Satisfied?

Because I wasn’t feeling well this morning, I ate more than usual – significantly more. Now with a stomach full of cheap, high-fat food, I turn to look at today’s Scriptures.

Their end is destruction.
Their God is their stomach;
their glory is in their "shame."
Their minds are occupied with earthly things.

Now I feel worse.


Seriously, what St. Paul says in today’s first reading is a challenge for many of us.

It is obviously a challenge for those of us who may live comfortably in the midst of a relatively wealthy society. The temptation for indulging ourselves is incessant: self-indulgence and excess of one kind or another is promoted by nearly every form of media and by the example of most people around us.

On the other hand, it is also a challenge for those of us who may be poor. The more desperate the situation, the greater the temptation to focus solely on material things (this is one of the reasons why it is necessary for the Church to help the poor).

Rich, poor, or in-between, all of us must keep our minds on heavenly things, without forsaking our God-given obligations here on earth. We must always remember that no self-indulgence can ever bring as much lasting satisfaction as devotion to Christ. Those who have practiced fasting (within the bounds of good health) know the peace and the clean-feeling comfort that so often comes with it.

We must not let our rationalizations of emotional "need" or theoretically deserved "reward" distract us from where our minds and hearts should be: not on our stomachs or any other of our earthly satisfactions – our hearts and our minds must always be focused on God and the way he wants us to live.

To paraphrase St. Augustine (and some old commercials)...

nothing really satisfies like God.