Another Fast Begins...

AND SO TOMORROW BEGINS the Apostles Fast. I have to say that I really find comfort in the fasting periods of the year. They are reminder to me to refocus and get back on track in my relationship with Christ. Even through we do keep our morning and evening prayer times, it is easy to get so busy that you are just going through the motions to get it done. One of the many things that I'm grateful for my children for is keeping me on track. They have become accustom to the rhythm of our "domestic church" and so even if I'm feeling rushed or that we have to push on to get going, they are the reminder to take a breath and do what's important. Daily prayer to me, is like the warm up the symphony does before a great performance. If I don't get prayer time in, our day doesn't go nearly as well. For me fasting times are a time to slow down. To spend more time at the foot of our Lord. Reading His Word and meditating on His Mysteries.

To try to instill all the gifts the Church offers us in our children can be a challenge. It all begins with me or rather my husband and I. There are times it's hard to be a "good" example. It is far to easy to miss Vespers or to skip prayer times. To allow the 'under tow' of life to pull us out into a sea of chaos and lose the rhythm that the Church provides for our benefit. It is the podvig, the struggle we carry through our days. As I've shared before in previous posts, it's important to me that my children celebrate ALL the feasts of the Church; Not just Christ's birth and resurrection. In keeping all the feasts, however we need the preparation, which is what the fasts provide.

So over the next few weeks I will be sharing some snippets of our journey through this fast. I hope you'll join me and share your thoughts. Enjoy your day!