Matthew 6:16-18 “..But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Fasting or abstaining from things that have little impact in our lives can be quite easy, however, fasting from that we consume or that which consumes us against God’s will, is something quite different. Like many Christians I still give up unhealthy foods. However, when I reflect on my eating habits of unhealthy foods in my personal life it’s a very small sacrifice. For me it’s barely nothing as my main eating is usually healthy. However, there was a time where it still seemed so difficult to give up the odd popcorn or sweet treat. Is it really a sacrifice if there’s really no pain or difficulty in it? Is it really a sacrifice if there is no value in the sacrifice itself?
Italian food is in my bones. It is part of me like the sun to the sky. Since I was a child I was forever attached to my mother and Nonna’s apron. As well as my father’s perfection to food. My meals are still all made from wholesome foods and from scratch. All that which nourishes us I gravitate towards. However, I have chosen a vegetarian way of eating for Lent. I will be sharing vegetarian foods. The girls and I laugh when their dad says, “Honey, I would die without meat, please don’t stop cooking meat”. After 22 years of marriage, my husband who has never given up meat has decided to give up meat for Lent. Fasting from meat and dairy is passed on from generations and is healing and nourishing. It is Lent. A time to fast. A time to pray. A time to practice piety and love for others. Most of all love for placing God above our wants. I see food differently during Lent. Our tables are filled with such nourishment but at times we only see that which we can’t or don’t have. Jesus ate and lived humbly. As I fast from meat and coffee and other foods for me it’s still not nearly enough. God sacrificed his son so for us. How profound.
A fasting journey can take many routes. However, are the sacrifices rooted in God’s love for us? In our life, our relationships, our words, our actions, our entire being at this very moment in our life, are we at peace? If we open our hearts and ask ourselves is there something that I could shed or sacrifice in order to have the life God intended for me, then the things that we choose to fast from may be very different. Fasting is not only from food but also from our being. From ourselves. Things which may make us feel unhealthy, unloved, unwanted.
For Lent I have offered God my emotional life. Self. An interior purification. It’s long been a trait of mine to please people and and passionately seek that which betters others and self, however at times I get caught in others perceptions. Our emotional compass of fear, insecurity, esteem, selfishness should flow through God only. We are responsible for how we feel in all instances, not others. It’s selfish to want to fix everything, only God can. I sought from the world that which God has already given, but I was too blind to see. We are created for goodness and Love. We have no control over what people do, say or think. God has given me leadership qualities but I failed to be rooted in the sole goodness of actions to serve God and his people. Seeking only His approval in all things. Even in the tiniest things of the amounts of ‘Like’ on social media. Only God knows what exists in the depths of our heart and being. Others personal emotions or relationship towards us, is between them and God. If we serve in love and goodness for God and another does not perceive it as such, it’s between us and God. If we sin and one cannot forgive us, it is between us and God. If we love and others see hate, it is between us and God. If we stumble and rise, it is between us and God. If I succeed or fail in piety, words and actions, it is between me and God. Although, I feel I am retraining my mind it is an incredibly liberating journey. Freedom. A gift to and from God and self. Let us always set our eyes on His kingdom. Fast from that which does not nourish your soul.
In the end the question on reckoning day, will always be, have you loved enough in God’s eyes? Have you forgiven and loved your enemies? Have your sacrificed your heart to forgo instant gratification and instead strive for love that is everlasting? Have you fed the hungry? Welcomed the stranger? Healed the sick? Matthew 25:31-45 When we ask ourselves these questions the emotional roller coaster we may place ourselves in seems so futile. When we are truly free of worldly perceptions and emotions that ebb and flow into our lives God infuses us with incredible love and passion. When we empty ourselves we make room for God to fill us. Then, we can become our true self for which we were created. A people of love and peace in all times. Grounded in God. Let us be nourished by God’s love.
Peace and prayers,
Claudia
Our Nourished Soul