Admonitories

     “I can’t eat that.” The thought occurred this week while visiting a supermarket. I had noticed free samples of cheese.
     Two days later I headed toward the kitchen in my home. I was hungry for a sandwich. A similar thought popped into my head. “I can’t eat baloney.”
      The first thought came on Ash Wednesday, a day of fasting in the Catholic tradition. The second thought dinged my cranium on a Friday. Eating meat on that day is prohibited during Lent.
     These thoughts—seemingly out of the blue—have struck during previous Lenten seasons. On one such occasion, a cheeseburger was halfway into my mouth when the thought came through.
     Where do these thoughts—or reminders—come from?
     One explanation is scientific. Our neurological system, in its complexity, pumps out reminders when temptation threatens.
     The other explanation is supernatural. A spiritual being, either God himself or a representative, conveys these admonitories.
     I can’t say for sure, but I think these reminders come from a spiritual being. For that reason, they hint at the existence of God.