For those of you who are Orthodox, you know what the title of this post means. For all others, I am speaking of the forty days that lead up to the celebration of Easter. We who are Orthodox, call it Pascha.
For the next six or seven weeks, the Eastern Orthodox church lives out the most strict fast of the calendar. Many misunderstand what this of all about. This is not about following a bunch of man made rules, for we no longer live under law. This is not about taking on a special diet, for our focus is on eternity, not grasping after perpetual youth. This is about balance.
This long, challenging and sanctifying fast of about forcing our flesh to live the life of faith. This concept has really been on my mind lately. In this fast, we choose not to eat meat, dairy, oil or wine until Pascha morning. Food had become such a powerful force in our modern day lives that we no longer see food rightly. Food has become the driving force in our lives.
Do you think that it has not? Try going a week, eating only vegetables and drinking water. Your desire for something tasty will fight back. Your flesh will rebel. Your stomach will tell you otherwise. These are the questions and statements that torment me. My wife is a really good cook and baker. She feeds me well. When I think of how easy it is to enjoy really good food, I see how weak I actually am.
The goal of the fast is like the training of a marathon runner. You do not run for the sake of running. You run so as to be prepared for the big race. Fight the flesh, fight the passions, fight the easy life.
Your soul and your eternity depend on it.
Saturday, February 25, 2017
The approaching fast
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