"And when you fast, do not look dismal...anoint
your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but
by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward
you.”
(The Gospel of Matthew 6:16-18)
Grace:
Fasting, specifically as an act of piety, is not
commanded in Christian scriptures. However, Christians who observe periods of
fasting do so because they find that fasting, together with prayer, is a private
and deeply spiritual practice that draws one’s heart closer to God. The
liturgical season of Lent[1] is
a time when many Christians observe a partial fast, abstaining from certain
foods, such as sweets and/or meat. Fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday often
involves abstinence from both food and drink for a period of 24 hours. Any time
of spiritual struggle is an occasion for fasting; Christians are reminded that
fasting is not simply about self-denial, but about heightened awareness of all
who suffer.
Tziporah:
I am moved by your spiritual practice of fasting,
Grace, and intrigued by the text you have chosen from The Gospel of Matthew. I had
always understood these verses as part of a Jesus’ teachings about practical
piety which emphasize private rituals.
Since the Torah[2] doesn’t
specify how we are to “afflict our souls” on the tenth day of the seventh
month, the rabbis[3] instituted
rituals for Yom Kippur, including prohibitions against eating, drinking,
wearing leather shoes, bathing and anointing with oil, and sexual
relations. In this context, I had understood
Jesus’ teachings—particularly the instructions “anoint your head and wash your
face”—to be a reaction against the rabbis’ public piety. Incidentally, the
rabbis themselves often railed against overt piousness, which they viewed as
arrogance. They considered fasting to be
a form of repentance and added numerous public fasts to the calendar to
commemorate the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. They also prescribed
communal fasts during times of drought to petition God, in His mercy, to send
rain in its appropriate season.
Yasmina:
Fasting is a central part of the Islamic tradition
and one that I hold dear. One of the five pillars of Islam, fasting is
prescribed during the month of Ramadan, the 9th lunar month.[4] Similar to the Christian and Jewish
traditions, the abstinence from food, drink, smoking and marital relations has
many purposes in Islam. Fasting is one way to attain a heightened sense of God
consciousness, by giving the “self” an opportunity to rise above its desires
and allowing the soul to attain the virtues that adorn the righteous. Some common practices that are encouraged
during this month are giving to charity, strengthening family and friendship
ties, intense reflection and repentance, and nightly prayers and reading of the
Quran. Ramadan elevates my awareness of
the mind’s power to fight temptation and helps me establish good habits. I feel a profound sense of spiritual
revitalization, as my gratitude, compassion and, most of all, humility are
heightened when I fast.
[1] Lent is
a 40-day period of reflection and penance, which begins with Ash Wednesday and
concludes with Easter. Good Friday, the Friday prior to Easter when Christians
commemorate the death of Jesus, is a day of atonement.
[2] Leviticus 16:29-31, Leviticus
23:27-32 and Numbers 29:7
[3] Mishnah Yoma, Chapter 10
[4] Quran, al-Baqarah 2:183-185
