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"Why do we have to fast?" Maybe it's one of your children who asks. Or maybe it's a cry from deep within yourself, as you're fighting the urge for a snack.
You’ll be better prepared for situations like this if you can appreciate Lent as a time to both “fast and feast.” Granted, this isn’t the season’s usual watchword.
Lent has its food events: Think hot cross buns, pretzels, and fish fries (the Seder meal, too: see page A15). Still, it is the liturgical season for penance and self-denial. The question is, though, do we see these disciplines as burdens or as opportunities for growth?
Lent has been described as “a spiritual feast that does for the soul what food does for the body.” It can sound rather ethereal, yet this “fasting is feasting” idea isn’t just a play on words or an attempt to put a positive spin on a negative. It highlights an important truth: Acts of self-denial, done freely out of love for God, are more…
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