Why olive oil and wine are forbidden during Lent

[howdydave]

I just got what seems to be a sound explaination as to why olive oil and wine are not to be consumed during Lent...

We all know about meat and dairy products, but both olive oil and wine used to be stored in animal skins.

It sounds like a feasible explaination to me...
Anybody out there have any insights?

 

[Ortho_Cat]

olive oil is rich, and wine stirs the passions.

 

[choirfiend]

Wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine....Seems like they're also celebratory thingds, and luxuries. More so than animal skins.

 

[ikonographics]

Are you going to pray after eating rich oily food and drinking wine?

 

[ArmyMatt]

Wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine....Seems like they're also celebratory thingds, and luxuries. More so than animal skins.

I'd agree with this

 

[ProScribe]

I'm not sure why certain people would come out saying something was "forbidden" . . .

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

It always seemed to me that God's rules for diet and fasting were for the betterment and health of His flock. The Jewish kosher diet of the OT was and is an awesome one health-wise. IMHO, olive oil is one of the healthiest and most beneficial things we can have in our diet. In 2001 I weighed a horrible 269lbs. I went to Weight Watchers and got down to 223lbs. I am now at 242 lbs and trying to get back to where I was. One of their healthy eating guidelines is to have a certain amount of oil every single day. It's part of the weight loss agenda and it works. Olive oil is their oil of choice. So I use it. And it helps my weight. I'm sure the Lord would prefer I use olive oil and lose weight and be less glutonous than to avoid olive oil and eat copious amounts of other garbage.

Fasting is subjective. It depends on who the person is. For example, I'm a vegetarian. I hate meat and for health reasons and animal rights reasons, won't eat it. So it means nothing to me. It's not a fast at all for me. In fact, I'm loving the meat-free fare at my Orthodox parish! It's like a cool holiday each coffee hour! One man's pain, another's pleasure.

I have horrible acid reflux, have had it for years. When I go without eating for most of the day, I get acid reflux like crazy. So is that a healthy thing for me? Not really.

I tend to focus on Lent not my diet but my sinful behaviors. And boy, I have plenty of 'em! So that's what I'm focusing on at this point....olive oil doesn't mean a thing to me spiritually and it seems more to be a thing from the Mediterranean past and not something that applies much to my spirituality.

 

[howdydave]

I'm not sure why certain people would come out saying something was "forbidden" . . .

Talk to a monastic sometime.
In the case of a perfect fast, we are talking about a matter of obediences.

I don't think that forbidden is an improper word to use when we are talking about obediences.

I'm only a newbie on the path of asceticism and I have had obediences imposed on me by my Spiritual Father.
One of these obediences is to follow a strict fast.
If (when) I break the fast, it is an issue to be brought up in confession.

 

[ProScribe]

Talk to a monastic sometime.
In the case of a perfect fast, we are talking about a matter of obediences.

Although I have not seen the word "forbidden" used in this thread, I don't think that forbidden is an improper word to use when we are talking about obediences.

I'm only a newbie on the path of asceticism and I have had obediences imposed on me by my Spiritual Father.
One of these obediences is to follow a strict fast.

It'd be fine for me to have a conversation with a Monastic.

Though, keeping the fasts according to the rules/tradition of the Church is something that you learn over time. I don't think you do that by yourself.