The other day, my sister was telling me about a conversation she had with the vicar at her parish, a young priest who is assigned to work with the youth. Don Alessandro told her that he is known by the nickname of “Fr. Bread and Water,” and this is why.

A few years ago, as a brand-new priest, he led a retreat for a group of Catholic Action youth. They took the train from Bologna to Sicily, where they lodged at an Augustinian Convent. So far so good. The trouble began when the Augustinians served a cold supper: fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, bread and cheese. Some of the kids started to complain that they wanted a real supper, with hot pasta and the works. Don Alessandro explained that they should be thankful for their meal because, although simple, it was excellent and concluded with an old Italian clincher: “be satisfied with what the convent provides” (another Catholic saying which our mothers use to cut short their children’s complaints. In other words: “be happy with what you have and stop whining”). Next day, same story: cold food and hot grousing. Then, half-way through the retreat, they went to visit a remarkable man with a life story straight out of our Catholic roots.

The son of a very wealthy family, who would eventually inherit all the money and all the responsibilities. However, like Saul of Tarsus and St. Francis of Assisi, to name only two of our ancestors, the Lord “knocked him off his horse,” turning his life upside down. Unlike the rich young man in the Gospel, he accepted Christ’s invitation to turn his back on a life of luxury and ease and follow Him instead. His parents were no happier than St. Francis’, and the young man had to run away from home. He took shelter in a shepherd’s hut, and there he remained until he understood what God had asked him to do: join the Franciscan order.

Broke, he walked from Sicily to Assisi (about 650 miles), where he asked the sons of St. Francis to accept him as a novice. After his vows, and trusting in the Lord’s providence (and not in government money, ahem), the young friar returned to Sicily, where he opened soup kitchens for the homeless.

After the youth group left the holy friar, Don Alessandro noticed that three of his boys sneaked into a bakery, where they stuffed themselves with pastries. Meanwhile, back at the convent, the Augustinians had prepared a wonderful cold rice salad, an Italian summertime favorite, for the kids’ dinner. And here’s where “Fr. Bread and Water” got his name. Thanking the monks for their kindness he said: “Take the rice salad back. Tonight we eat only bread and drink only water.” Then he turned to the shocked kids and told them: “Since the day of our arrival, many of you have continued to complain about the food. And today, after hearing that holy friar’s story, and seeing how he is consumed with zeal to serve the Lord through His poor, three of you sneaked into a bakery to eat your fill of pastry. You are spoiled and think of nothing but yourselves and your wants. This is not how Catholics should behave. I am ashamed of you!”

My sister concluded: “Today, unfortunately, we are no longer reminded of the sin of gluttony, and so our young people live only for themselves and to satisfy every want of their bodies.” I answered: “Well, not only our young people!” In fact, most of us have become so accustomed to delicacies, “gourmet” food and novelties that the simple, nutritious, healthy fare with which our old folks grew up is no longer good enough for us. When we go into a grocery store, we find thousands of items to tempt us, so we follow our stomachs, and treat every meal as a feast. No wonder our cholesterol is high and we are at risk of diabetes!

No, I am not suggesting that we should eat boiled potatoes every day, like St. John Vianney did. I am simply saying that we forget our Catholic heritage to our detriment, not only spiritual, but also physical. How many of us remember the Seven Heavenly Virtues? To refresh the memory, here they are: “Chastity, Temperance, Charity, Humility, Diligence, Patience and Kindness.” Not too popular today, are they? On the other hand, the Seven Deadly Sins are at the top of the charts! And here they are: “Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy and Pride.” Of course, “we have canonized them under nobler names” as Henri Cardinal de Lubac says, tongue-in- cheek. Names such as Freedom, Progress and Choice.

Still, notice “gluttony” among the deadly list? What’s wrong with satisfying our hunger? We are not harming anyone after all! Hmmm, are we sure? For instance: how much money do we waste on our stomachs that could be donated to charity? And, by feeding every urge of our bodies from our earliest childhood, aren’t we starving our souls? True freedom can only be achieved when we have trained our body to submit to our will.

Oops, gotta go. I hear a Dove Bar calling my name from the freezer.