Why Should I Fast?
Friday, March 4th, 2022
“The disciples of John approached Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?” ~ Mt 9:15
Personally, I don’t fully understand what Jesus was saying in response to John’s disciples. I picked the verse above because I started thinking about how easy it is for us to focus on the task and lose track of the meaning of why we’re doing such a thing.
It’s like we shift from the receiving the spiritual benefits of fasting and what it allows us to do, to focusing on checking the box.
- Are we fasting?
- Are we doing the right thing?
- I’m better than you because I fast X amount of hours and you don’t
- I don’t eat certain foods for the entire period of lent, why are you not doing it?
- I’m giving up Y for lent, what are you giving up?
We turn it into an ego-based task and lose the point.
What is the point of fasting?
To me, fasting is a way of relinquishing my attachment to the things of the world. Especially, something connected to survival, like eating.
I see fasting as a tool or mechanism to help me visualize the process of letting go of my attachments to the things of the world so that I can make room for the energy of God to flow through me and do greater things because I’m connected with the One that’s everywhere and is everything.
What I have noticed is that as soon as I turn lent into a box checking exercise, the simply task of checking the box distracts me from what I’m supposed to be doing, which is allowing God to work through me.
Hence, the question to ponder is: Are you using it to raise your credits? or, Are you using it to connect better with who and who’s you are?
In peace,
~Juan
