Unable to fast

[URA]

Isaiah 58 (the beautiful chapter on fasting):
1 Cry out full-throated and unsparingly,
lift up your voice like a trumpet blast;
Proclaim to my people their transgression,
to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 They seek me day after day,
and desire to know my ways,
Like a nation that has done what is just
and not abandoned the judgment of their God;
They ask of me just judgments,
they desire to draw near to God.
3 “Why do we fast, but you do not see it?
afflict ourselves, but you take no note?”
See, on your fast day you carry out your own pursuits,
and drive all your laborers.
4 See, you fast only to quarrel and fight
and to strike with a wicked fist!
Do not fast as you do today
to make your voice heard on high!
5 Is this the manner of fasting I would choose,
a day to afflict oneself?
To bow one’s head like a reed,
and lie upon sackcloth and ashes?
Is this what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?

6 Is this not, rather, the fast that I choose:
releasing those bound unjustly,
untying the thongs of the yoke;
Setting free the oppressed,
breaking off every yoke?
7 Is it not sharing your bread with the hungry,
bringing the afflicted and the homeless into your house;
Clothing the naked when you see them,
and not turning your back on your own flesh?
8 Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your wound shall quickly be healed;
Your vindication shall go before you,
and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer,
you shall cry for help, and he will say: “Here I am!”
If you remove the yoke from among you,
the accusing finger, and malicious speech;
10 If you lavish your food on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
Then your light shall rise in the darkness,
and your gloom shall become like midday;
11 Then the Lord will guide you always
and satisfy your thirst in parched places,
will give strength to your bones
And you shall be like a watered garden,
like a flowing spring whose waters never fail.
12 Your people shall rebuild the ancient ruins;
the foundations from ages past you shall raise up;
“Repairer of the breach,” they shall call you,
“Restorer of ruined dwellings.”​

13 If you refrain from trampling the sabbath,
from following your own pursuits on my holy day;
If you call the sabbath a delight,
the Lord’s holy day glorious;
If you glorify it by not following your ways,
seeking your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs—
14 Then you shall delight in the Lord,
and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth;
I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.​

Here is a situation I'm in, and I'd just like advice on how I'm doing, and how to go forward:

I can't fast, even when I try; a year or so ago, I could fast for quite awhile, even going about 35 hours without a single piece of food. But after doing long fasts several times, something changed in my body chemistry, and if I skip more than 1 meal, I start to faint. Biologically, I can't answer for such a shift; theologically, I believe this was God stepping in & keeping me from fasting too much, not because fasting is bad, but because I can serve Him well at the lunch table. As such, I've turned more attention towards being a good influence to the people I eat with, and being more attentive to what they have to say, trying to honor God with my mealtimes.

This summer, I have a somewhat physical job as a janitor at my university. I'm walking all the time, sometimes with a lot of stairs involved, and moving heavy furniture is common. Now I feel as if I can't even skip 1 meal, or even go too light; having too small a breakfast still leaves me feeling ready to faint when I'm met with heavy furniture.

Still, since I can't do any long fasts, I try to fill my days with small fasts. I don't snack, unless snacks are offered to me (because sharing food can be a good way of bringing God's children together); I don't eat any dessert items (again, unless offered, or unless I'm experimenting with cooking some); I don't have a particularly light breakfast & lunch, but I do eat just a little less than I would like; and keeping in mind Isaiah 58, I try to "remove the yoke" from the group of oppressed people that God has gifted me with a special passion for: Human trafficking victims. I'm unable to be on the "front lines" right now, but I try to stay educated about it, and always pray for them.

Bringing it all back to food, I'm very familiar with the spiritual benefits of fasting, I've received many graces from the fasts I've done in the past, but right now (and this is where I really want your thoughts), I feel as though eating without any major fasts is the best thing I can be doing. After all, I've taken a mentality of my work as what God has assigned me to do*, and eating regularly has become something I do for sake of completing this work! If God stepped in to keep me from long fasts a year ago, and if the job He's granted me now is physical enough that I can't fast much at all...could it be that I serve Him best when I don't fast?

*"Whatever you do, do from the heart, as for the Lord and not for others, knowing that you will receive from the Lord the due payment of the inheritance; be slaves of the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will receive recompense for the wrong he committed, and there is no partiality." --Colossians 3

Thank you for your input, and may God guide our spiritual disciplines to the fullness of His desires for us! Have peace & pray!

