Great Lent is a marathon, not a sprint.

And they’re off.....today is the first day of our fast from meat. Although Great Lent doesn’t begin until next week, the Church slowly ramps up our bodies to accept the strict fast which will last until we celebrate Holy and Great Pascha on May 1^st. In the meantime, here at Be Transfigured life goes on with blogging and video production and LIVE STREAM Bible Studies. I thought it would be wise to remind you the fast is not a sprint but a long distance marathon. When a runner sprints all available energy is thrust out at the starting line. Runners can do this because sprints are very short. But our Lenten Fast is long distance running which requires constant monitoring of energy levels and making adjustments along the way based upon conditions along the route. As with any long distance race, a successful runner conserves energy for the long haul, sometimes even allowing other runners to push ahead, but experience teaches even the best runners that races are not won at the starting line, but the finish line.

This year, allow the Church’s two thousand year record, guided by your Spiritual Father, to set your path for the fast. If you have never fasted the entire 65 days until Pascha, please do not attempt to sprint off the starting line without consulting with a long distance running coach, also known as your Spiritual Father. Hopefully, with prayer and personal experience, he can prepare you for the race course and all its obstacles. Unlike a running marathon, the fasting marathon is also an obstacle course with sin and temptation wreaking havoc along the way. Please don’t make the mistake of going out on the course and spending all your energy right off the starting line. You may look like you’re winning at first, but you will quickly be left behind.