“Fast before you feast”

Just as one yearns for the first pale light of dawn after a long sleepless night plagued with sickness or worry, human beings are designed to anticipate, plan and revel in important life events.

For example, in the course of human history, it didn’t take long for mankind to celebrate the union of a man and a woman, commemorating the marriage with a wedding feast–an excellent reason to make merry with family and friends!

This human desire to feast is universal.

But what about the fasting?

In this time in American society, fasting is a dirty word, with its implication of restriction and regulation of freedom–what some would regard as “the fun police”.

But without some form of self-denial, however small, one can unequivocally say there can be no feast at all.

God ordained fasting and feasting

In ancient times, God raised, purified, and enriched His chosen people’s natural inclination to feast by dedicating specific days of celebration and corresponding fasts (offering sacrifice) for the benefit of their atonement.

The first liturgical calendar was born out of these organized rituals, which helped God’s people align their praises to the one true God, and prepared them for the coming of the Messiah.

Their human longings for satisfaction of justice and mercy were recorded in the ancient texts of Holy Scripture as they continually fell into enslavement.

These hard times naturally became times of fasting, which always resulted in an outpouring of God’s mercy and justice on them.

During these difficult times, God sent prophets to admonish and correct their behavior, and to instill hope for a brighter future. Consider the text of Isaiah in 587 B.C.:

“Take your wrong-doing out of my sight. Cease to do evil. Learn to do good, search for justice, help the oppressed, be just to the orphan, plead for the widow.

‘Come now, let us talk this over, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool’” (1:16-18).

In His astounding humility, God even fasted before He reaped the fruit of His desolation–the selection of His 12 apostles–who were to be the foundation of His Church on earth, and for the manifestation of their long-awaited Messiah.

And how did He choose to reveal Himself with His first public miracle?

At a wedding feast.

Holiday or “holy day”?

The word ‘holiday’ derives from ‘holy day’, though both are no longer equivalent, with their separation signifying their respective secular and religious indications.

A ‘holy day’ indicates not a dull religious rite, but a day of celebration and feasting for a person or a special event. It infers people gathering, laughing and eating.

It sounds a lot like a holiday, so why the separation?

Why do we feast?

In an American culture that is increasingly devoid of meaning, materialism attempts to fill the void.

Forgetfulness of the origins behind the holidays cause them to lose their magical impact.

This begs the question: Without a reason to make merry, why does one feast?

As mentioned above, just as it is part of the nature of mankind to worship something (even himself), it is also woven into his DNA to make ceremonial feasts that are set apart from other days…and to pine for those “days gone by” with fond nostalgia.

One can therefore, safely conclude that without the barrenness of deprivation, there can be no riches.

Without the anticipation of what’s to come, there can be no reward.

Imagine the expectant hope of the Persian kings traveling several hundred miles together in a dusty caravan to see the new King of the Jews, who was prophesied to rule the earth (Mic 5:1-3).

Advent

Today marks the beginning of an entire season of anticipation in the Catholic Church’s liturgical calendar: a four-week period called ‘Advent’, which means, ‘adventus’ (Latin) or ‘coming’.

It is a period that allows Christians to enter into the same bleakness and expectant hope the Jews felt for thousands of years as they awaited their Messiah to set them free.

Some think that gone are the days of pining for that great gift to mankind.

Instant gratification and materialism have valiantly tried and failed to fill that void that still longs to be filled.

Reason infers that only when the holidays are filled with God will one regain that sense of meaning, savor, and peace.

Then, mankind will once again sing with great fervor before the feast of Christmastime: ‘O come O come Emmanuel’!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xtpJ4Q_Q-4

Saint Fergal (c. 700 – 784), on your feast day, pray for us.