Letter 17: Gluttony of Delicacy

Review:

  • Focus on the Present and Eternity with God, not the Past or the future. (Letter 15)
  • Becoming part of a fellowship of believers. Romans 14 (Letter 16)
Outline:
  • Gluttony of Excess versus Gluttony of Delicacy
  • Patient's mother is in bondage to Gluttony of Delicacy
    • amounts are small
    • rationalize that she is avoiding waste
    • in the "All-I-want" state of mind
  • Too focused on food, not quantity, but type of food.
  • Rationalizes with her son "does like to have things nice for her boy"
  • Males are not as caught up in the "All-I-want" approach
  • Screwtape recommends using male vanity:
    • He 'knows' where the best is. He can do it 'himself'
  • Goes on to talk about using Excess Gluttony as attack on chastity
    • someone in excess, will want more and more of other lusts
    • exercise in excess is not especially a cure for chastity.
Terminology:
  • Contemptuous - feeling or expressing contempt
  • Dossier - a file of papers containing a detailed report of information
  • Palate - taste, or roof of the mouth
  • Querulousness - state of constantly complaining, whining
  • Temperance - habitual moderation in indulgence of the appetites or passions
  • Pique - to offend by slighting
Questions/Discussions:
  • What's this with delicacy? Proverbs 23:1-7
  • What's the main purpose of food? See Ecclesiastes 10:16-17
  • How do we rationalize our Gluttony?
    • I earned the money to buy the best? Spending expanding to fit the budget. Luke 12:13-21
  • Any examples of gluttony? Esau in Genesis 25:29-34
  • Why not gluttony? Proverbs 30:7-9
  • We want to rationalize or cry victim in our Gluttony.
    • fake fat, fake sugar, let me eat all I want
  • We eat to pass time
Scripture:

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