And if you're offering up a fast as prayers, but don't know who to pray for, please pray for me & my family; I know in my heart that transferring colleges is the best way I follow God now, but I just got the bill & it's higher than it should be, so please pray for peace for all of us & financial blessings as I go forth to follow God's call for me to teach Theology to high school students. Thank you & may God bless you all!

"16 “When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you may not appear to others to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you." --Matthew 6

 

[Gregory Thompson]

Isaiah 58 (the beautiful chapter on fasting):
1 Cry out full-throated and unsparingly,
lift up your voice like a trumpet blast;
Proclaim to my people their transgression,
to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 They seek me day after day,
and desire to know my ways,
Like a nation that has done what is just
and not abandoned the judgment of their God;
They ask of me just judgments,
they desire to draw near to God.
3 “Why do we fast, but you do not see it?
afflict ourselves, but you take no note?”
See, on your fast day you carry out your own pursuits,
and drive all your laborers.
4 See, you fast only to quarrel and fight
and to strike with a wicked fist!
Do not fast as you do today
to make your voice heard on high!
5 Is this the manner of fasting I would choose,
a day to afflict oneself?
To bow one’s head like a reed,
and lie upon sackcloth and ashes?
Is this what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?

6 Is this not, rather, the fast that I choose:
releasing those bound unjustly,
untying the thongs of the yoke;
Setting free the oppressed,
breaking off every yoke?
7 Is it not sharing your bread with the hungry,
bringing the afflicted and the homeless into your house;
Clothing the naked when you see them,
and not turning your back on your own flesh?
8 Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your wound shall quickly be healed;
Your vindication shall go before you,
and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer,
you shall cry for help, and he will say: “Here I am!”
If you remove the yoke from among you,
the accusing finger, and malicious speech;
10 If you lavish your food on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
Then your light shall rise in the darkness,
and your gloom shall become like midday;
11 Then the Lord will guide you always
and satisfy your thirst in parched places,
will give strength to your bones
And you shall be like a watered garden,
like a flowing spring whose waters never fail.
12 Your people shall rebuild the ancient ruins;
the foundations from ages past you shall raise up;
“Repairer of the breach,” they shall call you,
“Restorer of ruined dwellings.”​

13 If you refrain from trampling the sabbath,
from following your own pursuits on my holy day;
If you call the sabbath a delight,
the Lord’s holy day glorious;
If you glorify it by not following your ways,
seeking your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs—
14 Then you shall delight in the Lord,
and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth;
I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.​

Here is a situation I'm in, and I'd just like advice on how I'm doing, and how to go forward:

I can't fast, even when I try; a year or so ago, I could fast for quite awhile, even going about 35 hours without a single piece of food. But after doing long fasts several times, something changed in my body chemistry, and if I skip more than 1 meal, I start to faint. Biologically, I can't answer for such a shift; theologically, I believe this was God stepping in & keeping me from fasting too much, not because fasting is bad, but because I can serve Him well at the lunch table. As such, I've turned more attention towards being a good influence to the people I eat with, and being more attentive to what they have to say, trying to honor God with my mealtimes.

This summer, I have a somewhat physical job as a janitor at my university. I'm walking all the time, sometimes with a lot of stairs involved, and moving heavy furniture is common. Now I feel as if I can't even skip 1 meal, or even go too light; having too small a breakfast still leaves me feeling ready to faint when I'm met with heavy furniture.

Still, since I can't do any long fasts, I try to fill my days with small fasts. I don't snack, unless snacks are offered to me (because sharing food can be a good way of bringing God's children together); I don't eat any dessert items (again, unless offered, or unless I'm experimenting with cooking some); I don't have a particularly light breakfast & lunch, but I do eat just a little less than I would like; and keeping in mind Isaiah 58, I try to "remove the yoke" from the group of oppressed people that God has gifted me with a special passion for: Human trafficking victims. I'm unable to be on the "front lines" right now, but I try to stay educated about it, and always pray for them.

Bringing it all back to food, I'm very familiar with the spiritual benefits of fasting, I've received many graces from the fasts I've done in the past, but right now (and this is where I really want your thoughts), I feel as though eating without any major fasts is the best thing I can be doing. After all, I've taken a mentality of my work as what God has assigned me to do*, and eating regularly has become something I do for sake of completing this work! If God stepped in to keep me from long fasts a year ago, and if the job He's granted me now is physical enough that I can't fast much at all...could it be that I serve Him best when I don't fast?

