The ancient practice of fasting illuminates human connectedness and our reliance on others, especially on God. We, mere creatures, are in much more need than we can ever perceive, let alone admit; but God can change us even when we think we need not change.
Do we need to take on a spiritual practice like fasting? No. Spiritual practices aren’t taken on to propitiate an angry God or to lay claim to God’s grace. They are lenses through which we can see God’s grace more clearly.
Fasting also invites us to develop a certain tolerance for discomfort. Food is omnipresent in our culture: fast-food restaurants on every corner, beef jerky and candy bars at the gas station, pastries passed around the office. Resisting temptations to break our fast, resisting invitations to bend our commitment to our spiritual practice, calls for constant awareness and determination.
Fasting is a time-honored practice that helps reframe the true priorities of a Christian life: not consumption but generosity; not satisfaction but hunger for justice; not greed but gratitude.
This message is excerpted from “The spiritual practice of fasting” by Sarah Scherschligt from the February 2017 Cafe online magazine.
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