Thank you for sharing about your experiences with fasting so openly. I'm Catholic and in recent years we've really relaxed our former fasting rules... (It used to be the case that we also had to fast from food and water starting the night before receiving the Eucharist. Now it's just an hour before). I've admired the Orthodox for keeping it up more, but as you beautifully reflected, it's definitely something that each individual should take into careful consideration. In my case, I feel like so much is left up for us to decide on our own with Lent that I struggle with feeling like I do Lent "properly."
Alexandra, thank you for the thoughtful comment. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to respond.
I often feel the same way myself about doing Lent "properly," even with the fairly structured Orthodox fasting rules. I've never been in a situation where I couldn't come up with the question, "what about X, Y, or Z?" Rather than answering the question, the priest, teacher or saint I'm reading will almost always respond with some version of, "you're missing the point." They will remind me that fasting isn't the goal, but a means to an end. When I worry in this way, I try to remind myself that my focus is off. It doesn't erase the feeling that I need to be doing the whole Lent thing perfectly, but it does help to calibrate me.
Of course, if I did think I was doing it perfectly, I'd be dealing with pride, but that's another discussion.
Thank you for sharing about your experiences with fasting so openly. I'm Catholic and in recent years we've really relaxed our former fasting rules... (It used to be the case that we also had to fast from food and water starting the night before receiving the Eucharist. Now it's just an hour before). I've admired the Orthodox for keeping it up more, but as you beautifully reflected, it's definitely something that each individual should take into careful consideration. In my case, I feel like so much is left up for us to decide on our own with Lent that I struggle with feeling like I do Lent "properly."
Alexandra, thank you for the thoughtful comment. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to respond.
I often feel the same way myself about doing Lent "properly," even with the fairly structured Orthodox fasting rules. I've never been in a situation where I couldn't come up with the question, "what about X, Y, or Z?" Rather than answering the question, the priest, teacher or saint I'm reading will almost always respond with some version of, "you're missing the point." They will remind me that fasting isn't the goal, but a means to an end. When I worry in this way, I try to remind myself that my focus is off. It doesn't erase the feeling that I need to be doing the whole Lent thing perfectly, but it does help to calibrate me.
Of course, if I did think I was doing it perfectly, I'd be dealing with pride, but that's another discussion.
Thanks again.
That's so true! I think anytime we put the focus too much on ourselves we need to pause and reevaluate where our true purpose lies.