*"Whatever you do, do from the heart, as for the Lord and not for others, knowing that you will receive from the Lord the due payment of the inheritance; be slaves of the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will receive recompense for the wrong he committed, and there is no partiality." --Colossians 3

Thank you for your input, and may God guide our spiritual disciplines to the fullness of His desires for us! Have peace & pray!

And if you're offering up a fast as prayers, but don't know who to pray for, please pray for me & my family; I know in my heart that transferring colleges is the best way I follow God now, but I just got the bill & it's higher than it should be, so please pray for peace for all of us & financial blessings as I go forth to follow God's call for me to teach Theology to high school students. Thank you & may God bless you all!

"16 “When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you may not appear to others to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you." --Matthew 6

Isaiah 58 is what I like to call the Fast that has very little do with food.

The only instruction there is giving your food to the hungry.

Much like with giving up things for lent, there is more to food than what you eat, since the appetite of a human being is vast.

Jesus said something saying "I have food you know nothing of" and continued saying "my food is doing the will of the one who sent me"

I find in fasting from things other than food, this opens up parts of the mind and heart to be surrendered to God. If you're having trouble giving up food, maybe there's something else God is pointing to?

 

[URA]

Isaiah 58 is what I like to call the Fast that has very little do with food.

The only instruction there is giving your food to the hungry.

Much like with giving up things for lent, there is more to food than what you eat, since the appetite of a human being is vast.

Jesus said something saying "I have food you know nothing of" and continued saying "my food is doing the will of the one who sent me"

I find in fasting from things other than food, this opens up parts of the mind and heart to be surrendered to God. If you're having trouble giving up food, maybe there's something else God is pointing to?

Thank you for this. Any idea what this "something else" might be?

 

[Gregory Thompson]

Thank you for this. Any idea what this "something else" might be?

For example, some time ago, I took an inventory of things that take up my time.

Instead of doing some of those things such as video games or television or other things that take up time in the day, I'd pray or read the bible, or apply what I've learned, go for a prayer walk, etc.

by filling this time usually slotted in your schedule as "me time" ... it becomes time to spend with God consciously.

It is possible, God wants to spend more time with you as a conscious thing, this may lead also to new ministry opportunities.

 

[URA]

For example, some time ago, I took an inventory of things that take up my time.

Instead of doing some of those things such as video games or television or other things that take up time in the day, I'd pray or read the bible, or apply what I've learned, go for a prayer walk, etc.

by filling this time usually slotted in your schedule as "me time" ... it becomes time to spend with God consciously.

It is possible, God wants to spend more time with you as a conscious thing, this may lead also to new ministry opportunities.

The following is me thinking out loud about what you said:

Thank you, I'll try this. Wearing a rosary bracelet makes it a lot easier to remember to pray; I also read a lot of theology books. I'm reading a fantastic one right now, called "The 'One Thing' is Three: How the Most Holy Trinity Explains Everything". It's very simple to understand, yet very profound in it's implications. It explains the Trinity very well (something I've never seen done before), and as long as my "Me time" sometimes involves reading, I may as well let that guide me to God, too!

I'm also reading "The Invisible Man", by H. G. Wells. I love reading his books, and as much as I enjoy reading about God, it's still important to find Him in things that don't directly reference Him. I also try to read non-theology things to keep myself real, so to speak. (My priest was talking about a time when he was in seminary [studying to be a priest], and found himself next to a friendly guy on the bus. But he was so focused on his studies, he literally couldn't talk to somebody who hadn't studied theology! As a result, he got permission to take a year off of his studies to be a janitor, and became better balanced that way. With this in mind, I try not to completely immerse myself in Theology; if studying religion leads me away from the rest of God's children, I'm doing it wrong. Plus, The Invisible Man is fantastic, and it's good to find reflections of God's beauty everywhere!) How do I tie this into fasting? Hmm....I think I already am, but I'll pray more tonight to figure out where I can do better. Maybe I'm doing alright with reading, although as I type this, I'm reminded that the Bible is a thing. Erf! Too many things I want to read!

Again, thank you for your input! Do you have any prayer requests that I can offer all of this up for?

Pray for the grace to accept God's blessings, especially on behalf of human traffickers; have peace & pray!

