Are Boogers Fast Friendly?

 And other nonsensical questions.

 

I once heard the title to this blog  post asked, and I'm not entirely sure if the person meant "burgers" or "boogers". This raises an important question, why do we Orthodox fast so much? And why do we fast?

I have been questioned before by well meaning family and friends (and even those not so well meaning) about why we fast. Those not so well meaning usually ask in a derisive tone - despite the fact that they love to read devotionals that include people who used prayer and fasting to overcome hurdles in life. Fasting on purpose throughout the year just because your church tells you to seems odd to them, I guess, because I know it seemed odd to me.

And yet, we see in the Gospel of St. Matthew Jesus utter these words, 

"16 Moreover  when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they  disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I  say unto you, They have their reward.

17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

18 That  thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in  secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly."(St. Matthew 6:16-18, KJV)

So obviously, Jesus expects us to fast.

We see in the Didache (typically dated to some time in the first century AD) that there were already rules for fasting. In Chapter 8 we can read, "1.  Let not your fasts be with the hypocrites, for they fast on the  second and fifth day of the week; but ye shall fast on the fourth day, and the preparation day (Friday)."(Source) According to a few sources, we fast on Wednesdays and Fridays to commemorate the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot (Wednesdays), and to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus (Fridays).

So, by the end of the first century (but probably earlier) we see some fasting rules already starting to take form. According to the OCA Questions link above (and right there, so you don't have to hover over the hyperlinks), our fasting rules to abstain from various substances carry over from Jewish traditions. This can be seen by the text in Matthew and the Didache when we are told to not fast as the hypocrites - this tradition of fasting was already established.

We have other fasting periods throughout the year - such as Great Lent, in which we fast for 40 days like Jesus did in the desert. I'll probably go into more detail on these other fasts in later, separate posts for those fasts, because they will take a bit more research than a post such as this.

Fasting serves a purpose that is not starving ourselves, or making ourselves suffer to please God. Fasting is means to strengthen ourselves, to learn to subdue our passions, to get us to focus on what is truly important. Fasting is certainly a discipline, and a hard one to follow to the letter.

On Wednesdays and Fridays we Orthodox typically fast from all meat and dairy products, fish, and wine and oil (which oil depends on jurisdiction can can include all oils, to all vegetable oils, to just olive oil, also some jurisdictions will have a fast from all alcohol, others just wine). I say typically, because there are times when the fast is lessened during feasts. 

We also typically fast from Saturday night after Vespers until after taking the Eucharist on Sunday. And again, I say typically because there are exceptions to that rule.

And that brings me to my next point. Exceptions. The Church does practice "economia" a lot of times for the faithful. If fasting would cause you illness then you and your priest can work something out that is more beneficial for you. There may be instances when it is recommended that you not fast. And then there is breaking the fast to accept hospitality.

For some, myself included, we might be allowed to eat something small on Sunday mornings before taking communion. Personally, I can get terrible migraines if I don't eat, so my priest has allowed me to have a cup of coffee or tea with some fruit on Sundays - with the goal being that I can hopefully stop eating altogether in my pre-communion fasting.

Then there are times where it is recommended you not fast, such as when deployed and fighting in a war. Again, personally, I was told to not try to fast strictly when I was deployed - because I needed my strength. So, during fasting times I would substitute chicken for red meat, and I would take smaller portions. But I made sure that I was eating enough to sustain myself.

I remember some of my squad mates asking me about fasting when I was deployed, because I was Orthodox and they had no idea what that was. So, naturally, when Lent came around they wanted to know why I wasn't fasting. One person even said mockingly, "Why even fast at all if you're not going to fast exactly as Jesus did?" Well, Jesus was much more practiced on fasting than I am. Perhaps one day I can fast for forty days and consume only bread and water, but I am not there yet.

And, lastly that I'll touch on here, is breaking the fast to accept hospitality. We are told to fast in secret, not to flaunt it about. So, if we happen to be invited to someone's house for a dinner during a fast (such as a relative who may not be Orthodox) we are to graciously receive their hospitality and eat what they have provided - assuming of course that the meal isn't something that you are allergic to. I'm not saying that we should get ourselves invited to dinner every night during Great Lent so we can accept hospitality, but that if we are offered hospitality during a fasting period that we should accept it.

So what about boogers? Are they fast friendly? Personally, I'd say no, as they come from an animal. But what is that person meant burgers instead of boogers? Still no, because animal product.

I'd even go as far to say that getting substitute products (soy milk, impossible burgers, etc.) would be breaking the spirit of the fast. Yes, technically those things are allowed, but we aren't supposed to be substituting one thing for another - we are supposed to be learning to subdue our passions, and eating burgers (impossible or not) just as we normally would probably isn't helping us out in that regard. Now, I'm not a priest, and this is just my opinion, so please do not take what I am saying as any sort of authority on the subject. This is just how I feel about the issue.

And, speaking of learning to subdue our passions, if we are getting angry and snapping at people (often called "hangry" in common parlance) then we are breaking the spirit of the fast as well. We are not learning to subdue our passions by giving in to them. This is why fasting is such a difficult discipline and why economia can be granted quite a lot. In fact, priests will often tell newly illumined converts to ease into fasting - do not try to do a strict fast right off the bat.

And, to help to learn to subdue our passions we should be focusing more on prayer. If we find ourselves getting angry, or cranky, we should pray. If we find ourselves wavering because we saw a sign for Bar-B-Cutie and we really want some pulled pork, we should pray. Fasting should be leading to more praying. 

Please pray for me, a sinner.