I didn't write about it, but last Thursday was my second day of fasting. For some reason, I must like self-torture because I ended up in the grocery store on Thursday morning, as I had on Monday. But I did wonderfully well at the store -- I had 2 boiled eggs for 72 calories each, 3 pieces of mini-pita for a total of 90 calories and about a cup of raw spinach (thank goodness for Whole Foods!). So that is a total of 234 calories for breakfast. For dinner, I did less well, but still reasonable. I had 1 cup of spaghetti with 1/2 cup of Classico spaghetti sauce and a big salad. The spaghetti noodles were about 220 calories and the sauce was 70 calories. So, all in all, I did really well (yeah me!) at 524 calories. The only issue I had with the whole thing was that I ate breakfast a bit later than I should have (around 9 rather than 7:30) and had dinner earlier than I should have (around 5 rather than 7:30) because of some issues with my schedule. So I only had eight hours to contend with rather than 12. I'm not sure that matters, but it still wasn't what I wanted.
Today is my third fast day. I had oatmeal for breakfast (145 calories) and just now had an orange (62 calories). Tonight, I am making Lentil soup (better have a back up plan for the husband and children). I've got a bit of headache now, which is why I decided to have the orange, and I am really thirsty, so I'm drinking seltzer right now.
I plan to stay busy, busy, busy today - I certainly have enough to do. This morning I had a planning meeting regarding Girl Scouts for next year. After that, I stopped by the Eucharistic Adoration chapel, looking for a few minutes of peace before the Blessed Sacrament. I was shocked that there were so many people in the chapel, until I remembered that 9:30 am mass was getting ready to start. I stayed for mass, and I am really glad that I did.
I'd stopped in the chapel to get some fortification for the day ahead and, once again, God didn't disappoint - today's mass reading was from the Gospel of John (6, 30-35). In this Gospel, we see the crowd asking Jesus for a sign so that they might believe in him. They recall the sign of the manna in the desert, and Jesus tells them that it was not Moses who gave the Israelites manna, but God the Father. He then tells them his Father gives the true bread from heaven, the bread that comes down and gives life to the world. Of course, they want some of this bread (who wouldn't?). He then tells them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst." Isn't that an incredibly appropriate mass reading for a fasting day?
Love it!
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