In a few days, Ramadhan will begin, commencing a month-long observance of prayer and fasting for the Islam world. In this relation, my Muslim teammate Bax (who happens to be a Maguindanaoan Datu) and I had a conversation about the celebration, particularly the rationale behind the practice of fasting.
I used to think that fasting was one of those midieval ways of getting Allah's favor through pointless sacrifice, but Bax explained that it wasn't. Fasting, firstly, was a means of cleansing from physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual toxins. It's basically a wholistic detox. It's an opportunity for Muslims to get "excesses" off their system. During prescribed periods of the day, they avoid food, vices, sex, and impure and violent thoughts. For a month, Muslims live almost without these.
This presents the second, and perhaps more important reason for fasting: Praying and fasting for a month gives us a picture of a life style that we are all capable of. In the simplest sense, if we can do without excesses and yet remain prayerful for a whole month, why not be like that for the rest of our lives? In the end, the practice of living with so little shows us the things that truly matter.
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I'm experiencing a kind of fasting nowadays. I'm living in a boarding house. No aircon. No Playstation 2. No maid to cook or do my laundry for me. No old barkada. No nightlife. No salary.
This experience has given me the opportunity to see what I do have. I have myself. I have Christ. I have the knowledge that I am loved. I also have the numerous opportunities this experience brings me. All these, for me, are priceless.
