GOD OF THE EBB AND THE FLOW

“Ramadan does not come to change our schedules. It comes to change our hearts.” – Aashi Naaz
 
Monday kicked off Ramadan, a holy month of fasting for our Muslim friends and their families. From sunrise to sunset, many in the faith will abstain from food, water, as well as all forms of immoral behavior, including impure or unkind thoughts. This spiritual discipline of self-restraint is one of the pillars of the faith, grounding Muslims in relationship with God. This holy month of fasting, prayer, and faithful intention concludes with the forgiveness of sins.
 
Ramadan is akin to the Christian season of Lent, where the faithful fast in the wilderness with Jesus, sins are absolved in death, and new life begins on Easter Day. This rhythm is also observed in Judaism, where the new year begins with a clean slate, after having fasted on Yom Kippur.
 
The three traditions also are similar, in that these periods of fasting give way to feasting, or breaking the fast in grand manner. The blowing of the shofar, or ram’s horn, in Judaism, signals the beginning of the feast. In Christianity, the vigil fire or sunrise of Easter morning gathers the faithful at the communion table, with music, incense, and “alleluias” chanted throughout the service. The Islamic feast that concludes the month of Ramadan is known as Eid al-Fitr, Arabic for “festival of the breaking of the fast.” Delicious food is eaten, time with friends and family is celebrated, new clothes are worn, and often presents are exchanged. 
 
I am reminded this year of the ebb and flow of fasting and feasting. It is so easy to compare the lows to fasting and the highs to feasting. Or scarcity to fasting and abundance to feasting. Or to say that fasting is time in the valley and feasting is time on the mountaintop. Or, in terms of the holy, fasting is time away from God and feasting is a time of close encounter. 
 
Yet, I have found in spiritual practice that some of the most sacred occasions have been in the midst of fasting. And, likewise, the feast does not always bring joy and laughter. Somehow, God is able to transcend these traditional associations and find mysterious avenues to show up in all landscapes. 
 
Last week I was at the playground with my children and my daughter Beatrix wanted me to sit opposite of her on the seesaw. Watching her intently, I could see jubilation, both when she was suspended in the air, but also while close to the ground. 
 
Perspective and spiritual maturity is often required to encounter the holy in both the fasts and the feasts. Further, perspective and spiritual maturity is often gained through practices, disciplines, and religious rhythms, such as Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr.
 
My prayer for our Muslim friends and families, along with all who seek spiritual growth, is that God may be found, whether in the rising or the setting of the sun.
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Founded in 1960, Berkeley is an independent, Episcopal, college-preparatory day school located in Tampa, FL, for boys and girls in grades Pre-Kindergarten through 12. Approximately 1,400 students gather here from the greater Tampa Bay area to form ONE Berkeley.