Lent Is Over - Now What?

Orthodox Christians mark the 7 Sundays after Pascha (or Easter) as "The First Sunday after Pascha", "The Second Sunday after Pascha", etc. until Pentecost, when the Sundays are marked as the 1st through 32nd Sundays after Pentecost.  After that, we have the 10 Sundays before Pascha, during which the Lenten period starts again.  In other words, just because Lent is over does not mean that we are no longer mindful of  the resurrection, and the gift of the Holy Spirit that we receive following it.  So...how does this translate to how we live our day-to-day lives?

Well, we can eat meat again after our 54-day fast (except, of course, on Wednesdays and Fridays, and the Apostles Fast, the Dormition Fast, and the Nativity Fast).  Come to think of it, we Orthodox Christians fast off of meat about 180 days out of the year - which is good for us.  We spend almost half our year abstaining from meat and, usually, dairy as well.  That pretty much amounts to all "heavy" and rich foods.  It's nice that the Church helps us to keep our diets healthy half the time.  But what do we do during those 180+ nonfasting days? 

I think we do ourselves a terrible disservice if we scarf up all the meat, cream, cheese, and butter we can just because we can.  I recall the monks and their 2 meal-a-day,  primarily fruit, vegetable, and fish diet, keeping in mind that they do not suffer from many of the diet-related diseases we are plagued with, and think that at least establishing a happy medium would be a great improvement over eating the "standard American diet" half the year.   As I've said before, I know that 2 meals a day are not enough for most of us - especially students and 9-to-5'ers.  But we can try to keep what we eat lighter - with more fruits and vegetables and less meat, and whole-fat dairy.  Besides being better for us physically, when we are not weighed down with heavy food, it is easier to pray and be mindful of the things of God. 

The big Lenten fast may be over, but our "Pascha-Pentecost" days are not.   The Orthodox Church marks time based on the events that mark God's promises to us - namely, the resurrection, and the receiving of His Holy Spirit.  By making sure we do not weigh ourselves down, we make it easier to find God's Spirit within us, and subsequently, to pray with an understanding of what really matters in this world, as well as having a grip on the promise that awaits us beyond this life.   Just some food for thought...

Until next time, happy and healthy eating!