DISCIPLINE OF FASTING When I mentioned fasting to a Bible-study group, one member protested, “I thought fasting went out with the Middle-Ages.” While fasting is common among some Christians, others regard it as an offense to their natural right to visit the Golden Arches anytime they want. Fasting is a Biblical practice. Jesus assumes that people fast (Matthew 6:16). The Gospels report that he fasted for 40 days in the wilderness (Matthew 4:2). Fasting should be understood as a way of turning ourselves toward God. We set aside our normal consumption of food so that we pay attention to the one who gave us that food and the life it sustains. Fasting reminds us that we don’t “live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Most people can manage going without food for 24 hours without ill-effects, but it isn’t proper for everyone. There is nothing wrong with fasting by abstaining from certain foods like meat or sweets or delaying a meal. As fasting turns us to God, it should also turn us towards others. The seventeenth-century poet Robert Herrick wrote this about fasting in his poem “To Keep a True Lent.” No: ‘tis a fast to dole Thy sheaf of wheat And meat. With the hungry soul. It is to fast from strife And old debate, And hate; To circumcise thy life. That’s a good reminder that fasting is part of a whole disciplined life that cares for the needs of others and refrains from stirring up animosity. Read Joel 2:12-17 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally. Wayne

About joyocala