 

[URA]

Isaiah 58 (the beautiful chapter on fasting):
1 Cry out full-throated and unsparingly,
lift up your voice like a trumpet blast;
Proclaim to my people their transgression,
to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 They seek me day after day,
and desire to know my ways,
Like a nation that has done what is just
and not abandoned the judgment of their God;
They ask of me just judgments,
they desire to draw near to God.
3 “Why do we fast, but you do not see it?
afflict ourselves, but you take no note?”
See, on your fast day you carry out your own pursuits,
and drive all your laborers.
4 See, you fast only to quarrel and fight
and to strike with a wicked fist!
Do not fast as you do today
to make your voice heard on high!
5 Is this the manner of fasting I would choose,
a day to afflict oneself?
To bow one’s head like a reed,
and lie upon sackcloth and ashes?
Is this what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?

6 Is this not, rather, the fast that I choose:
releasing those bound unjustly,
untying the thongs of the yoke;
Setting free the oppressed,
breaking off every yoke?
7 Is it not sharing your bread with the hungry,
bringing the afflicted and the homeless into your house;
Clothing the naked when you see them,
and not turning your back on your own flesh?
8 Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your wound shall quickly be healed;
Your vindication shall go before you,
and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer,
you shall cry for help, and he will say: “Here I am!”
If you remove the yoke from among you,
the accusing finger, and malicious speech;
10 If you lavish your food on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
Then your light shall rise in the darkness,
and your gloom shall become like midday;
11 Then the Lord will guide you always
and satisfy your thirst in parched places,
will give strength to your bones
And you shall be like a watered garden,
like a flowing spring whose waters never fail.
12 Your people shall rebuild the ancient ruins;
the foundations from ages past you shall raise up;
“Repairer of the breach,” they shall call you,
“Restorer of ruined dwellings.”​

13 If you refrain from trampling the sabbath,
from following your own pursuits on my holy day;
If you call the sabbath a delight,
the Lord’s holy day glorious;
If you glorify it by not following your ways,
seeking your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs—
14 Then you shall delight in the Lord,
and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth;
I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.​

Here is a situation I'm in, and I'd just like advice on how I'm doing, and how to go forward:

I can't fast, even when I try; a year or so ago, I could fast for quite awhile, even going about 35 hours without a single piece of food. But after doing long fasts several times, something changed in my body chemistry, and if I skip more than 1 meal, I start to faint. Biologically, I can't answer for such a shift; theologically, I believe this was God stepping in & keeping me from fasting too much, not because fasting is bad, but because I can serve Him well at the lunch table. As such, I've turned more attention towards being a good influence to the people I eat with, and being more attentive to what they have to say, trying to honor God with my mealtimes.

This summer, I have a somewhat physical job as a janitor at my university. I'm walking all the time, sometimes with a lot of stairs involved, and moving heavy furniture is common. Now I feel as if I can't even skip 1 meal, or even go too light; having too small a breakfast still leaves me feeling ready to faint when I'm met with heavy furniture.

Still, since I can't do any long fasts, I try to fill my days with small fasts. I don't snack, unless snacks are offered to me (because sharing food can be a good way of bringing God's children together); I don't eat any dessert items (again, unless offered, or unless I'm experimenting with cooking some); I don't have a particularly light breakfast & lunch, but I do eat just a little less than I would like; and keeping in mind Isaiah 58, I try to "remove the yoke" from the group of oppressed people that God has gifted me with a special passion for: Human trafficking victims. I'm unable to be on the "front lines" right now, but I try to stay educated about it, and always pray for them.

Bringing it all back to food, I'm very familiar with the spiritual benefits of fasting, I've received many graces from the fasts I've done in the past, but right now (and this is where I really want your thoughts), I feel as though eating without any major fasts is the best thing I can be doing. After all, I've taken a mentality of my work as what God has assigned me to do*, and eating regularly has become something I do for sake of completing this work! If God stepped in to keep me from long fasts a year ago, and if the job He's granted me now is physical enough that I can't fast much at all...could it be that I serve Him best when I don't fast?

*"Whatever you do, do from the heart, as for the Lord and not for others, knowing that you will receive from the Lord the due payment of the inheritance; be slaves of the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will receive recompense for the wrong he committed, and there is no partiality." --Colossians 3

Thank you for your input, and may God guide our spiritual disciplines to the fullness of His desires for us! Have peace & pray!

