Feeding the Passions

Feeding the Passions
There is an old saying, “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.” We already know that obesity, diabetes and clogged arteries can result if you eat too much junk food. If this is true regarding the bad food that is put into the stomach, what happens when the individual Christian feeds their soul with spiritual junk food?

Jesus gave us this Divine insight: “Your eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is sound, your whole body is full of light; but when it is not sound, your body is full of darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light" (Luke 11:34,36).

To be healthy spiritually, God asks us to be careful what we read or view, how we look at or perceive others. We are to refrain from the things that are evil and destructive and partake of the things that are holy, wholesome, good and virtuous. So why then do we continue to:

Feed our minds with fear, anger and resentment?
Feed our reason with jealousy and pride?
Feed our souls with self-pity and indifference?
Feed our eyes with pornography and adultery?
Feed our ears with gossip and slander?

Feed our mouths with criticism and false witness?

God shows us a better way to live in Christ. We must partake of the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. When you display irresponsible behavior, pride, expressions of enmity, lack of love, and other works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21), you are lacking the fruit of the Spirit. Try practicing these virtues instead:

When criticized, feed your mouth with praise.
When all you see is ugliness, feed your eyes with beauty.
When you want to lash back verbally at someone, feed your heart with patience.
When you want to throw up your hands and walk away, feed your mind with understanding.
When you have the impulse to hate, feed your soul with love.
When all seems lost, feed yourself with hope.
When you wish to express coldness, feed yourself with compassion.

There is another saying, “if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you always got.” If you always feed your passions in the way you’re always done, you’ll get the same bad results. If you continue live in the past, you will not be open to God’s power that can change any problem into an opportunity for spiritual growth. Choosing to feed yourself with the things of heaven results in abundant blessings. Feeding the passions with more passion depletes the soul of life-giving grace.

The Apostle Paul told Timothy: “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8). When you choose to feed your passions, you are actually starving your soul; you are then at risk in becoming a spiritual anorexic. The remedy is spiritual training that will strengthen your heart, mind and soul. It consists of reception of the sacraments of Confession and Communion, accepting the advise of a spiritual director to whom one is accountable, regular and consistent reading of the scripture, putting “feet in your faith” by performing acts of mercy for others and making a conscience effort to bring Christ into your everyday decisions.

Just as there is mounting evidence that putting poor fuel into your body significantly affects good health and behavior, feeding your heart, mind and soul with spiritual nutrients will yield a bountiful harvest in your life. God wrote His "recipe for life" in the Scriptures for us to follow. He gave us a perfect living example in His Son, Jesus, Who “came that we may have life and have it more abundantly”(John 10:10).

HomePage
Archived Articles