Today begins a four day reflection on fasting. Kennedy tells us that their fasting may be used devotionally in at least four senses and he begins with abstemiousness.
Abstemiousness is a bodily discipline, or as Kennedy says, "The body must be kept under if the soul is to grow. We pamper and overindulge the body in almost every conceivable way until at last we must call a halt and seek to exercise more control over bodily appetities and either over-exertion or sloth.
For me, this is the traditional way we think of Lent. We declare we are going to give up chocolate or meat. We declare we are going to start going to the gym everyday or walk the dog twice as far so that we get more exercise.
These disciplines are good for our physical bodies obviously, but we have to remember that Lent isn't about the physical body, it is about the spiritual journey. We not only need to know what we are giving up, but why we are doing it. For example, Maxine is giving up chocolate because she realizes that she eats way too many Snickers bars. What she is doing is going to help improve her physical body. But, in an over-simplification, if every time she longs and desires chocolate during Lent she stops and prays for the hungry in the Sudan or Haiti, then she is using her Lenten discipline to further her spiritual journey and her relationship with other children of God around the world.
Our bodily desires, whether for food, drink, etc. are sometimes the very stumbling blocks we are trying to remove so that our spiritual life might flourish. Stopping to pray for that 45 seconds or 3 minutes that our body and psyche tell us we need to eat that chocolate may be the 45 second or 3 minute prayer in which the discussion takes place that we understand God's call to us...all because we stopped to listen. Lenten disciplines may have either a bodily or a spiritual element, but seem to be more effective when they have both. I desire to take the time to enter into and be a part of the community of which God calls me to be a part. But beware! While we may still be on our own Island, we may have just let someone else on it. however, don't think you can control who comes on to your own Island...the moat around your Island isn't as deep as you think!
2 comments:
Over the 35 years I have been an Episcopalian, my understanding of fasting has evolved. In the beginning, I did very strict fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday -- no solid food at all -- and regularly gave up sweets for Lent. Over time, I stopped giving up sweets (it became easy as I lost my sweet tooth) and started thinking about taking something on to help spur spiritual development (one year I instituted a regular morning prayer session, which I had never done before and I still do it). In the past couple years, I began to realize that not eating on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday actually was becoming counter-productive since I was so hungry that I couldn't think of anything else. And that's definitely not what we're trying to do! Still trying to find the right balance...
Balance..."Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you, Alleluia." What are our priorities? What do we seek? Who do we seek to please? Who do we serve? Balance...
One day, I will learn that as well...
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