And if you're offering up a fast as prayers, but don't know who to pray for, please pray for me & my family; I know in my heart that transferring colleges is the best way I follow God now, but I just got the bill & it's higher than it should be, so please pray for peace for all of us & financial blessings as I go forth to follow God's call for me to teach Theology to high school students. Thank you & may God bless you all!

"16 “When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you may not appear to others to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you." --Matthew 6

I suppose that the whole point of this is, as long as what I'm doing is focused towards God, that's what's important. Fasting from food is just one of many ways to do this, rich in benefits, just not practical for the current life situation God has put me in.

Thank you, God!

 

[Gregory Thompson]

The following is me thinking out loud about what you said:

Thank you, I'll try this. Wearing a rosary bracelet makes it a lot easier to remember to pray; I also read a lot of theology books. I'm reading a fantastic one right now, called "The 'One Thing' is Three: How the Most Holy Trinity Explains Everything". It's very simple to understand, yet very profound in it's implications. It explains the Trinity very well (something I've never seen done before), and as long as my "Me time" sometimes involves reading, I may as well let that guide me to God, too!

I'm also reading "The Invisible Man", by H. G. Wells. I love reading his books, and as much as I enjoy reading about God, it's still important to find Him in things that don't directly reference Him. I also try to read non-theology things to keep myself real, so to speak. (My priest was talking about a time when he was in seminary [studying to be a priest], and found himself next to a friendly guy on the bus. But he was so focused on his studies, he literally couldn't talk to somebody who hadn't studied theology! As a result, he got permission to take a year off of his studies to be a janitor, and became better balanced that way. With this in mind, I try not to completely immerse myself in Theology; if studying religion leads me away from the rest of God's children, I'm doing it wrong. Plus, The Invisible Man is fantastic, and it's good to find reflections of God's beauty everywhere!) How do I tie this into fasting? Hmm....I think I already am, but I'll pray more tonight to figure out where I can do better. Maybe I'm doing alright with reading, although as I type this, I'm reminded that the Bible is a thing. Erf! Too many things I want to read!

Again, thank you for your input! Do you have any prayer requests that I can offer all of this up for?

Pray for the grace to accept God's blessings, especially on behalf of human traffickers; have peace & pray!

What you wrote reminded me of something that came to mind on the short walk I took when I stepped out.

Something about seeing Christ in everyone, the sin is apparent because we're in bodies that sin, but what glimmer of the spark of the divine can God show me in others so I can fan the flame?

How this relates to prayer is the part of Isaiah 58 where it says "you cannot fast as you do today and have your prayers heard from on high" and the part where it says they ended their fasts beating each other up with their fists. So in terms of mind transformation, and walking in the right direction: I find it's hard to start a fight with someone if you see God in them.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

Again, thank you for your input! Do you have any prayer requests that I can offer all of this up for?

Pray for my eyes, something has been happening with them for over a decade and more prayer could always help.

 

[All4Christ]

Isaiah 58 (the beautiful chapter on fasting):
1 Cry out full-throated and unsparingly,
lift up your voice like a trumpet blast;
Proclaim to my people their transgression,
to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 They seek me day after day,
and desire to know my ways,
Like a nation that has done what is just
and not abandoned the judgment of their God;
They ask of me just judgments,
they desire to draw near to God.
3 “Why do we fast, but you do not see it?
afflict ourselves, but you take no note?”
See, on your fast day you carry out your own pursuits,
and drive all your laborers.
4 See, you fast only to quarrel and fight
and to strike with a wicked fist!
Do not fast as you do today
to make your voice heard on high!
5 Is this the manner of fasting I would choose,
a day to afflict oneself?
To bow one’s head like a reed,
and lie upon sackcloth and ashes?
Is this what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?

6 Is this not, rather, the fast that I choose:
releasing those bound unjustly,
untying the thongs of the yoke;
Setting free the oppressed,
breaking off every yoke?
7 Is it not sharing your bread with the hungry,
bringing the afflicted and the homeless into your house;
Clothing the naked when you see them,
and not turning your back on your own flesh?
8 Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your wound shall quickly be healed;
Your vindication shall go before you,
and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer,
you shall cry for help, and he will say: “Here I am!”
If you remove the yoke from among you,
the accusing finger, and malicious speech;
10 If you lavish your food on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
Then your light shall rise in the darkness,
and your gloom shall become like midday;
11 Then the Lord will guide you always
and satisfy your thirst in parched places,
will give strength to your bones
And you shall be like a watered garden,
like a flowing spring whose waters never fail.
12 Your people shall rebuild the ancient ruins;
the foundations from ages past you shall raise up;
“Repairer of the breach,” they shall call you,
“Restorer of ruined dwellings.”​

