Many Faithful Nourish Prayer Life With Fasting
Frank T. Griswold III, Episcopal bishop of Chicago, had just delivered his Ash Wednesday sermon on the spiritual freedom found through fasting and other Lenten disciplines.
He stepped onto an elevator with the dean and canon of St. James Cathedral, who were also fasting. Then, just before the doors closed, a fourth person - not an Episcopalian - scrambled in, carrying a steaming Giordano’s deep-dish pizza. And before the doors opened again, the elevator cab was filled with an aroma that at any other time of the year might just have been called heavenly.
But this is Lent, a time when many Christians practice one of the oldest, most widespread and most visceral of all religious rituals: fasting.
By denying themselves food, they say, they can break through some of the distractions and false demands of daily life that create barriers between man and God. They make time for prayer and reflection, with a built-in reminder of the special commitment they have made for the next 40 days.
They also realize, in a way you never could over lunch, just how strong a grip food has on every shopping, snacking, meeting, partying, relaxing moment of a modern day.
“There’s food everywhere,” said the Rev. Janet Campbell, canon of St. James Cathedral in Chicago. She was one of the trio who successfully overcame that first, pepperoni-scented temptation.
“Fasting can remind you of how much you have, and how much some people - just a few blocks away from here - don’t have. And it reminds me that my chief hunger needs to be for God. I need to have that same urgency for God that I feel for food,” said Campbell.
Among Christians, Roman Catholics have perhaps the most clearly defined requirements for Lenten fasting: partial fasts (just one full meal) on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, with no meat on the Fridays between.
Episcopalians and some other Protestants recommend the same days as special days of discipline and suggest fasting as one of the options individuals can choose for their Lenten observation.
Those denominations and others may also call members to simply deny themselves everyday luxuries, whether it’s coffee and ice cream or racquetball. Many Christians include the idea of avoiding gossip, being judgmental or selfish behavior.
And while some Protestant traditions do not highlight Lent or fasting at all, there has been a revival of interest in fasting among evangelical Christians.
Fasting, of course, is not original to Christianity. The Old Testament refers frequently to fasting, and Jews still fast on Yom Kippur, among other times. Fasting is central to American Indian religions, as well as Eastern religions.
Muslims, meanwhile, have just completed their annual month of daytime fasting, Ramadan. In virtually all of these traditions, fasting is linked to prayer. Those who fast say that it lends a certain intensity to praying that they don’t normally feel.
“There’s a sense of heightened awareness,” said Campbell. “Experiences are somewhat rarefied.”
“At times you do lack energy, but your mind becomes incredibly alert,” said Pastor Mark Jobe of the non-denominational New Life Community Church in Chicago. “It is an intense time of seeking God.”
Though New Life’s evangelical tradition does not call for any special days of communal fasting, Jobe challenged his congregation last year to join him on an extended fast.
He and 18 others went 40 days without solid food, drinking only water and fruit juice. With medical advice and one another’s support, he said, the fast was a success.
“There were quite a few people who had major spiritual breakthroughs during that period,” said Jobe. “But whether I see any immediate results or not, I think it’s important.
“You are continually aware, because of your hunger, that this is a special season. It’s a constant reminder of what you are praying for.”
xxxx FASTING VIDEO A video of the “Prayer and Fasting ‘96” conference that took place in St. Louis, Mo., in November will be shown at Fourth Memorial Church, 2000 N. Standard, Sunday from 6-9 p.m. and Monday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Call Dan Grether (468-4855) for reservations.