When a man desires a thing, it is insatiably so. This is to guide him to God, whose immeasurable magnificence is the only satisfaction for an endless appetite. God has put eternity in his heart. Yes, only those who drink from Christ shall never thirst again.
A being with an insatiable appetite can only be satisfied with eternal food, for an insatiable appetite is never full, and eternal food never ends. All other foods grow the ever-appetite weary and strengthen its hungers. But the eternal food and drink are ever-satisfying.
Sin provides a thin satisfaction and hides the true depth of our desire. The glutton, thinking he is satisfied, has not yet begun filling his stomach. Vanity of vanities! But the man who tastes of Christ is always realizing further depths of his appetite and that Christ ever satisfies these enlargements of his desire. A man who follows sinful desires neglects the depths of his appetite and Christ’s ability to satisfy him.
Origen would subscribe (maybe?)…
Ancient Christian answers for our culture’s most profound questions. Subscribe for regular articles in your inbox.
To be outside of Christ is worse than misery. We are beggars waiting to enter the wedding banquet and feast on the fullness of Christ. But until then, God provides us with what bread we need so that our desire for His eternal presence may deepen, and we may be strengthened to withstand earthly appetites and partake of His suffering. Truly, man shall not live by earthly bread alone.
The manna of our soul is Christ and His body alone. The wine that quenches our eternal thirst is Christ and His blood alone. To be in Christ, then, is ecstasy unending. It is the satisfaction of all our parts and every urge. Union with Him is ultimate enjoyment and endless happiness.
No one who does not eat of His flesh or drink of His blood shall be saved because to be saved is to be satisfied, and no one’s hunger can be satisfied without eating or thirst without drinking. Union with Christ does not merely mean proximity to Him, but being a true partaker of Him and Him of us. No one can partake of Christ and not be satisfied.



