• Humble Resignation: Adopt an attitude of humble resignation, accepting the guidance of one's confessor and the Church 6.
• Self-Examination: Regularly examine your motivations and passions to identify any attachments that may be hindering your spiritual life 9.

Broader Context of Gluttony

• Gluttony and Other Vices: John Cassian explains that overcoming gluttony is essential for battling other faults like fornication, covetousness, anger, dejection and pride 10 11.
• Checking Incentives: Cassian also notes that the spirit of gluttony cannot be entirely eliminated but its incentives and superfluous appetites can be held down by the power of the mind 12.
• Harm to the Soul: The Holy Fathers taught that food consumed in excess harms the soul, and that a lack of self-control in eating and drinking leads to voraciousness in everything else 13.

In summary, spiritual gluttony is a subtle but dangerous inclination to seek excessive pleasure and sweetness in spiritual practices, including the Sacrament of Confession. It can lead to carelessness, disobedience, and a distorted view of God and oneself. Overcoming this requires a focus on spiritual purity, humility, and acceptance of God's will, even when it involves dryness and a lack of sensible consolation.

Spiritual gluttony, the excessive and disordered pursuit of pleasure in spiritual exercises, has several detrimental effects on one's spiritual life. These effects can hinder genuine spiritual growth and lead to various spiritual and moral pitfalls.

Diminished Intellect and Increased Sensuality

• Clouded Judgment: According to Thomas Aquinas, vices like gluttony and lust fix a person's attention on corporeal things, weakening their ability to understand intelligible things 1. Lust, being more vehement, can lead to blindness of mind, severely limiting the knowledge of spiritual matters, while gluttony results in a dulled sense, making one weak in understanding spiritual truths 1.
• Subjection to Sensible Things: Aquinas explains that when the light of wisdom diminishes due to a will not submitted to God, people subject their affections to sensible things, leading them away from God and into sin 2. This can also make them vulnerable to unclean spirits and various sins, further corrupting them and distancing them from spiritual and divine goods 2.

Hindrance to True Contemplation and Happiness

• Obstacle to Contemplation: Aquinas states that bodily pleasures hinder a person's close approach to God, as God is approached through contemplation, which these pleasures impede 3.
• False Sense of Happiness: Placing happiness in bodily pleasures, as the Epicureans did, or in the pleasures of the belly, as the followers of Cerinthus and the Saracens believed, is a misguided pursuit that detracts from true happiness 3. True happiness is found in approaching God, not in sensory indulgence 3.

Disordered Affections and Actions

• Inordinate Stirrings of Appetite: Original sin and the fall from grace led to inordinate stirrings of the lower appetite, causing people to subject their affections to sensible things and wander far from God 2.
• Laziness and Neglect: Overindulgence in pleasures can lead to dissoluteness, laziness, and neglect of necessary duties, as people become wholly devoted to the quest for pleasure 4. This can result in poverty and a willingness to resort to immoral means to maintain their accustomed pleasures 4.

Spiritual and Moral Dangers

• Wandering After Unlawful Things: Sloth, which arises from sorrow over spiritual goods, can lead to "wandering after unlawful things," as people seek external objects of pleasure to compensate for their lack of spiritual joy 5.
• Malice and Spite: Sloth can also manifest as spite towards those who lead others to spiritual goods and even as malice, a detestation of spiritual goods themselves 5.
• Sinful Inclinations: Thoughts concerning carnal gratification are particularly powerful in inclining one towards sin, as concupiscence is innate and grows from youth 6. Dallying with such thoughts incites lust, making it necessary to flee from fornication, as it can be overcome in no other way 6.

Thirst Without Satisfaction

• Insatiable Desire: While a faint perception of divine knowledge brings delight and sets up a thirst for perfect knowledge, bodily pleasures become distasteful due to their excess, leading to weariness and a desire for something else 7. Spiritual pleasures, on the other hand, do not exceed the natural mode of being but perfect nature, offering the greatest delight when their point of perfection is reached 7.
• Unfulfilled Desires: In the pursuit of pleasurable enjoyments, people may become intemperate and incontinent, but true happiness and perfect delight are found in the vision of God, which is more perfect than any sensible good and free from sadness or harassing solicitude 8.

In summary, the effects of spiritual gluttony include diminished intellect, hindered contemplation, disordered affections, spiritual and moral dangers, and an insatiable desire that cannot be fulfilled by sensory pleasures. It leads one away from God and true happiness, emphasizing the importance of moderation, spiritual purity, and a focus on divine knowledge and love.

To counteract the negative effects of spiritual gluttony, several practical remedies can be employed. These remedies focus on cultivating virtues, practicing moderation, and redirecting one's focus towards genuine spiritual growth and detachment from excessive sensory or emotional gratification in spiritual exercises.

Cultivating Virtues

• Temperance and Moderation: Practice temperance in all aspects of life, including spiritual exercises 1 2. Avoid extremes and seek a balanced approach to prayer, fasting, and other devotional practices 1 2.
• Humility: Cultivate humility by recognizing one's dependence on God and acknowledging one's imperfections 3. This helps to avoid pride and the temptation to seek spiritual experiences for personal gratification 3.
• Obedience: Follow the guidance of a spiritual director or confessor 4. Obedience helps to ensure that one's spiritual practices are aligned with Church teaching and are not driven by selfish desires 4.
• Charity: Focus on serving others and practicing acts of charity 5. This redirects attention away from oneself and towards the needs of others, fostering a spirit of selflessness and love 5.

