I have longed believed the Holy Spirit guides the Church
into Traditions that are not only spiritually beneficial, but have a physical
benefit as well. Fasting is one of those Traditions. No objective person could
deny the physical benefits of fasting twice per week and for longer periods
during the year. In fact, an Orthodox Christian following the fasting
guidelines of the Church will abstain AT LEAST from meat more than two hundred
days a year. That translates to less trans-fats and cholesterol, not to mention
all the added hormones and other harmful chemicals fed to livestock.
There are a few times each year when I actually look forward
to fasting returning to my routine. When the Church forbids fasting, such as
the week following Pascha, the week following Pentecost, the week of the Publican
and Pharisee, and the eleven days after Christmas, I tend to feel bloated and
full whether I am eating or not. I am sure that this is because my body is weighed
down (in more ways than one) with the extra meat in my system. It just takes more
time to digest meat than veggies.
So today, the first Wednesday back to fasting after
Christmas, I woke and said to myself
YEAH! I get to fast today!
Feasting is always a joyous occasion, but we all know it
doesn’t have nearly as much joy without its counterpart, fasting.
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