Feasting and Fasting

2/13/2019

Step #1: Lectio / Read

Click the link below or open your Bible to the passage and read through the reading at least once, paying attention to what is happening in the text.

Genesis 2:4B-9, 15-17

Step #2: Meditatio / Meditate

Use the following meditation to help you reflect more deeply on the Scripture (you may want to read the passage again).

Today's readings make me a bit hungry. The Lord made us and knew we would need nourishment, and so He created food. He didn't need to create food. Couldn't we have gotten all our energy from anywhere else? If God willed it, we could have, but He didn't. He gave us food, and he made it be delicious. Of course He wants us to enjoy it, He made bacon after all, and tacos, and chocolate, and He made it all good.

Until last year, I never associated food and my faith. Then I read The Catholic Table by Emily Stimpson-Chapman, and my views totally changed. This book was the best book I read in 2018 and changed my outlook on food, eating, cooking, fasting, and feasting. I highly recommend that you go get a copy ASAP. Through the author's words, I saw that God made food, and it was good. Food sustains me. I need it to function. I need a granola bar beore a long run, or I'll feel weak. I need a small piece of chocolate at 2:15, because it is a small treat in my day and it makes me a happier human.

Yet, just because food is there, doesn't mean I should indulge. Because if that 2:15 chocolate break turns into a king size candy bar, in half an hour, I will feel sick. Fasting should be part of our lives as it encourages us to build spiritual strength. But if you fast, you also must feast and celebrate what God has given you. This concept isn't always easy to understand. In fact, Adam and Eve totally failed at it. God asked them to abstain from one tree in a garden of delicious food, and they couldn't do it. That's where the first reading ends today, but our story with food doesn't end there because the redemption of Adam and Eve was Jesus's death on the cross. And what did He do before His death? He gave us the Eucharist. He gave us food and nourishment for when He was no longer here. So today, find the deliciousness that God has given us at the dinner table, but also thank Him for feeding us through the Eucharist.

Step #3: Oratio / Pray

These questions are to be used to talk to God; have a conversation with the Lord about these questions and what is going on in your heart as you pray today.

Where do I get my physical nourishment from? Where do I get my spiritual nourishment from?

When do I tend to overindulge? How can I reorient myself towards a proper balance feasting and fasting?

How can I incorporate fasting into my life more?

Step #4: Contemplatio / Contemplate

In this step, you listen. Stop talking, let God speak to your heart. You may repeat one of these short phrases to focus your mind on the Lord.

"You are the bread of life."

"You provide food for the journey."

"You nourish my soul."

Step #5: Actio / Act

In light of today's reading and your time spent in prayer with the Lord, what concrete action or actions will you take to let this encounter with the Lord bear fruit in you today?

When you go to eat today, say a prayer of thanksgiving to God for the nourishment He has provided you with (and the people who have prepared it!).

Smartphone Lock Screen

The following image is here for you to save and use as a background or lock screen on your smartphone or device to help you carry today's Lectio Divina with you the rest of the day.

Today's prayer was prepared by Lisa Kendzior, Junior High Youth Minister at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Crystal Lake, IL.

If you have anything you'd like our team to pray for, please go to the page of our website called "Prayers" and let us know how we can pray for you today.

CARPE VERBUM