The Eighth Day Of Lent

i was wondering just how much meaning the Lenten Fast has lost, especially here in the West, with the desperate drive of many--myself included--to replace, with alternatives, what the Church teaches we should give up in the way of dairy, meat, etc. during Lent. The Church Book Stores are full of Lenten Cook Books as is the Internet if you Google that topic. Even Church bulletins offer helpful suggestion on "tasty Lenten cooking."

It seems to me that we put in an ungodly (pun intended) amount of time and energy finding meat and dairy substitutes and concocting intricate recipes designed to "taste normal" in our times of fasting--especially during Great Lent.

i fully understand that the Lenten Fast is for our benefit, not God's, and that we don't lose or gain any "stars" in His book by keeping or not keeping the Fast--in spirit and in particulars. But it seems like we lose something important by our seeking to take the easy way out and continue to please our flesh with "normal tasting" food during a period when when we are attempting to accomplish an abnormal task--i.e., get our fleshly desires under control so that our Spirits can have a clearer connection to God's Spirit.

What am i doing about this phenomenon? Living on Soy Burgers, tofu soups, and Vanilla Almond milk."

ephraim