Supernatural Temperance and the Joy of Steak
Spiritual growth includes becoming fully human, and that is why we need the virtue of natural temperance. Natural temperance is the virtue of balancing our desires for created goods according to our needs. As a natural virtue, temperance exercises our free will over our physical desires. It, therefore, leads to greater freedom and helps us to live more fully human lives. We become masters of our own bodies rather than slaves to our desires.
But the end goal of all spiritual growth, and therefore of all virtue, is to love God more completely. Supernatural virtues help us have a relationship with God, and to participate in His love and goodness. For example, natural fortitude means strengthening our will to choose what is right and good even when things get difficult, but supernatural fortitude empowers us beyond our own strength with the strength of God. It helps us to go beyond our human limitations by connecting to God and relying on Him. In the same way, supernatural temperance takes us beyond mere self-control to empower us to sacrifice the lesser goods and to embrace the greater goods.
Ode to Steak – Why Did God Make It Taste So Good?
Steak is one of my favorite foods. I love it! When I was fresh out of college, I would go out for steak at least once a week. Then I realized that my habit was not only ruining my health but also ruining my enjoyment of steak. Natural temperance helps me to enjoy a good steak for special occasions rather than to overindulge. But supernatural temperance helps me to remember that there is a reason steak tastes so good.
Why is there pleasure related to the enjoyment of physical goods? Some people theorize (and I think a bit cynically) that pleasure is united to things like eating and sex so that we will be motivated to do these things. I don’t know. You can’t convince me that cows find eating grass very pleasurable. They eat because they want to survive, not because they have a particular hankering for grass. I think if eating were simply a matter of survival and not of pleasure I may even eat healthier than I do now. And would I go through a pleasureless experience to start a family? Well, as an adoptive father I did exactly that. Adoption is a trial, not a pleasure. But having a family is worth the effort. If humanity had to reproduce in a way that was not pleasurable, I think we would do it. So why does steak taste so good? Simply put, steak tastes good because God loves us.
Created Goods Are Signs of God’s Love
Creation was the first covenant. God created us from the very beginning to be His family. Everything He created – including steak – was designed to be a sign of God’s love for us, His desire to show us His fatherly care. God made it possible for us to experience pleasure in created goods so we could experience His goodness.
- The goodness of food
- The beauty of nature
- The peace we experience in maximum relationships
- The pleasure of sex
- Other bodily pleasures and comforts
- Our companionship with animals
- Insert your favorite created good here _________________
The pleasure we experience in Creation is God’s message of love.
Supernatural Temperance: Receiving God’s Love Through the Gift
The grace-led version of the virtue of temperance helps us not only to recognize created pleasures as signs of God’s love, but also to sacrifice those created pleasures when necessary in order to embrace God’s love more completely. Our tendency to overindulge in created goods is also a tendency to replace God in our hearts with them. This virtue helps us to keep God on the throne of our hearts, and His gifts in their proper place.
- See all created goods as a gift of love from God (increasing our enjoyment of them even more)
- Acknowledge God as the source of those gifts
- Love the Giver of the gift more than the gifts themselves
- Be willing to sacrifice the gifts when they interfere with our relationship with God
It adds so much beauty to our lives. Imagine looking at Creation with new eyes of love.
The next time you sit in front of a fat, juicy steak (or whatever your favorite created good is), make your first thought, “This is how much God loves me.” Just see if it doesn’t change the way you approach life forever.
Your Next Action Steps
Growing in the supernatural virtues is not just a matter of practice and discipline, but also of prayer and grace. The best prayer for cultivating supernatural temperance is the prayer of gratitude. Consider what you’re thankful for. Then consider how each thing is a message of love from God. As you go through your day, continue this grateful mindset and praise God for His love for you.
If you enjoyed this teaching and would like to learn more about growing in the key virtues that build a spiritual life for the laity, please consider the offer below to take your next step with From the Abbey. Whether it’s learning your faith with online classes and articles or living your faith with online spirituality programs, From the Abbey can help you take your next step toward holiness.
Brought to you by Jeffrey S. Arrowood at From the Abbey, dedicated to helping you rediscover the JOY of learning and living your faith so you can grow in intimacy with God.
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