(video cred to mahibere qidusan; singing cred to Professor lisane’werq mola)
ፆም ትፌውስ ቍስለ ነፍስ : ወታጸምም ኵሎ ዘሥጋ ፍትወታ
tsom tféws qwsle nefs we’tatsemim kwlo ze’siga fitweta
fasting heals the wounds of the soul (breath of life), and silences all of the flesh’s desiderata
Roman Catholics are amidst Lent, and for us Afroasiatic Orthodox, The Great Fast is coming. And the terse warmup Fast of Nineveh is even closer. This forthcoming Monday-Wednesday. In remembrance of the penitent Ninevites, may their memory be eternal, let us read or reread Jonah (whose larger context is the Scroll of the Twelve Minor Prophets). Especially, aloud. It’s only four chapters. Like Ruth. I will provide you with Chapter 3. The rest is homework.
And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey. And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
(emphasis added)
“Do your best, and forget the rest.”
-Tony Horton, P90X (beachbody.com)
Fasting is very personal, like personal training, and very individualized and tailor-made like your order at Chipotle or your suit/dress for a wedding. But there is a corporate or communal call from the Church to do so during a certain period of the calendar. You are not alone. Talk with your local priest. But please, please keep your eyes on your own plate. He should give you the best medicine of scripture, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving for your personal growth within the community of the Living God.
If nothing else, try this:
every night during the fast, after having abstained from food from midnight to noon, facing the East bow-down and get back up, read one Psalm (whether you finish it or not does not matter), say the Lord’s prayer, and find a vagrant to feed or clothe, or head over to Give Well or write to The Macedonians Humanitarian Association.
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