I was wondering about the significance of fasting of the elevation of the Holy Cross. Does anyone know about that?
Thanks!
Posts
Maybe my question is too basic, or isn\'t clear. It\'s just that when I think about it, the feast of the Elevation is a celebration of two very important events, and so it\'s counterintuitive to me that we fast on that day. Someone suggested that the cross itself is a reminder of the cross we have to carry and the things we need to do to be saved, which includes prayer and fasting, but I can\'t help but think there\'s another reason.
Thanks for helping a Newbie out.
BlackK, what other great feast are you thinking of that the elevation is leading up to?
I think it\'s a little dangerous to do a consistent fast - ie 365 day Lent.
my priest back in my hometown said when he was young, and new to the faith, he was in Greece. While there, he met some young people... and they went to confession every week... he asked \\"why do you confess every week...? you didn\'t do anything wrong..\\"
they replied \\"well... it\'s like taking a shower... if you take a shower once a week, you feel clean once a week... if you take a shower every day, you feel clean every day.
the same can be applied to fasting, I think. The more often we fast, the more insight we can gain from it. BUT (big \\"but\\") - is it good to be in the shower constantly? Speaking literally, of a shower, obviously not... but speaking of confession - are you ONLY pure when you\'re confessing to the priest? obviously not. Are we ONLY holy when we fast? obviously not.
I think it\'s really important to learn about when the Church fasts - but also, as mentioned above, when the Church FEASTS... it is our fasting that keeps our feasting in perspective of what it is - something joyous! It is hard to rejoice when we torture ourselves on a diet of wheatgrass and lentils. The prodigal son\'s father killed the fatted calf - not the fatted watermelon.
and I think it\'s important to make dialogue with your priest or spiritual father why it\'s important to feast, too. (in addition to all the, many, mentioned advice of seeking the right fasting regiment)
if I have misrepresented the faith in anyway, forgive me... I\'m not a theologian... please correct me if I\'m wrong.