Are Boogers Fast Friendly?

 And other nonsensical questions.

Prayer and Fasting

I took some time off to recover from a car accident. Aside from some slight stiffness, I seem to be doing better. Despite that, I decided that I should get back to blogging. So, here follows a Lectio Divina.

The Rule of Saint Benedict: Chapter 41

We have read about how much food to eat. We have read about how much wine to drink. And we have even read about allowing the sick, the elderly, and the children to have a bit more as they need it. Now we will read about when the brothers should eat. It sounds immeasurably strange, but I hope to explain below the text why this should be something written about.

The Rule of Saint Benedict: Chapter 39

Yesterday we read about the Reader during meal times. We have previously mentioned that monks eat less food and that the sick, the elderly, and the children get more food than the other brothers. What then is the proper amount of food?

The Nativity Fast

Today, the 15th of November, the Orthodox Church starts the Nativity Fast. This fast will last for 40 days. Some people may call this fasting period Advent, which is slightly shorter in the West. During this fasting season falls such feasts as the Presentation of the Theotokos, and Saint Nicholas Day- when Orthodox traditionally gave gifts.

Lent While Deployed Wk. 1

So, as some of you may know, Great Lent started about a week ago. Of course, for any of my friends who are Roman Catholic or some other high church type Lent started on Ash Wednesday.

Usually I do not fast as strigently as I would at home when I am on military duty. My main reason is due to how strenous the military life can get and I need my full mental and physical capacity to perform as is expected of me.

However, I decided that this year I would try to keep the great fast to the best of my ability, despite being deployed. So far I have been wracked with a migraine almost on a daily basis. Any one who knows me well knows that I am less than useless when I get a migraine and that almost no medicine can kick my migraines except for BC Powder... which I have never seen in the PX here.

This last week, though, work was not very challenging physically or mentally, but I have been doing remedial PT in the evenings so I can pass the Army Physical Fitness Test. In fact, I took a diagnostic PT test and passed while I had a monster migraine. Naturally I have been hurting towards the end of the day and am ready to climb into my bunk and pass out.

I am not going to lie, I have broken the fast once or twice to help ease my aching head and to replenish the nutrients my body needs. I hate that this is true, but unfortunately there is not much of a selection to chose from at the chow hall to substitute what I need. I don't know if i can even trust the salads that they serve as I got a macaroni salad one day and had to pick out cheese and what appeared to be a ham type substance. Oh, and I had a cookie... the only time they have my favorite type is after Lent starts... ugh.

This next week is going to be tough as I have my actual PT test on Friday and will still be doing PT twice a day. I am still going to try to keep the fast (which means that I only eat once a day) to the best of my ability. Please keep me in your prayers.

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