Today is Eid ul-Fitr. It is three day Moslem celebration that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan and the month of fasting. According to the website the purpose of the month-long fast is “not only a symbol of sacrifice and purification, but also a measure of self-restraint and to teach humility and patience and for encouraging compassion for those less fortunate.” For Moslems, the fasts last from sunrise until sunset during the entire Holy Month.
But when you pray, go into your closet to your Father who is unseen. Then your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:6
When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. Matthew 6:16
In the Christian tradition, fasting was distinguished from the Jewish practice in Matthew 16:16-18. In Judaism, the motive for fasting was similar to the meaning in Islam and linked to mourning and contrition. However, in verse in Matthew, Jesus the Christ links fasting to an inner reward. When combined with the verse Matthew 6:6, there is the clear sense that prayer and fasting bring rewards (answered prayer) to those who practice them.
Spiritual reason for fasting
During this week of focus on the third Beatitude we have had the opportunity to identify areas in which we may be the focus of next week's fast; areas in our lives that our rigid and unyielding. Through the third Beatitude, we have asked to be made aware of these areas. By making them a focus of the fast, we are preparing to do something about them. The spiritual motive is the main reason for the fast.
The motive of the fast is essential. The desire you bring to it will help your motivation to continue for all seven days. If you did not sense a particular area OR if there are so many it is hard to choose one, a failsafe motivation is to ask for the revealing of “the next step in my spiritual unfolding”. You may even add this as an additional focus of your fast. However, this request makes certain assumptions:
1) It assumes that you are on a spiritual journey (your salvation experience was considered the doorway and not the destination). 2) It assumes that there is a next step for you, a higher level, a deeper relationship with God that can be attained. 3) It also assumes that you are ready for something new to be revealed to you concerning your own spiritual growth.
Fasting is also a mental thing
If you are new to fasting, now is the time to begin to prepare on the mental level. As I have said many times, most of the behaviors associated with an unhealthy lifestyle occur because they have become unhealthy habits, behaviors done without much conscious thought. Fasting provides clarity of thought. I urge you to write every day about the fast. Your notes may be useful in the future as you incorporate longer fasting periods into your spiritual regimen.
Can you go a week without television? Unless you limit yourself to television evangelists, like my mother-in-law did, television commercials are going to be a problem. You will begin to notice the vast majority of them are around food…and mostly unhealthy food. What can you provide for your mind during this week that will be uplifiting? An inspiring book? A complete reading of Blessings of the Cosmos? Time to rest? Quiet time to be alone? Quiet time to write? Quiet time to pray?
Fasting provides a period for you to SLOOOWWWW DOOWWWWNNNN. You will not be able to continue at your normal breakneck speed through life. Try to give yourself light duty….only the essential activities. If you must cook for others while you are fasting (I’ve done it, so I know it can be done). Don’t fix YOUR favorite foods! Go with simple and quick dishes so that you can get in and out of the kitchen or freeze some dishes ahead of time. Of course let your family know what you plan to do so that they can help you. So, plan now for a week dedicated to your spiritual growth.
The physical aspects of fasting
For our purposes a fast is the abstaining of the vast majority of the foods you normally eat. It is not abstaining from all food. The schedule will be:
Sunday- raw food, liquid food, juice and water
Monday- raw food, liquid food, juice and water
Tuesday- liquid food, juice and water
Wednesday- juice and water
Thursday- liquid food, juice and water
Friday- raw food, liquid food, juice and water
Saturday- raw food, liquid food, juice and water
Raw food- any fresh fruit or vegetable that is not cooked. Can include salads but try making your own salad dressings instead of using store brought items with preservatives and additives. The idea here is "light" foods. So, even when you make your own during this week, steer toward simple dressings with few ingredients.
Liquid food- any fresh fruit or vegetable that is blended to a liquid- can include cooked items such as broths, stock or soup. Can also include smoothies with yogurt or protein powder.
Juice- Fresh fruit and vegetable juice from a juicer if possible or PURE fruit and vegetable juice if you must purchase them.
Water- Filtered Water at least 8 glasses per day.
An enema is also recommended. During a fast, toxic byproducts are purged from your body. These toxins come from all of the processed foods you have ever eaten. Having a clean colon will help eliminate them and may also alleviate some of the physical distresses associated with detoxification.
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1. Read more about fasting by perusing the following websites. This site is packed with information about all aspects of fasting as a spiritual discipline for Christians. I found it very informative. There are even testimonials. I also liked this site that tells you everything you need to know about juice fasting. Take your time and go through these sites carefully and thoughtfully. It is best to go into the fast with enough information to make you feel comfortable. Also there are some good recipes at both sites for mixing your juices.
2. Prayerfully decide on an issue that requires a breakthrough. Remember, the “issue” could be a person or a group of people AND/OR focus on the revealing of your spiritual journey’s next step. 3. Plan activities with the fast in mind. Although our descent into a fresh-juice only day is gradual, you may want to plan an easier week for yourself. 4. Buy your raw foods, liquid foods, juice foods (or already prepared juice) and juicer, blender or food processor. NOTE: a blender/food processor are for liquefying food but these machines do not make juice. A juicer is device that separates the juice from everything else in the food. 5. Investigate the kind of enema that may be right for you from the websites listed above and purchase the materials you will need.
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