Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks. (1 Thess. 5:16-18)
Happy Easter!
The fasting is over, so I write this short article on feasting as a sort of “part two” to a previous article focussed on fasting, Communal Rhythms.
Fasting is clearly defined. You can draw out complex tables with exact rules. Feasting, on the other hand, can be defined by an absence of rules, other than the universal ones (“don’t be gluttonous”). There is nothing that will calculate your diet for you.
This almost makes it feel like, when feasting, we can stop thinking. The rules are over; it’s time to enjoy! In fact, this absence of rules makes it all the more important to think! The permission to enjoy also means we have the responsibility to enjoy well.
In the Easter spirit, I’ll keep the reading short and sweet, with three feasting tips I’ve learned. I would be happy to hear others’ thoughts.
Tip One: Consciously plan your feasts.
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free. (Gal. 5:1)
While doing a series of fasts together with a small group of friends, we established a “feasting policy,” if you will, a policy on how to break the fasts. Basically, anything was allowed - so long as you told the group in advance. For example, if you wanted to watch a movie, you’d tell the group “Tomorrow after dinner, I will watch Top Gun: Maverick with my housemates.”
The more clearly I planned the feast, the more I would enjoy it. Why is this?
I got 2x the enjoyment: from the anticipation and from the feast itself.
Instead of being instinctual, planning helped me to reflect - is this the kind of treat I’d like? So my movie choices were more curated, I’d be more likely to have treats I really enjoyed, etc.
Sharing it with a group meant that others could share in the feast. Somebody would respond “Hey, can I join for the movie?” When you’re feasting, it’s often the more, the merrier.
This “feasting policy” might sound restrictive, but I found it freeing. We were still allowed to feast but only with the full consent of our rational decisions. We didn’t let laziness or impulse control us. Rather, we consciously used our liberty to decide how to feast. I encourage you to try taking a conscious attitude towards feasting.
Tip Two: Be grateful.
Gratitude is the most important part of feasting. I’ve put this St Ignatius of Loyola quote on my blog before, but it bears repeating:
It seems to me in the light of the Divine Goodness, although others may think differently, that ingratitude is the most abominable of sins … [and] is the cause, beginning, and origin of all sins and misfortunes. On the contrary, the grateful acknowledgment of blessings and gifts received is loved and esteemed not only on earth but in heaven.
There are three occasions on which we can be more grateful:
Before the feast: Anticipation. See Tip One: Consciously plan your feasts. There’s nothing wrong with, and a lot right with, being excited for a feast.
During the feast: Presence. Don’t scoff down a chocolate bar without thinking about it or watch a movie while texting. You wanted to feast, so enjoy it!
After the feast: Mindfulness. Negative moments cling to us like burdock seeds, while positive moments bounce off like hailstones. We must catch things for which we are grateful, relish them, and thereby let them melt into our memory. To do this, everyone ought to pray the Examen every day. We know to thank other people. Thank God too! (I wrote an article introducing the Examen here: “What is the Examen?” There are secular versions there too.)
Tip Three: Really feast.
From sour-faced saints, Lord, deliver us! (St Theresa of Avila)
Many people, having fasted for a long time, are tempted to keep up their fasts during Easter too. If keeping to specific rules helps you to avoid gluttony and be grateful, you should do so.
But I encourage you also to feast. If you have planned a feast consciously, are grateful for it, and it is a good thing, you should do it!
So, pick a moment to do it, be present to that moment, and eat a chocolate egg for me. Afterwards, thank God for chocolate.
Christus surrexit.
Surrexit vere, alleluja!
Good tips. If you've never heard of the podcast Farmstead Meatsmith, he has some good ones on feasting with the liturgical cycle. It's also simply a good podcast if you're into homesteading.