The Charism and Charm of the Fat Guy

I got thinking about "fatness" after reading my friend Stephen Adubatto's provocative Substack (Cracks in Postmodernity)  on priests fat, skinny, weight-lifting and so forth. 

My mother and her mother did not like fat. I think that is common among the Irish. Our society is relentless in its distaste for it as ugly and unhealthy. "Diet and exercise" we hear endlessly. Okay! But lets be honest: when it comes to the body you are pretty much stuck with what you are given...short/tall, skinny/muscular/fat. There's not a lot you can do. You know: genetics, metabolism, etc. The implicit moral judgment that the heavy person is somehow indulgent and lazy is a vile rash judgement. (By the way: rash judgment is by far the most prevalent sin! It is a sin of the intellect but rooted in an uncharitable and lazy will.) Fear and loathing of fatness is widely prevalent, especially among our young women. 

What is true is that oftentimes the fat guy/girl is the most fun, funny, humble, self-effacing, intuitive, generous, ironic, eccentric, warm, intelligent and holy person in the group. 

Consider:

St. Pope John XXIII

St. Thomas Aquinas

Monsignor Lorenzo Albicette

Servant of God Catherine Doherty

Winston Churchill

G.K. Chesterton

Chris Farley

Oprah Winfry

Jackie Gleason

Lou Costello

Luciano Pavarotti

Oliver Hardy

Burl Ives

John Goodman

Rush Limbaugh

Obesity is a serious suffering, a cross, physically-socially-psychologically. But spiritually, there is possible a profound irony, a la Flannery O'Connor type insight: when suffered graciously it yields fruit in compassion, humility, comedy, intuition, and wisdom. By a strange paradox, the "dis-appeal" of the heavy body comes to manifest as a startling temple of the Holy Spirit. 

So, fatness becomes a sacramental of the transcendent and the eschatological. Our appearance, here and now, in time and history, in the flesh...is not the ultimate. What is ultimate is the life of the soul, in union with God, starting now and going forward into eternity. 

PLEASE...PLEASE...PLEASE...Do not tell me "If you have health, you have everything!" That is so so so so wrong. People lack or lose health...do they have nothing? That may the the stupidest statement I have ever heard.

Fatness is similar to vowed poverty, chastity and obedience. Gratefully, generously, humbly accepted it points beyond to the deepest meaning of life, under the appearance of the appealing and the healthy...to the soul in communion with God. 

I think with gratitude and respect of my father-in-law, Al, a big man who danced like Fred Astaire, was smart and funny and humble and a good husband and father to my bride.

I think of our classmate, friend John: undisputed leader of our class, mature, hilarious, fatherly, generous, super-fun, gifted. Recovering from alcoholism, he embraced 12-step spirituality, and went on to do superb work for the addicted, homeless and mentally ill. Always a Joy to be with.

Another college roommate and friend, George. Italian, he was the first one to point out to me the Irish bias against the fat. He was a two-pointer. He was also homosexual. That, like fatness, is an affliction of suffering that is often accompanied by interior charisms like empathy, intuition, intelligence, charity, wisdom, creativity. George, of happy memory, was also a Joy to be with.

I honor the memory of Al and George by gratitude for those we love who free us from our fear, shame and loathing and bring light and levity into our lives.