Fasting
Apparently the Orthodox do fast quite a bit. Yesterday afternoon, two teenaged girls and their Mom came to visit us. They are members of Holy Cross parish, the little stone church. The girls, Belli and Tally are going to babysit for Ana and David while we attend the Introduction to Orthodoxy class on Tuesday evenings. Woo hoo, 2 hours every week with the kids 2 miles away...will I know what to do with myself? We shared a bit about our journeys and why we had been moved towards Orthodoxy. And then, for some reason, the subject of fasting arose. Apparently, a fast is coming up starting on November 15 and ending on Christmas. It's not a complete fast...just no meat products. Jim's eyes became a little buggy upon hearing that...
And then, as I was reading through the first chapter of Facing East, Frederica speaks of the Lenten fast before Easter. No meat, dairy, eggs and something else I think, for forty days. This, for me, is a completely different way of living. I have fasted from food completely for 24 hours. That's not very difficult...you just don't eat. But attempting to rearrange my life and the way I cook (not to mention shop), for forty days is something else entirely. I hope I'm up to this challenge. Anyone have any vegan recipes? The milk thing I'm sort of used to with David as he's lactose intolerant. We already do the soy milk thing with him and I've found I can substitute it in pancakes. I'm hoping it works in other things to.
What I want to know is, why? Why do I have to do this. If there is a reason beyond, "Because you're supposed to" that I find acceptable, even edifying then OK. I'll do it...gladly. I've been following the weekly fasts of the Orthodox. Pretty much every Wednesday and Friday we abstain from meat. I'm thinking eventually one is supposed to work up to a complete fast. But most just do the "no meat" thing. So we've had mac and cheese and cheese pizza for dinner. Inventive? I need some help here! And I'm fasting right now. From midnight until after service Orthodox fast. I'm doing it just to see if I'm up to it...but I plan to ask why on Tuesday. Lisa (Belli and Tally's mom) did give an explanation for the fasting. Unfortunately I missed it as I was dealing with Ana or David...can't remember which one. I do remember her saying that there is no dogma about the whole thing, "Father Gregory says, 'do what you can.'" That I appreciate. No one's going to make me sit in the corner if I don't do the fasting thing correctly....
I will say this, Evangelical Protestantism, with all of its constraints, rules, etc, never had me change my entire way of life. It seems that if one throws themselves completely into Orthodoxy they take the risk of learning a new way of walking. I never learned a new way to walk with EP. I got new pair of snazzy shoes every week, but I walked the same way. This Orthodoxy seems to be a demanding faith, not one for the faint at heart. I take that back, perhaps it is for the faint at heart...those who need to become stronger, those who need more than window dressing for their feet. I suppose our very souls are dependent on it...
Now, I'm waiting with bated breath for those vegan recipes....
And then, as I was reading through the first chapter of Facing East, Frederica speaks of the Lenten fast before Easter. No meat, dairy, eggs and something else I think, for forty days. This, for me, is a completely different way of living. I have fasted from food completely for 24 hours. That's not very difficult...you just don't eat. But attempting to rearrange my life and the way I cook (not to mention shop), for forty days is something else entirely. I hope I'm up to this challenge. Anyone have any vegan recipes? The milk thing I'm sort of used to with David as he's lactose intolerant. We already do the soy milk thing with him and I've found I can substitute it in pancakes. I'm hoping it works in other things to.
What I want to know is, why? Why do I have to do this. If there is a reason beyond, "Because you're supposed to" that I find acceptable, even edifying then OK. I'll do it...gladly. I've been following the weekly fasts of the Orthodox. Pretty much every Wednesday and Friday we abstain from meat. I'm thinking eventually one is supposed to work up to a complete fast. But most just do the "no meat" thing. So we've had mac and cheese and cheese pizza for dinner. Inventive? I need some help here! And I'm fasting right now. From midnight until after service Orthodox fast. I'm doing it just to see if I'm up to it...but I plan to ask why on Tuesday. Lisa (Belli and Tally's mom) did give an explanation for the fasting. Unfortunately I missed it as I was dealing with Ana or David...can't remember which one. I do remember her saying that there is no dogma about the whole thing, "Father Gregory says, 'do what you can.'" That I appreciate. No one's going to make me sit in the corner if I don't do the fasting thing correctly....
I will say this, Evangelical Protestantism, with all of its constraints, rules, etc, never had me change my entire way of life. It seems that if one throws themselves completely into Orthodoxy they take the risk of learning a new way of walking. I never learned a new way to walk with EP. I got new pair of snazzy shoes every week, but I walked the same way. This Orthodoxy seems to be a demanding faith, not one for the faint at heart. I take that back, perhaps it is for the faint at heart...those who need to become stronger, those who need more than window dressing for their feet. I suppose our very souls are dependent on it...
Now, I'm waiting with bated breath for those vegan recipes....