moderation

Today in A Year with the Church Fathers, we hear from St John Cassian. He tells us that we should steer clear of the "lusts of our flesh" by practicing moderation. As long as we don't go crazy, we should enjoy food and drink. God created them for us, and gave us taste buds to enjoy them with. We just need to remember not to overindulge.

Moderation is a good thing in general. We should work in moderation, eat, drink, and exercise in moderation. Too much of any of those things are bad for us. We don't want to be any kind of -holic.

There are some exceptions to the moderation rule, though. We can't love God too much. We can't love our neighbors too much. We can't pray too much. We can't praise God too much. (Too loudly? Yes.)

So remember to practice moderation in the things that require it, and go crazy with the things that don't.

God, thanks for teaching us when to practice moderation. Please help us to do the other things much more.