Fasting
Yesterday morning, I underwent a medical procedure. It required that I not have any solid food after midnight Sunday night (or Monday morning, depending on how you look at it). It was about thirty-two hours.
It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but I was definitely uncomfortable, especially yesterday morning waiting for the procedure to begin. I was allowed Jello (not red), broth and diet 7 Up, which made things a little easier. But, the fast caused me to think about Christ, fasting for forty days.
How pathetic we are when we try to imitate Jesus. He suffered for forty days, nearly six weeks. Why? For you and me, that’s why. Even though He was God, he was also a man. There’s no reason to think that he didn’t get just as hungry as we do.
So what does the Church ask of us? We’re asked to fast a total of two days each year! Two days! And what a fast it is! We’re allowed one meal, plus two smaller meals. We’re not to eat solid food between meals.
Jesus abstained from all food for forty days. We’re not allowed to eat between meals for two days. And, they’re not even two days in a row! My question is, “Do we do it? Do we do it willingly? (I know, that’s two questions.) Or do we whine and complain? Do we feel like we’re really making a big sacrifice? (I know, that’s two more. Offer it up!)
Do we make a sincere effort to imitate Jesus in our own, pitiful way? Or do we look at it as some kind of Church-imposed punishment that’s really above and beyond the call of duty? Do we rationalize our weakness by telling ourselves that our mid-morning snack is really a continuation of breakfast, and not eating between meals? C’mon, we’ve all done it. It’s like not taking your finger off the checker. The move’s not over until we do.
“I was in a hurry at breakfast and didn’t really finish. This donut is just a continuation of that one meal.”
The good news is that God knows how weak we are. But He also knows whether we’re really trying or not. We may fool ourselves, but we can never fool Him. He doesn’t expect us to spend forty days in the desert, but He does expect our penance to be sincere and meaningful. We’re not yet halfway through Lent, so we have plenty of time to show our love for Him.
It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but I was definitely uncomfortable, especially yesterday morning waiting for the procedure to begin. I was allowed Jello (not red), broth and diet 7 Up, which made things a little easier. But, the fast caused me to think about Christ, fasting for forty days.
How pathetic we are when we try to imitate Jesus. He suffered for forty days, nearly six weeks. Why? For you and me, that’s why. Even though He was God, he was also a man. There’s no reason to think that he didn’t get just as hungry as we do.
So what does the Church ask of us? We’re asked to fast a total of two days each year! Two days! And what a fast it is! We’re allowed one meal, plus two smaller meals. We’re not to eat solid food between meals.
Jesus abstained from all food for forty days. We’re not allowed to eat between meals for two days. And, they’re not even two days in a row! My question is, “Do we do it? Do we do it willingly? (I know, that’s two questions.) Or do we whine and complain? Do we feel like we’re really making a big sacrifice? (I know, that’s two more. Offer it up!)
Do we make a sincere effort to imitate Jesus in our own, pitiful way? Or do we look at it as some kind of Church-imposed punishment that’s really above and beyond the call of duty? Do we rationalize our weakness by telling ourselves that our mid-morning snack is really a continuation of breakfast, and not eating between meals? C’mon, we’ve all done it. It’s like not taking your finger off the checker. The move’s not over until we do.
“I was in a hurry at breakfast and didn’t really finish. This donut is just a continuation of that one meal.”
The good news is that God knows how weak we are. But He also knows whether we’re really trying or not. We may fool ourselves, but we can never fool Him. He doesn’t expect us to spend forty days in the desert, but He does expect our penance to be sincere and meaningful. We’re not yet halfway through Lent, so we have plenty of time to show our love for Him.
posted by Mike at 7:50 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home