Lenten Discipline pt. 2

Ash Wednesday is February 17^th

Fasting is not Dieting. -- Dieting is not Fasting.

In the ancient world food was not a guaranteed part of life. That is very different today.

Although hunger is still present in the world, and malnutrition is a scourge even in this country, most of us have never been to the funeral of someone who died of starvation.

Yet it was in a world where hunger was always a risk, where crop failure, flood or drought brought famine, and famine brought death. In that world the spiritual discipline of fasting developed, and developed independently in many cultures and contexts all around the globe.

Today we live in a world-turned-up-side-down. Today, eating too much is a leading cause of death. Today most of us start at least 2 diets a year (I said START). We have to take this into account if Fasting from food is going to be a part of our Lenten Discipline.

If I have been on Adkins on-and-off for the last 5 years, I can hardly say with a straight face “I am giving up carbohydrates for Lent.” Pluh-eesse!

More on fasting tomorrow.

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