Happy New Year!

Covering religious affairs, as it were, and especially when tucking into another four-course carbohydrate and sugar-laden meal at General Synod in York, I have often mused on why it is that sin associated with sex should get so much more attention than that associated with food.  I wonder guiltily why, in matters of religion, gluttony should apparently be allowed, while lust is not. Yet this spiritual yearning for things of the palate has strong precedent, from Chaucer through to Friar Tuck, pictured here. In many ways, it has been quite pleasant writing about a community where the word "diet" is never mentioned, except in the Lutheran context. But that could all be about to change.

If our survey of the New Year resolutions of religious leaders is anything to go by, matters corporeal are starting to attract their attention as much as matters spiritual. The Chief Rabbi, the Archbishop of Wales, the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, all to a man proclaimed that their resolution for 2006 was to shed pounds.

Joanna Sugden, the Oxford graduate on work experience with me at The Times before Christmas, did the "ring round" for the news story. She and I were both surprised and amused by the results of our survey.

It begged some questions. Has the national obsession with dieting finally penetrated our religious institutions? Or have these men, none of whom to my knowledge is excessively overweight, just had a good look around them and decided they need to set a good example? We wish that Rowan Williams had responded to our request. As he didn't, we will suggest one to him, in the seasonal spirit of good will. We think the Archbishop of Canterbury should resolve to eat a little more, if he is not to disappear altogether.

Joanna and I are offering a bottle of wonderfully calorific Times champagne to the wittiest or most original or simply the best New Year resolution posted here.

And what of my own? Yes, you guessed it, to lose weight. Last year, I resolved to lose the stone I put on in pregnancy five years back. Ten pounds went - a pound a week for every week I simply cut out Guylian chocolate. This was balanced by a pound going back on for every day when I succumbed to temptation and bought a box or two from Sainsbury. I can reliably inform our dieting religious leaders that in this temporal world, a week's work can be undone in 24 hours.

A further three pounds have gone back on over Christmas. (Thank G-d the shops don't stock mince pies all year round.) So that leaves me half a stone to go.

My other resolutions are to be less superficial in my writing, to finish "that novel", to practise my piano and guitar every day and to be a good wife after getting married on 1 April. Lots of us are putting resolutions out there in the blogosphere, you can read the latest by looking up New Year Resolutions on Tecnorati.

Meanwhile, Joanna writes:

During my week as Ruth's apprentice, she very bravely let me loose to contact the offices of Bishops, Archbishops, Rabbis and Muslim leaders across the world, to find out their New Year's Resolutions.

Many of the resolutions gathered as a result were prefaced with reservations such as "mine aren't very holy I'm afraid" or "I'm sure you can't be interested in my New Year's resolution."

It was refreshing and reassuring that these erudite leaders had very down to earth undertakings for 2006, "to do more exercise", "to be more human and go to the theatre more" "to treat everyone with respect". These are aims which as we all know can prove the most tricky to bring to completion.

It is only as I make my own resolution public  that I understand the hesitation of those questioned.

In writing it down, let alone having it published, the resolution becomes more binding and tangible, no longer a fanciful, flexible pact with that most understanding of allies, yourself. But, since our religious leaders led the way so courageously, I add my New Year's Resolutions - to eat more fruit and read more books - to the many that will be made and broken as we prepare to revolve once again around the sun.

Oh, and here's another - to keep my job. My demise is predicted here.

Do let us know what yours are, but most importantly, have a Happy New Year.

Comments

[Deah Johnson]

I personally think that New Year resolutions are silly. I do not look down on those that participate in the tradition of New Year resolutions; however, when the new year rolls around, people suddenly reflect on the accomplishments, or lack there of, of the previous year. Should not we all be mindful of self evaluation and betterment. Maybe instead of New Year resolutions, which nobody ever really sticks to, everyone should concentrate on year round introspection. If everyone participated in that, the world would absolutely be a better place. (Oklahoma,USA)
- "Big people don't come in big packages, humble hearts should stay unwrapped, and if you want to change the world than CHANGE YOURSELF. One by one, we will all retract."

[Canon Arthur Middleton]

LENT 1 ST.NICHOLAS BOLDON

FASTING

Today there are so many varieties of food available that would have been unthinkable forty years ago. The choice of fast food then was limited to fish and chips or a savaloy dip in the pork shop. Today we are told that these kinds of food have too much fat in them and can destroy our health. Yet even that view seems to be changing. Only last week the Annual Magazine arrived from one of my old colleges, King’s College London. In it the professor of medicine was arguing that certain kinds of fat are good for your heart and protect it. All this obsession with the infinite varieties of food, the fact that we ride and sit more, along with the health and keep fit propaganda means that some of you here will be on diets. Dieting has become fashionable today, whether to keep weight down despite your metabolism, or for your health’s sake. Eating, along with the greater availability of wine, and eating out, which we do much more than our parents did is one of today’s great indulgences. At the opposite end is the other great indulgence, dieting. Both are expensive fashions today, and both can be equally self-indulgent depending on the menu. But dieting is for a material end not a spiritual - better health, better shape fitter body.

Jesus fasted...
“ Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit for forty days in the wilderness, tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing in those days; and when they were ended, he was hungry...”
Fasting is the word used in earlier translations and is a practice not confined to Christianity. It is a physical exercise for a spiritual end but is not much in fashion today among Christians. Whereas dieting is more concerned for the health of the body fasting is concerned with the health of the soul but has secondary effects in making for a healthier body. Another difference between dieting and fasting is that fasting is always accompanied by prayer. So we see Jesus going into the wilderness to fast and to pray. In his fasting and prayer his concern is not a self-indulgent ego trip. His concern is to find out what God wanted him to do and how he was to do it - not what he wanted to do and not how he wanted to do it - but what God wanted him to do and how God wanted him to do it. His way of finding out was by fasting and prayer which proved to be fraught with many temptations. This time of preparation in the wilderness proved to be the springboard to his whole life and ministry. It was here that he found that God’s way for him was to be by death and resurrection.