Practicing Detachment

• Renunciation: Practice renunciation by detaching from worldly possessions and pleasures 6. This helps to purify the heart and create space for God 6.
• Mortification: Embrace small acts of mortification, such as abstaining from certain foods or activities, to strengthen the will and develop self-control 7.
• Acceptance of Aridity: Accept periods of spiritual dryness or aridity as opportunities for growth 8. Recognize that God may withdraw consolations to test one's love and purify one's intentions 8.
• Focus on Intention: Focus on the intention behind spiritual practices rather than the feelings they evoke 9. Strive to love God for His own sake, not for the sake of the pleasure or satisfaction one derives from spiritual exercises 9.

Redirecting Focus

• Study of Scripture and Theology: Engage in regular study of Scripture and theology to deepen one's understanding of God and His will 10. This helps to ground one's spiritual life in truth and avoid being led astray by emotions or subjective experiences 10.
• Contemplative Prayer: Practice contemplative prayer, which involves resting in God's presence and allowing Him to lead. This helps to cultivate a deeper relationship with God that is not dependent on sensory experiences.
• Discernment of Spirits: Learn to discern the movements of the Holy Spirit and the temptations of the evil spirit. This helps to distinguish between genuine spiritual experiences and those that are driven by selfish desires or illusions.
• Frequent Confession: Regularly confess one's sins and seek guidance from a confessor. This helps to purify the conscience and receive the grace needed to overcome spiritual gluttony.

Additional Considerations

• Self-Awareness: Develop self-awareness by examining one's motivations and desires. This helps to identify any tendencies towards spiritual gluttony and take steps to correct them.
• Patience: Be patient with oneself and recognize that spiritual growth is a gradual process. Avoid discouragement and continue to strive for holiness, trusting in God's grace.
• Community Support: Seek support from a community of faith. Sharing one's struggles with others can provide encouragement and accountability.

By consistently applying these practical remedies, individuals can overcome spiritual gluttony and cultivate a more authentic and mature spiritual life, rooted in love, humility, and a genuine desire for God's will.

To counteract spiritual gluttony, cultivating specific virtues is essential for fostering a balanced and authentic spiritual life. These virtues help to redirect one's focus from seeking excessive pleasure in spiritual practices to pursuing genuine spiritual growth and union with God.

Core Virtues to Cultivate

• Temperance:
  • Definition: Temperance is the moral virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods 1. It ensures the will's mastery over instincts and keeps desires within the limits of what is honorable 1.
  • Application: Practice moderation in all aspects of life, including spiritual exercises. Avoid extremes in prayer, fasting, and other devotional practices 1.
• Humility:
  • Definition: Humility is the virtue by which a person recognizes their own limitations and dependence on God 2. It is the opposite of pride and arrogance.
  • Application: Acknowledge your dependence on God and recognize your imperfections. Avoid pride and the temptation to seek spiritual experiences for personal gratification 2.
• Obedience:
  • Definition: Obedience is the virtue by which a person submits their will to legitimate authority, such as God, the Church, or a spiritual director 3.
  • Application: Follow the guidance of a spiritual director or confessor. Obedience helps ensure that your spiritual practices are aligned with Church teaching and are not driven by selfish desires 3.
• Charity:
  • Definition: Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God 4.
  • Application: Focus on serving others and practicing acts of charity. This redirects attention away from oneself and towards the needs of others, fostering a spirit of selflessness and love 4.

Related Virtues

• Fortitude:
  • Definition: Fortitude is the virtue that enables one to face difficulties and dangers with courage and perseverance.
  • Application: Develop the strength to resist temptations and persevere in spiritual practices, even when they are difficult or unrewarding.
• Patience:
  • Definition: Patience is the virtue that enables one to endure suffering and hardship with calmness and composure.
  • Application: Be patient with yourself and recognize that spiritual growth is a gradual process. Avoid discouragement and continue to strive for holiness, trusting in God's grace.
• Meekness:
  • Definition: Meekness is the virtue that moderates anger and promotes gentleness and kindness.
  • Application: Cultivate a gentle and compassionate attitude towards others and towards yourself. Avoid harshness and self-condemnation.
• Prudence:
  • Definition: Prudence is the virtue that enables one to make sound judgments and decisions based on reason and wisdom.
  • Application: Exercise discernment in spiritual matters and seek wise counsel when making important decisions. Avoid impulsiveness and rashness.

Additional Virtues

• Renunciation: Practice renunciation by detaching from worldly possessions and pleasures 5. This helps to purify the heart and create space for God 5.
• Mortification: Embrace small acts of mortification, such as abstaining from certain foods or activities, to strengthen the will and develop self-control 6.
• Diligence: Be diligent in pursuing spiritual growth and fulfilling your duties. Avoid sloth and laziness, which can lead to spiritual stagnation.

By actively cultivating these virtues, individuals can overcome spiritual gluttony and develop a more balanced, authentic, and fruitful spiritual life, centered on love for God and service to others.