Lenten Litany on Fasting and Feasting . . .

 

Fast from judging others;

Feast on the Christ indwelling them.

Fast from emphasis on differences;

Feast on the unity of all life.

Fast from apparent darkness;

Feast on the reality of light.

Fast from thoughts of illness;

Feast on the healing power of God.

Fast from words that pollute;

Feast on phrases that purify.

Fast from discontent;

Feast on gratitude.

Fast from anger;

Feast on patience.

Fast from pessimism;

Feast on optimism.

Fast from worry;

Feast on divine order.

Fast from complaining;

Feast on appreciation.

Fast from negatives;

Feast on affirmatives.

Fast from unrelenting pressures;

Feast on unceasing prayer.

Fast from hostility;

Feast on non-resistance.

Fast from bitterness;

Feast on forgiveness.

Fast from self-concern;

Feast on compassion for others.

Fast from personal anxiety;

Feast on eternal Truth.

Fast from discouragement;

Feast on hope.

Fast from facts that depress;

Feast on truths that uplift.

Fast from lethargy;

Feast on enthusiasm.

Fast from suspicion;

Feast on truth.

Fast from thoughts that weaken;

Feast on promises that inspire.

Fast from shadows of sorrow;

Feast on the sunlight of serenity.

Fast from idle gossip;

Feast on purposeful silence.

Fast from problems that overwhelm;

Feast on prayer that undergirds.

 

- William Arthur Ward

(American author, teacher and pastor, 1921-1994)

Original Source Unknown