• Sections

    • Jan

    8

    Did Jesus Fast? and Other Thoughts

    Filed Under health, islam, politics, questions, spiritual practice 

    Today is the 8th of the month, so I am fasting. I’m not hungry or thirsty, but I feel the impulse to eat - out of habit, I think.

    When I woke up this morning, the predominant thought in my brain was a Muslim hadith (tradition) attributed to the Prophet Muhammad:

    The worst vessel that the son of Adam can fill is his stomach.

    And his advice was to eat enough to keep your backbone straight, but if you need to eat more, fill 1/3 of the stomach with food, 1/3 with water, and leave 1/3 for air.

    Muhammad advocated moderation when it came to food - and if one must err, his suggestion was to err on the side of less, not more.

    I absolutely feel better when I eat less, so long as I’m eating nutritious foods. Both my brain and body feel more clear and unencumbered. But overeating is a habit with negative consequences for me. And it’s so easy with delicious food all around!

    So I’ve been thinking on that for a bit, too. The other thing on my mind is: did Jesus fast - apart from the 40 days and 40 nights? Was it a regular practice for him?

    And - I wonder this very idly - do any of the current presidential candidates fast? So often these politicians talk about their religious beliefs, but I don’t care about that (the UU in me). I want to know what they do - what is their spiritual practice? That would tell me a lot, perhaps too much.

    Share This

    Popularity: 38% [?]

    Comments

    3 Responses to “Did Jesus Fast? and Other Thoughts”

    1. Joel Monka on January 8th, 2008 7:01 pm

      Politicians cannot afford to fast. Breaking bread together is the standard ritual of every part of politics- diplomacy, fund raising, arbitrating and negotiating, all of it is done over food. That’s why you always see politicians exercising- Clinton running, or Bush on his mountain bike, etc. It’s true all the way down to Governors and even Mayors.

    2. Stephen on January 9th, 2008 2:40 am

      Jesus said, ‘WHEN you fast, don’t make a big show of it’ suggesting he assumed fasting was part of the religious life.

    3. hafidha sofia on January 9th, 2008 3:22 am

      Joel - Every day? Do they not have any off days? Surely, George does, with all the time he spends on the ranch ….

      Stephen - I did read some things from the book of Matthew where it is said not to look all pathetic while fasting (it’s linked to hypocrisy?), but on what occasions did Jesus fast? Did he just do it any day?

    Leave a Reply




    Close
    E-mail It
    visitors since June 16, 2007