13 If you refrain from trampling the sabbath,
from following your own pursuits on my holy day;
If you call the sabbath a delight,
the Lord’s holy day glorious;
If you glorify it by not following your ways,
seeking your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs—
14 Then you shall delight in the Lord,
and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth;
I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.​

Here is a situation I'm in, and I'd just like advice on how I'm doing, and how to go forward:

I can't fast, even when I try; a year or so ago, I could fast for quite awhile, even going about 35 hours without a single piece of food. But after doing long fasts several times, something changed in my body chemistry, and if I skip more than 1 meal, I start to faint. Biologically, I can't answer for such a shift; theologically, I believe this was God stepping in & keeping me from fasting too much, not because fasting is bad, but because I can serve Him well at the lunch table. As such, I've turned more attention towards being a good influence to the people I eat with, and being more attentive to what they have to say, trying to honor God with my mealtimes.

This summer, I have a somewhat physical job as a janitor at my university. I'm walking all the time, sometimes with a lot of stairs involved, and moving heavy furniture is common. Now I feel as if I can't even skip 1 meal, or even go too light; having too small a breakfast still leaves me feeling ready to faint when I'm met with heavy furniture.

Still, since I can't do any long fasts, I try to fill my days with small fasts. I don't snack, unless snacks are offered to me (because sharing food can be a good way of bringing God's children together); I don't eat any dessert items (again, unless offered, or unless I'm experimenting with cooking some); I don't have a particularly light breakfast & lunch, but I do eat just a little less than I would like; and keeping in mind Isaiah 58, I try to "remove the yoke" from the group of oppressed people that God has gifted me with a special passion for: Human trafficking victims. I'm unable to be on the "front lines" right now, but I try to stay educated about it, and always pray for them.

Bringing it all back to food, I'm very familiar with the spiritual benefits of fasting, I've received many graces from the fasts I've done in the past, but right now (and this is where I really want your thoughts), I feel as though eating without any major fasts is the best thing I can be doing. After all, I've taken a mentality of my work as what God has assigned me to do*, and eating regularly has become something I do for sake of completing this work! If God stepped in to keep me from long fasts a year ago, and if the job He's granted me now is physical enough that I can't fast much at all...could it be that I serve Him best when I don't fast?

*"Whatever you do, do from the heart, as for the Lord and not for others, knowing that you will receive from the Lord the due payment of the inheritance; be slaves of the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will receive recompense for the wrong he committed, and there is no partiality." --Colossians 3

Thank you for your input, and may God guide our spiritual disciplines to the fullness of His desires for us! Have peace & pray!

And if you're offering up a fast as prayers, but don't know who to pray for, please pray for me & my family; I know in my heart that transferring colleges is the best way I follow God now, but I just got the bill & it's higher than it should be, so please pray for peace for all of us & financial blessings as I go forth to follow God's call for me to teach Theology to high school students. Thank you & may God bless you all!

"16 “When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you may not appear to others to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you." --Matthew 6

If you feel that you should be fasting, and full abstinence of food isn’t feasible, you could consider the way your fellow Byzantine Catholics fast (like Orthodox Christian fasting).

The Fasting Seasons

As in all spiritual disciplines, it is good to talk to your spiritual father or priest about this as well.

 

[Joined2krist]

There are different kinds of fasting; you can chose to fast on fruits ( you eat only fruits for any period you decide on), you can decide on abstaining from meat for a while, you can decide to abstain from anything you frequently indulge in, for a while. God bless

 

[URA]

Something about seeing Christ in everyone, the sin is apparent because we're in bodies that sin, but what glimmer of the spark of the divine can God show me in others so I can fan the flame?

How do you look for this glimmer? What exactly do you look for?

 

[Gregory Thompson]

How do you look for this glimmer? What exactly do you look for?

Well, beyond what been happening to my eyes...

I look for times when someone would all of a sudden do something Jesus like out of the blue or something resembling a description of God in scripture.

Quite often it is the mercy and kindness of people that is the first visibility. But sometimes people articulate a thought all of a sudden that is a burst of scripture passages, without the background to come to such a conclusion. Or all of a sudden just do something that's prophetic, or Godly that's like a message in the action itself.

Stuff like that.