Sunday, August 13, 2017

seasoned with hunger


St John Chrysostom talks to us today about the rich and the poor in A Year with the Church Fathers. He tells us that it's far better to have "simply enough" than to have more than we need. He paints a very elaborate picture of what the lives of rich people look like, and contrasts it with the lives of people who live simply.

The line that jumped out at me was when he says that the best seasoning for our food and drink is hunger and thirst. And you know what he means, don't you? When you've eaten a good deal of food already, the next course doesn't always taste that great. But when you've been out all day, working or running or doing something that worked up a sweat and an appetite, and then you come in and take the first bite of dinner... or even that first gulp of water... and it tastes like the best thing you've ever had.

When we step back and think about it, that applies to more than food. If you've been in bed for several days (from having a cold, maybe), you don't want to lie back down. But if you've been working hard all day, your bed feels so wonderful when you lie down in it. If you've been wandering around Florence all day, one more beautiful church can seem kind of ho hum after all of the others you've seen. But when you've been cooped up inside for a few days, say because of bad weather, the first time it clears up and you see the blue sky and sunshine, it can take your breath away.

I think St John is on to something. Maybe God designed us to appreciate things more when we've gone without for awhile. Maybe that's what lent and advent are for... to whet our appetites for the feast.

God, thanks for making us in such a way that to live simply is to live better.