We tend to regard “gluttony” as overindulgence in food or drink, but it can also be regarded as any preoccupation that leads to excess. Hence we can become “theologically obese,” we can “binge” on religious self-righteousness; we can feed on resentment and be consumed by inner anger; we can bask in apathy, relish greed, lust for the approval of others, wallow in self-pity, obsess over our health, and so on. Similarly, we tend to regard “abstinence” as refraining from feeding our appetites, though it can also be regarded as withholding what we need, denying ourselves tolerance, refusing to forgive ourselves, living under the slavery of perfectionism, legalism, and so on… “We fall not because we are weak, but because we believe ourselves strong.”
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