Temperance
True Freedom?
Restrictions often feel like the enemy of freedom, because how can I say I'm free if I can't do what I want to do? But if we cannot choose what is truly good and are enslaved by pleasure, are we really free?
True freedom is found in the autonomy to choose what is good. One who submits to impulses cannot say they are free because they are controlled by them.
As one of the Cardinal Virtues, temperance moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods (CCC1809). It allows mastery over instincts and maintains our desires to be honourable.
Through temperance, our desires for pleasure are guided by reason and faith. They are moderated, ensuring that they do not rule over us.
The Restless Heart
Have you ever gone down a rabbit hole, chasing the next high, driven by impulses? Personally, the more I chase one pleasure, the quicker everything else feels boring. What was once exciting becomes ordinary, leaving me in a desensitised state.
However, we must not be mistaken in thinking that our desires are inherently evil and suppress them. Humans have been created with the capacity to desire. In fact we are created by God and for God! He has written the desire for Him in our hearts (CCC 27).
The reality is that when desires go out of control, we can easily fall into a state of sin. Without measures to protect ourselves against sloth, lust and gluttony, we succumb. Whenever I gave in to the temptation of scrolling on social media or playing games for hours, the temptation to give into lust and gluttony slowly crept in. As these sins took hold, my prayer life suffered and I began to drift from God. It was only in exercising the virtue of temperance that I was able to make room once again for God to allow my restless heart to rest in Him.
“It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness; He is waiting for you when nothing else satisfies you.” (Pope Saint John Paul II)
Now What?
Only when we learn to temper our desires, do we become available to direct them towards a higher good, more specifically, our relationship with God. In this way, “the temperate person directs the sensitive appetite toward what is good and maintains a healthy discretion” (CCC 1809).
The gift of the temperate person is moderation and living a balanced life. Like a pastry chef who tempers his eggs, it can be neither too hot nor too cold. Temperance allows us to be free, to discern what is good, and to not be controlled by impulses. Temperance in my life looked like denying myself of a snack that I didn’t actually need and cutting my gaming time to an hour every week.
Remember, temperance is not about taking extreme measures to completely desensitise our senses. Rather, it is about setting realistic and intentional goals and boundaries to help us grow in freedom.
So the next time you feel the urge to open instagram, ask yourself. Can I stop? Is this something I need right now? If we find ourselves struggling to do so, perhaps we need to stop and recognise how we may be slaves to our desires.
Temperance can be practiced through simple ways, such as setting a daily time limit on that app you’ve been spending too much time on. With your new found free time, it then provides opportunities for spiritual growth and healthier habits. You could pick up a book or visit Jesus at the adoration room.
“There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the creator made known through Jesus Christ.” (Blaise Pascal)
The Temperate Person
Temperance is not just reserved for our desires for pleasure. Beyond food and social media, the temperate person also moderates desires for power, fame, recognition, the list goes on.
As Pope Francis writes, “the temperate person appreciates the respect and recognition but does not allow the desire for approval to govern his word and action. He does not seek applause but knows that he needs others.” He continues, “The temperate person weighs his words and doses them well. He doesn’t allow anger to ruin relationships and friendships that can then only be rebuilt with difficulty. ”
In my life, I often find myself measuring my worth or usefulness based on affirmations. Temperance in this case looks like moderating this desire for recognition and asking myself “am I doing this for God, or am I seeking applause?”.
Ultimately, the temperate person is one who allows his desires to be ordered by love. He is free not because he gets everything he wants, but because he is no longer controlled by what he wants.
Reflection Questions
Has there been a recent occasion where I found it difficult to say no to my desire(s)?
What desire or habit most often competes with my desire for God?
How is God calling me to grow in the virtue of temperance today?