Judgment Sunday
In one of our culture’s most beloved stories, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, we encounter a few people with some character deficiencies.
One of them is a boy named Augustus Gloop, whose major flaw is gluttony.
In fact, he’s so overtaken with his passion that he ends up falling into a chocolate lake in Willy Wonka’s factory, and he almost gets turned into a piece of fudge.
He just barely missed becoming what he eats!
In fact, this is probably true of many of us … we’re on the verge of becoming what we eat.
But, tomorrow, we begin the Great Fast in preparation of Pascha.
So, what is the Church preventing us from becoming and what are we supposed to be transformed into instead?
Scripture: I Corinthians 8:8-13; 9:1-2 (click here to read)
Bottom Line: Through fasting, we’re filled with the love of Christ.
Discussion Questions
- When Christ speaks about fasting, it’s not “if” but “when.” So, what do you find to be the hardest aspect of fasting? Why?
- If coworkers or nonorthodox friends as about fasting, what do you tell them? Why is fasting an important part of our Christian experience?
- If we fast well, it’s easy to become boastful or proud about our accomplishment. This, of course, is a sin. How do you stay humble about your fasting?
Moving Forward
The core of the Orthodox spiritual tradition, which includes fasting, is that we find union with God (theosis).
Like what happened to Augustus Gloop, our passions have a way of dominating us and enslaving us to their will.
But, fasting is a tool in our toolkit to break away from this slavery to find our freedom and embrace Christ.
Fasting from food helps us to learn self-control instead of gluttony.
But, it just doesn’t break us away from our passions, but it’s also supposed to instill in us virtues, the most important being the virtue of love.
Love is the bond between the Holy Trinity and it’s what gives us life in Christ.
This is what today’s Epistle reading is telling us: “Hence, if a food causes my brother to falter, I will eat no flesh at all, throughout the age, so that I might not cause my brother to falter.”
Our true fast should free us from our passions, but it should also prevent us from hurting our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Our fasting, if successful, should instill within us a bond of love with God as well as for others.
Changing Your Mind
“But food will not remand us over to God; neither are we wanting if we do not eat, nor do we abound if we eat.” (I Corinthians 8:8)
Very helpful encouragement as we move into the Lenten fast.
Thank you, Liz!