I have been inspired recently to dive into the major celebrations of world religions. We are currently in the season of Lent, the time period that leads up to Easter Sunday in the Catholic tradition. This started with Ash Wednesday on February 29th and ends on Palm Sunday, which is April 5th this year. Palm Sunday marks the beginning of the Holy Week, ending on Easter Sunday. This is in remembrance of the last week of Jesus Christ’s life. In concert is the beginning of the Jewish celebration of Passover. This begins on Wednesday, April 8th and ends on Thursday, April 16th. Jesus was a Jew, obviously, so the time of the Passover coincides with the last week of his life. Shortly thereafter will begin the Muslim time of Ramadan, which begins April 23rd and ends May 23rd. There are others, I will stop there. It seems that the spring time is a time for rejuvenation and rebirth. A time for celebration and re-commitment.
So in concert with that whole idea, I am declaring my own personal Holy Week. A week before any of the other major religions start up, so I will not be in conflict and my objectives can remain my own. So today, I am starting my own personal Holy Week by starting a fast. I feel like I am fasting for a purpose, perhaps that our nation and world will be healed and we can quickly move on from this Coronavirus thing. As if I could have an impact on that with my little fast, but I might take note that Jesus did seem to indicate that a small amount of faith could do great things. So I will do my part, even though it seems the pandemic and the world’s reaction to it are completely out of my control!
I definitely need a rejuvenation. I am climbing out of my own trial with repeated sickness this winter and although I have kept up my habits, I feel like I am walking through sludge most the time. My mind is not as sharp, and I find myself distracted by trivial things. Perhaps a period of self sacrifice, reflection and pondering commitments to objectives that I want to achieve is in order. Certainly a great time to do it, there is not much else going on in the world! Why not a period of increased spirituality, focused mental clarity, and a dedicated time period to overcome the mind and find the passion that I need to carry on and find an even higher path.
So, today, March 29th I begin my quest. I am fasting today, thinking on the plight of the world. I will try to change up what I am worried and focused about. Perhaps I can find some clarity. I plan to keep track of this in my blog this week. I was initially torn by that. The first rule of fasting club is to not talk about fasting club. Jesus and Gandhi both had something to say about that. However, I am not attempting to broadcast my awesomeness here. I am really hoping to motivate myself through writing and perhaps inspire another a long the way.
A disclaimer. Fasting can mean many things, and I suggest you adopt the meaning that is the most appropriate for your circumstance, your personal health. Do not attempt a crazy feat of fasting for a long period of time unless you know what you are doing, have consulted a physician and have experience. Fasting could mean just going without something you normally have. It could mean abstinence of any myriad of things. If you decide to try something like that, do something safe and healthy for you. I am choosing to go with out food and drink for a period of time (undetermined right now how long). I will drink water, from the tap btw. I do not want filtered water, I want the trace minerals. Due to my past experience, I will take an electrolyte supplement in the morning with a tall glass of water. This allows me to keep up with some medications, without having the stomach issues. This also reduces the initial headaches that I am prone to getting. So I am going on nothing but water and a daily dose of electrolytes for my fast.
More important than the mechanics of the fast, is what I am trying to accomplish and where I put my mind during this period. I want to come out of my self proclaimed holy week with new perspective, personal strength and a redefinition of my objectives. I hope to think about my role in the world, how I can be of a small assistance to others and how I can overcome some personal challenges that always seems to plague me. So here goes, day 1 of the Holy Week.
Guy Reams
