Fasting & Feasting

At the Ash Wednesday service I attended this morning in Hartford, we were reminded that Lent is a time of both FASTING and FEASTING. As we left, we were handed a card to keep in throughout Lent reminding us of this:

FAST & FEAST

Lent can be more than a time of fasting, it can be a season of feasting. We can use Lent to fast from certain things and to feast on others. It is a season in which we can:

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Fast from judging others; feast on the Christ dwelling in them. 
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Fast from emphasis on differences; feast on the unity of life. 
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Fast from apparent darkness; feast on the reality of light.
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Fast from thoughts of illness; feast on the healing power of God. 
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Fast from words that pollute; feast on phrases that purify. 
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Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude. 
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Fast from anger; feast on patience. 
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Fast from pessimism; feast on optimism. 
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Fast from worry; feast on divine order. 
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Fast from complaining; feast on appreciation. 
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Fast from negatives; feast on affirmatives.
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Fast from unrelenting pressures; feast on unceasing prayer. 
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Fast from hostility; feast on non-resistance. 
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Fast from bitterness; feast on forgiveness. 
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Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others. 
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Fast from personal anxiety; feast on eternal truth. 
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Fast from discouragements; feast on hope. 
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Fast from facts that depress; feast on verities that uplift. 
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Fast from lethargy; feast on enthusiasm. 
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Fast from thoughts that weaken; feast on promises that inspire. 
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Fast from shadows of sorrow; feast on the sunlight of serenity. 
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Fast from idle gossip; feast on purposeful silence. 
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Fast from problems that overwhelm; feast on prayer that undergirds.

Source: Marist Messenger, March 2003

Praying for your Lenten journey… and thankful that you are part of this slightly bizarre online “Faith Autopsy” community…