Keeping the Spirit of the Fast on Thanksgiving Day: Top 4 Tips
Thanksgiving day is upon us! What a beautiful day in the year where we are all invited to hit the collective pause button, come together in community to be with one another, and offer thanks to God for all we have been given. Well, that’s the rose-y way of looking at the holiday; however, this Thursday of thanks can also come with a heaping side of stress, temptations to overindulge, and pressure to capitalize on the following day’s materialistic focus.
Well, the Church offers an alternative perspective here. For Orthodox Christians on the new calendar, we are just about one week into the Nativity Fast, a 40-day opportunity to deepen our spiritual lives through fasting, almsgiving and prayer. The spirit of Thanksgiving is one that aligns beautifully with our Christian values, but what happens when the other stuff gets in the way? For stress, we have prayer. For indulgence, we have fasting. For materialism, we have almsgiving. How do we weave this spirit into Thanksgiving day? Here are my top 4 tips:
Ask God to bless your food…each time.
Perhaps saying a prayer as a family before the main meal is customary for you — how lovely! Build on that ritual and ask God to bless all of your eating episodes…the appetizers, the taste test in the kitchen, the dessert, the second dinner. A quick "Lord, bless" or making the sign of the cross can help us come back to Christ throughout the entire day.
2. Attend the Divine Liturgy, if offered.
Check with your parish priest to see if your church is offering a Divine Liturgy on or around Thanksgiving. While the holiday is a delightful opportunity to share a meal with our loved ones, the ultimate meal and celebration is that of the Holy Eucharist (which actually comes from the Greek word eucharistia, meaning “thanksgiving”). If there is not a Liturgy being served, praying the Akathist Glory to God for All Things nicely complements today’s theme.
3. Eat slowly.
When we slow down, we can more thoroughly enjoy the food that we or our loved ones likely spent significant time preparing. We can taste the food — noting the flavor, the temperature, the texture — leading to a deeper appreciation of this gift. Eating slowly also gives our body the time it needs to recognize the feeling of fullness. Feeling full, but want more? Just wait a little bit. You may find you are satisfied after the first serving after all. If we’re not observing the fast through abstaining from meat and/or dairy today, we can still observe through practicing moderation.
Here are a few practical tips for eating slowly:
Take your first bite and tell the cook what you taste.
Put your fork down in between bites and chew your food well.
Ask someone a question and listen intently to the answer.
4. Give thanks for your meal through prayer.
End-capping our meal with thanksgiving accomplishes a few things. It helps us know when we’re done eating and ready to move on. It infuses a spirit of gratitude into the day. And it brings the focus back to Christ. A simple “Thank you, Lord, for our food” will do!
And now it is my turn to thank you. Thank you for being here. I am humbled everyday by the feedback and support I have received since launching Krista Fedorchak Nutrition LLC. If you like what you’re reading and wish to engage more, I have a few options for you:
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Happy Thanksgiving!
