Father Stephen has a different take on the "purpose" of Christian fasting. First of all, he says, the cornerstone of fasting is inner silence and communion with God through ceaseless prayer. It is about longing for God and hungering after Him in all humility. If that is learned by a 'failed' fast, then that is a blessing.
Father Stephen had another correlation having to do with the spiritual purpose of fasting that I have never thought of. A person who is near death often refuses all food. This is a natural part of the process of letting go of this world and moving on to the next. Studies show that the dying who are allowed to forgo food experience less pain.
Fasting, in the Christian sense, then, is about dying to self and dying to the world. It is about moving on to the world for which we were created. It is about living as though we were dying because in dying, we are born to eternal life.
7 comments:
my friend, your comment to me touched me so much, that i added it to my post called "acceptance in grief". would you please come over to the Garden and read it? God bless you my friend, you are very, very kind.
Thank you for this Dymphna! I needed to read this!
You're welcome, Marilena! I hope and pray that God comforts you in your grief.
I needed to read that too today, Anne! God has amazing timing with these things.
Wow, that is a wonderful post. I never thought of fasting in this way.
cindy
I hadn't either, Cindy! Its a totally different perspective.
Thank you. This post has wonderful insights on fasting that have never occured to me. I know a lot about failed fasts, though ;)
I hear you about failed fasts!
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