1. Gluttony and Courage under persecution
Deanna Cotugno, Aletta Fischer, Anthony Rivetti, Claudia White

2. What is Gluttony?
Talk to a partner, and discuss the following proposition:
Do you agree with the phrase, everything in moderation, including moderation?
What does this adage mean and how does this tenet apply to your life?
HINT* What cardinal virtues are relevant to this phrase?

3. Self Indulgence (Gluttony)
In plain terms, Gluttony is an unhealthy indulgence or obsession with things such as food, drink, etc.
Kreeft in Back to Virtue provides 5 specifications for gluttony
Hastily (gulping)
Sumptuously (demanding rich foods)
Excessively (too much)
Greedily (wanting what you want when you want it)
Daintily (obsessing over making it perfect)
Kreeft also provided the “daughters of gluttony”
Unseemly joy (as though reason were fast asleep at the helm)
Scurrility (foolish talk and behavior)
Uncleanness (vomiting)
Loquaciousness (immoderate speech)
Dullness of mind (on accounts of the fumes of food disturbing the brain)
These daughters of gluttony offer as an expression of the lack of self control that is at the core of gluttony and self indulgence, which is illuminating to the deeper nature of the sin and its connection to the other seven deadly sins

4. Self Indulgence (Gluttony)
Gluttony in itself is exhibiting an over-indulgence of something of the physical nature, as seen commonly with food and drink
But when taken to an extreme, it takes us away from God and consumes us in a sense of worldliness
An example of Gluttony is materialism. People fill their lives with material goods to a point of obsession, needing the most high end, on trend items. In seeking to fill oneself up with material goods, it only creates a deeper emptiness
The underlying motivation of gluttony reveals itself as a paradox, as when we partake in gluttony, it is from the mindset that I am empty, thus I need to be filled. But this makes us more empty.
Revealing to the nature of how we are able to heal gluttony, as a sin of the physical world is unable to be healed by physical things, as the only thing that can fill us is divine love from God

5. Misconceptions about Gluttony
A common misconception about gluttony is that it ONLY refers to food.
Gluttony/self-indulgence refers to the overconsumption of any worldly good. In noting this difference, it annunciates gluttony as a sin of lacking in self control, or temperance.
Because gluttony is a “sin of the flesh” and not a spiritual sin, so it is not as serious
Though it is true that gluttony is not often seen by itself, it serves as a stem for the other deadly sins, acting as a “sister sin” to the other seven deadly sins.
Gluttony most commonly appears in junction with avarice and lust
What are examples of these sins seen in literature?
Scrooge, A Christmas Carol
“A sure way of possessing is to assimilate, to eat. And pornography reduces a person to a piece of meat. It even uses the language of the epicure”
In seeing gluttony in junction with the other seven deadly sins, it becomes clear the severity that gluttony possesses in its real-world application

6. Courage Under Persecution – Seen in Scripture
"Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5: )
"If they persecute me, they will persecute you" (John 15:20-21)
"Whoever is made to suffer as a Christian should not be ashamed but glorify God because of the name" (I Peter 4:16)

7. Courage Under Persecution
Courage under persecution means to endure persecution in remaining steadfast to the faith; it requires of you a sense of self- emptying in order to fill oneself with the divine love of Christ
There are many misunderstandings about this beatitude:
People believe that there is no courage under persecution, as it can be argued that enduring persecution is the opposite of courage, but this is not the case.
The nature of how this virtue exhibits courage is found in its nature as a paradox
In modern context, everyone is concerned with seeking acceptance in a conformist society, the “ostracism inherent in persecution is feared almost as much as the physical threats”
In risking isolation in the face of wanting acceptance, it is one of the most evident acts of courage that is seen in modern society
In taking this leap away from materialistic attitudes, we are making a bold statement of faith by drifting away from familiarity, which is often quite scary and requires an immense amount of courage

8. Courage Under Persecution
The nature of persecution that requires self-emptying to allow room for God is a direct cure for the over consumption in gluttony
Persecution was seen most evidently in Jesus on the cross, as he remained steadfast and faithful to his father’s mission
Though a more modern example is bullying- in combatting bullying, it requires us to stand true to our values and protect those how are victimized, which risks isolation from our peers
In maintaining courage in the face of persecution, it enables is to be the best version of ourselves because it requires us to empty ourselves of worldly possessions.
In doing this, it requires a sense of separation that leads us toward a sense of independence of mind
Self Reliance, Ralph Waldo Emerson
This independence shields us from the mental damage of persecution, and allows us to make room for connection with God, which relates to the nature of the sin of gluttony – a sin of the flesh is not cured by earthy possessions, it is cured by spiritual fulfillment in the life of Christ
Also related to this beatitude is the virtue of kindness, as in order to act with courage under persecution, we must be kind to our persecutors, which embodies the Christian faith

9. Vice Vs. Virtue, Direct Comparison
Self Indulgence (Gluttony)
Courage Under Persecution
Gluttony is the overconsumption of worldly goods that, in severe cases, turns us away from God. We seek to fill our lives because we see that we are empty, but the act of worldly consumption only makes us more empty.
Courage under persecution is the act of enduring persecution and remaining steadfast to your beliefs. This involves the emptying of ourselves to make room for God, to be filled spiritually.
This contrast most clearly shows these two as opposites, because they both involve emptiness, but gluttony fills us with worldliness while courage under persecution wills us with God’s divine love.
All vices and their cures of virtue allow for us to humble ourselves. It shows us as a part of a whole; “’How can you be so sure your Jesus wont let you slip through one of his fingers’ ‘because I am one of his fingers.’” The underlying purpose of ALL the beatitudes is to remind us that we are a part of a whole, and it humbles us and opens our hearts and our eyes to see our place in the life of Christ.

10. Thank You