Great Lent, Day 4

I want to dedicate my first post to one of my greatest inspirations for starting this blog: J Wilson of Brewvana/Diary of a Part-Time Monk, who went 46 days without solid food for an amazing and historically inspired Lent.


Summary:
Home brewmaster rediscovers hearty old-fashioned beer traditionally served during Lent in certain parts of Germany - so hearty, in fact, that it's nearly food. Despite some initial difficulties, brewmaster (or meister) then proceeds to live off of that beer and water for the duration of Lent (46 days that year), finding discipline, focus, and clarity along the way.

I don't think that my boss will let me live on beer, but he has inspired me in general to try harder this Lent. Also, it's really fascinating from historical, biological, and spiritual perspectives.


Full Discussion:
I decided to study different Lenten traditions as part of my work this Lent, and I came across the Diary of a Part-Time Monk. If you haven't read it I recommend a look. The writer decides to follow an old German Lent custom of a solely liquid diet during Lent - 4 beers a day during the week and 5 on weekends. Due to the high nutrition and low alcohol content, this is actually a) possible and b) well within both the spirit and doctrine of Lent. And giving up all solid food is certainly a sacrifice! The tradition grew out of the combination of strict Southern European fasting practices combined with harsh northern living conditions - the compromise was to develop a hearty drink that would provide enough nourishment to survive March on the North Sea without breaking the tradition of a liquid-only Lenten fast. 

I personally have a lot of difficulty with fasting due to medical reasons. I think a liquid-only diet might actually land me in the hospital. I have great respect (and, I must admit, a little bit of envy) for those who undertake great fasting feats, but we must each strive according to the grace and the gifts that have been given to us. I can't keep a strict fast for 40 days, but I can write, and seeing other people undertake great labors in the name of Christ has inspired me to do what I can. In the Parable of the Minas, Luke 19:11-27 (OSB), according to the church fathers, we are each given a great goodness by God, and we are judged according to how we use it. I will summarize the parable here for our purposes as well as I can according to the Orthodox Study Bible notes. In the parable, each of ten servants is given a talent - a great sum of money - when the master goes away to receive a great inheritance. When he returns, the servants who used their allotment wisely in the service of their master and give him a great return on his investment are rewarded greatly - they receive a city for each additional talent they earned. The first man gives his master back ten talents, and recives ten cities. Another, five. And the last buried his talent in the ground for safekeeping and earned nothing - and the talent he was given is given to the servant who had earned ten. Is he rebuked only for failing? We all fail from time to time. He is rebuked for not seeking help from the church in how to use his gifts, represented in the parable by the master asking why the servant buried the talent in the ground rather than depositing it with the bankers so that he could have at least received interest. 

So I'll leave you with this thought: what are your gifts? And how are you using them?

With love,

Magdalene

About me:
I am a relatively new convert to Orthodoxy, and I find it a pleasurable duty to study the history and traditions of the Christian church. Disclaimer: I'm not a priest or particularly well-educated in the church.


About this blog:
We'll see if it lasts past Lent, but I wanted to share the work I am doing on history and philosophy, both ancient and modern, both focused on the church and other. Lent has been a great spur to my studies and I hope you find my work interesting. Why the title 'Diary of a Part-Time Nun'? Well, it isn't just an homage to J Wilson. Everyday Saints by Archimandrite Tikhon is near and dear to my heart, and has inspired me to try to incorporate some monastic traditions into my life. This will particularly be a focus during this Lent. However, I intend to go into that in more detail in a later post.