Feast, Frenzy, Fast, Famine

We are called in Lent to fast before the feast – but we often confuse authentic fasting and feasting with the imposters of frenzy and famine. How can we reorient toward the authentic?

1. Feast: oriented toward sharing and overflowing with the other; never isolates or imprisons you, makes you more whole, more human… or tendency to frenzy
2. Frenzy: oriented toward consuming, toward relief, toward oblivion; isolates; reduces your capacity to sacrifice and thus to love; frenzy leads to famine, and this is also not our destiny
3. Are you frenzy-ing or feasting?
4. Famine: starves you, withers you; then sets you up to see everything as a threat, a competition; self-preoccupation
5. The antidote is Fasting:  self-offering, letting go of the things that empty you of your fullness, voluntary offering, not a punishment or a consequence; self-gift refines you, never starves you or withers you away; fasting strengthens your discipline/ability to sacrifice, LOVE
6. Are you in famine or in fast?

Aimee MacIver is a frequent speaker and presenter in various realms of ministry. She is a visual artist and creative writer for the Vigil Project and has been a high school theology teacher for more than 20 years. Aimee has co-authored several award-winning books published by Ascension Press. She lives in Covington with her husband, Colin, and their two children.