The priest is fully vested, and here we remember one more
means of physical preparation via fasting. We agreed earlier to look at the
physical preparations first, before the spiritual and emotional preparations,
for in fact the physical dimensions of anything are always easier to
comprehend. We learned about each of the articles of the vestments which
transforms the priest for the celebration of celebrations. Fasting is the
bridge between the physical and emotional. While the abstinence from food is the
outward expression of fasting, the appeal to discipline and strength of will are
matters of the spirit and soul.
In our Lord’s life, there is a story where a young man is
brought to Jesus to have a foul spirit exorcised from him. The boy’s father had
appealed to the disciples who, though commissioned to be able to heal, were
unable to do so. When Jesus removes the unclean spirit from the boy, the
disciples ask him, “Why were we unable to cast out the demon? To which Jesus responds, “This kind cannot be
driven out by anything but prayer and fasting.” (Mark 9)
Prayer and fasting go hand and hand. Jesus says, “Blessed
are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” A pure heart is accented with
the pure body, for in fact, the purpose of the Divine Liturgy is to come into
the presence of God – to commune with God, to see God. Fasting is the key to
that physical purity – to cleanse and purge the system from all impurity so
that the Holy Sacrament is accepted in cleanliness.
Fasting also heightens our understanding of necessity. When
we fast, in our hunger, we naturally think of our next meal – we look forward
to satisfying our hunger. It is during these moments that we must ask ourselves
what is truly essential for life. How important are those meals? We come to
view in a different manner Christ’s words, that bread alone is not essential
for life, but life finds meaning and fulfillment by every word that comes from
the mouth of the Lord. (Matthew 4)
Physical preparedness gives us a foundation on which our
spiritual side, our soul must be ready for this Sacrament.
In the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord directs us to the spiritual
preparedness for the Holy Eucharist. He says, “If you are offering your gift at
the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against
you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be
reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”
This is the highest form of preparedness for the Divine
Liturgy – to be at peace with our fellow human being. Yes, the vestments and
fasting are essential, but our Lord sets apart this rule for the altar table as
a necessity.
Earlier when I mentioned that emotional and spiritual
preparedness were much more difficult to understand than the physical side of
preparedness, I was alluding to this commandment. Wearing robes and even
abstaining from food is not as difficult as this most important rule of
preparation. Note that our Lord put the harmony between us humans as a higher
priority than God! Again, he says, leave your gift at the altar – more important
than God – go and reconcile with your brother or sister.
This first week of the Lenten Journey we walked the course
of preparedness. While each article of the vestment set gave us a chance to
reflect on various aspects of readiness, the most important lesson of all these
days is the need to prepare the soul for the Holy Divine Liturgy. It is the
reconciliation between us that is at the heart of the Liturgy. It is what St.
John the Evangelist speaks of when he says, “For whoever does not love their
brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not
seen.” It’s that simple and yet that difficult.
Fasting in preparation.
Lenten Recipe 6: Roasted Veggies
Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for epostle.net
Background Lent Song: Here I Am to Worship played by Heidi
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