Once two brethren came to a certain elder whose custom it was not to eat every day. But when he saw the brethren he invited them with joy to dine with him saying: Fasting has its reward, but he who eats out of charity fulfils two commandments, for he sets aside his own will and he refreshes his hungry brethren.-from"Wisdom of the Desert: Translations from the 'Verba Seniorum,'" by Thomas Merton.
"Stop trying to impress people with your clothes and impress them with your life."-Richard Foster, "Freedom of Simplicity"
Abbot Agatho frequently admonished his disciple, saying: Never acquire for yourself anything that you might hesitate to give to your brother if he asked you for it, for thus you would be found a transgressor of God's command. If anyone asks, give it to him, and if anyone wants to borrow form you, do not turn away from him.-from"Wisdom of the Desert: Translations from the 'Verba Seniorum,'" by Thomas Merton
Two Stories of Spiritual Foundering (basically they didn't learn anything!)...
Joe had almost done it. It was 11:51pm and he had gone the whole day without eating. It was his first attempt at fasting, but at that moment all that was on his mind was: "Should I wait until after midnight to order the pizza or can I order it now-since it wouldn't be ready until after midnight anyway?"
To this day, Joe doesn't remember what he decided to do, but he does remember that the pizza was delicious!
Lenny had just come back from hearing the missionary speak of the horrible poverty where he served. The pictures of the children with torn, worn, and re-worn clothes had made an impact on him. In fact is such that when he opened his closet and saw his piles and piles of clothes-many of which he rarely wore-he decided to give his excess away to Goodwill.
The next morning Lenny woke up and set himself to the task of dividing up his laundry between the essentials and the excess. After going through his piles of clothes, he had decided that he would give up all the clothes he did not wear every week. The pile was substantial. Later, Lenny congratulated himself on his sacrifice as he dropped off the bags to Goodwill.
On the way home, Lenny saw a sale sign at his favorite clothing store.Lenny walked in the door of his home with two pair of new blue jeans, three shirts, six pair of socks (they were 3 for $8!), and a new pair of shoes.
Fasting and frugality are two spiritual disciplines that our culture will not make easy for us. In fact, the messages of almost every commercial urge us to eat more, buy more, eat more, buy more…
In this weeks study we will look at the why and the how of fasting and frugality-two practices that will bring us incredible freedom and open our lives to God's great work of making us more like Jesus.
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