St Ignatius: Rules with Regard to Eating

From the third week of the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola, his Rules with Regard to Eating. See also commentary (Simmonds, Shano), St Benedict: On food and drink, Christian Fasting: A Theological Approach, and food in early monastic rules.

Rules with Regard to Eating

To secure for the future due order in the use of food

First Rule

There is less need of abstinence from bread, since it is not a food concerning which the appetite is wont to be so inordinate and temptation so insistent as with other kinds of food.

(211)

Second Rule

As to drink, abstinence seems to be more necessary than in eating bread. Hence, one should consider carefully what would be helpful, and therefore to be permitted; and what would be harmful, and to be avoided.

(212)

Third Rule

As to foods, greater and more complete abstinence is to be observed. For with regard to them the appetite tends more readily to be excessive, and temptation to be insistent. To avoid disorder concerning foods, abstinence may be practiced in two ways:

First, by accustoming oneself to eat coarser foods;

Secondly, if delicacies are taken, to eat of them only sparingly.

(213)

Fourth Rule

Provided care is taken not to fall sick, the more one retrenches from a sufficient diet, the more speedily he will arrive at the mean he should observe in the matter of food and drink. There are two reasons for this:

First, by thus using the means to dispose himself, he will often experience more abundantly within the soul lights, consolations, and divine inspirations by which the proper mean will become evident to him.

Secondly, if he perceives that with such abstinence he has not sufficient strength and health for the Spiritual Exercises, he will easily come to understand what is more suitable to sustain his body.

(214)

Fifth Rule

While one is eating, let him imagine he sees Christ our Lord and His disciples at table, and consider how He eats and drinks, how He looks, how He speaks, and then strive to imitate Him. In this way, his mind will be occupied principally with our Lord, and less with the provision for the body. Thus he will come to greater harmony and order in the way he ought to conduct himself.

(215)

Sixth Rule

While eating, one may also occupy himself with some other consideration, either of the life of the saints, or of some pious reflection, or of a spiritual work he has on hand. For when a person is attentive to anything of this kind, there will be less sensible gratification in the nourishment of the body.

(216)

Seventh Rule

Above all, let him be on his guard against being wholly intent upon what he is eating, and against being carried away by his appetite so as to eat hurriedly. Let him always be master of himself, both in the manner of eating and in the amount he eats.

(217)

Eighth Rule

To do away with what is inordinate, it will be very helpful after dinner or after supper, or at any time when one does not feel a desire for food, to arrange for the next dinner or supper, and so every day to fix the amount that is proper for him to eat. Let him not exceed this, no matter what his appetite or the temptation. Rather, to overcome better every disorderly appetite and temptation of the enemy, if he is tempted to eat more let him eat less.