This year the Third Day of Christmas falls on a Friday, and
that means….FAST FREE FRIDAY! I don’t know about you, but I like fast free Fridays,
not ‘just’ because I can enjoy a juicy hamburger, but because it allows me to
experience a glimpse of the coming Kingdom. When we fast according to the
guidance of the Church, we appreciate the ‘small things in life’ like not
fasting on a Friday. There are only a few fast free Fridays throughout the
year.
Fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays is one of the oldest
sacred Traditions of our Church established by the Holy Apostles. You can read
about this in the Didache of the Holy Apostles to the Nations. While the main
emphasis of fasting is a spiritual discipline, for me at least, it also
provides an eternal lesson.
When we struggle HERE, we will be comforted THERE (in
Heaven), so when we allow ourselves to struggle by fasting, we can enjoy a fast
free Friday when it comes along. IF, on the other hand, you don’t fast, then
today is no different from any other Friday, so there is nothing for you to
enjoy today. Similarly, if you don’t struggle HERE, you won’t notice the
comfort offered to you THERE (in Heaven).
Just a different point of view about fasting.
No comments:
Post a Comment