What are you fasting from?
Most of us, when asked what we’re fasting from, would quickly list the foods: meat, seafood, dairy… and that is good. The Church gives us this discipline for a reason.
But St John Chrysostom reminds us that fasting must go deeper:
“Let not only the mouth fast, but also the eye, the ear, the feet, the hands, and all the members of our bodies.”
Fasting is not only about what enters the mouth, it is about what enters the heart.
A lady from our church told me she is fasting from shopping. She said she loves shopping, so she has chosen to give it up for Lent and instead use that time and money to shop for those in need.
A young man told me he is fasting from social media. He even moved the Agpeya app to the place where Instagram used to be. Now, when his finger instinctively goes to that spot, he finds a psalm instead of a scroll.
A high school student shared that he is fasting from music and replacing it with spiritual hymns and worship.
This is the spirit of Lent.
Yes, we fast from food. But we also fast from distractions, from habits, from noise, from whatever competes with Christ in our hearts.
So the question is not only, What are you eating? But also, What are you laying aside?
This Lent, let us add another dimension to our fast, not just a change of diet, but a change of desire.
