Fasting is intuitively a bodily and a liturgical act. The Liturgical Year invites us to “days of discipline, denial, and special prayers” in Lent, Fridays outside of Christmastide and Eastertide, Rogation Days, and Ember Days (BCP, pg. 689). While intermittent fasting has recently been a diet fad, ordinarily fasting in our North American context is…
Fasting & Feasting in Lent
The penitential and preparatory season of Lent includes 40 days of fasting. However, if you look at the calendar closely enough and do the math, you’ll see that the actual season is a bit longer. Why? Within those 40 days, we exclude those Sundays. Sundays are feast days and cannot be fast days. These Lord’s…
Feasting in Lent
Common Misconceptions We’ve all said it. I know I have said it: “In Lent, we fast except on Sundays.” We do think that way; at least, I do. I’m focused on the fast, and I think of Sunday as an exception: a time to give up the fast so I can take a break and indulge in…