Lent
So the great forty days of Lent become for us a time of preparation for Easter. A time to enter into a deeper understanding of our part in God’s way of death and resurrection - what is to be the secret of our lives, what is to be God’s way of salvation for us.
The Church calls us to take seriously this business of fasting, as I say, something not very fashionable among Christians today. Most people today do not fast and regard those who do as rather freakish.

Why Fast?
In one of his Lenten sermons Leo the Great, Bishop of Rome reminded his congregation about the Hebrews being punished for their sins by the tyranny of the Philistines. In order to overcome their enemies they restored their powers of mind and body by fasting. They realized that they deserved subjection under the Philistines for neglecting God’s commands. They knew it was useless to fight with weapons until they had confronted and withstood their sin. So they abstained from food and drink. Their fasting alerted them in mind and body increasing their concentration and resolve and when their enemies attacked them they defeated them. This they had found impossible to do before disciplining themselves by fasting and prayer.

Leo goes on to remind us that we are surrounded by many oppositions and conflicts within ourselves. These may be cured by a little carefulness he tells us if only we will use the same means. Our enemies are chiefly spiritual enemies. If we can conquer them by God’s grace, enabling us to correct our ways in favour of God’s ways, then what weakens us bodily will even give way before us. In choosing God’s way as Jesus Did we will amend our lives and it is this amending of our lives that will weaken those things in our lives that we thought unconquerable. To take an example from dieting - the resolve you acquire through only sticking to certain foods defeats the bulges and the blood pressure and the cholestrol that seems to be unconquerable enemies.

This is why we fast and pray and abstain in Lent - to confront in ourselves those things that prevent us from doing things in God’s way. The more zealous we are for our salvation the more determined will be the attacks of temptation. Look at Jesus in the wilderness. But what you see in Jesus is this that the divine is stronger than the human. So with us “stronger is He that is in us than he that is against us”. Because, it was for this that the Lord allowed himself to be tempted by the tempter, that we might be taught by his example as well as fortified by his aid. It was the wise King Solomon who said, “My son, in approaching the service of God prepare your soul for temptation.” And St. Paul who said “for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of this dark world, against spiritual wickedness in heavenly things” Every time we win, they are defeated, every time we are raised they are knocked down, every time we are strengthened, they are weakened.

Fasting and Abstinence
How can we become more alert spiritually by sharpening these weapons of fasting and prayer ?

First, in a physical way. Is there something that we can give up in our daily or weekly menus? Have a day when we only eat dry toast and drink water. On Wednesdays and Fridays don’t eat meat, only vegetables or fish. Or on one day just have a cup of tea at midday or in the evening. These particular occasions might become time of more intense and extended prayer. The money you save can be given to charity. Give up bread, or butter, or potatoes for the whole of Lent. If you are invited out then you must eat what is put down to you because the rule of charity overrules the rule of fasting. Let such abstinence allow you to become more alert in mind and body to what God asks of you in meeting the temptations that continually beset you.

Secondly, is it not time we returned to fasting before Holy Communion? It used to be a fast from midnight, that no solid food passed our lips. Now there is a rule of one hour. Perhaps during Lent, those whose health can cope with it might extend this and practise fasting Communion. At least don’t have a great breakfast before Holy Communion. That is a very ancient practice from the beginning of the Church, that the first food to pass our lips on the Lord’s Day was the Body and Blood of Christ. The emptiness of hunger is to help increase our hunger for God.

Thirdly, there is also moral abstinence. Physical abstinence is useless if the strength of the soul is not developed. When the outer man is somewhat subdued let the inner man be somewhat refreshed; and when bodily excess is denied to our flesh let our mind be invigorated by spiritual delights.

In other words scrutinise yourself. Search deeply into your inmost heart. Let no conflicts cling there, no ill-feelings be harboured there. Let the light of truth dispel any deceptions that are lying there; let the swelling of pride subside; let anger yield to reason; let the persecutions of ill-treatment be shattered; and the gossip of the tongue be bridled; let thought of revenge fall through, and injuries be allowed to disappear into oblivion.

In other words let everything in your heart that has not been planted by God be uprooted. For only then will the seeds of virtue begin to nourish us, when every foreign germ is uprooted from the field of wheat. And as we pray forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who have sinned against us remembering that if you forgive people their sins, your father in heaven will forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, then remember God will not forgive you.

Let us grant the pardon which we crave, and not be eager to be revenged when we pray to be forgiven. If we strain every nerve in ourselves to be perfect as he is perfect, and keep this fast of Lent faithfully, free from the leaven of the old wickedness in the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth we will enter into the mystery of man’s reformation through the death and resurrection of Christ our Lord who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

[Adventer]

At the very start of this New Year Christian resolution is tested ... http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13509-1967413,00.html

Let us pray the Light of the world radiates upon Father Enrico Righi as he defends his Faith in Jesus Christ.

[Malcolm Bowden]

I think my resolution must be to stop reading theology, stop beating myself up because I don't like the Old Testament, the Epistles and Revelation, go to church for fun and try and tell someone in Sainsbury's something about the message of the gospel as presented by Jesus without using any churchy in-language possibly even by actions rather than words!

[HTFB]

I resolve, this year, not to give up anything for Lent. I am looking forward to acknowledging Lent by giving up my New Year's resolution.

[Stve Ward]

Can we all resolve to put this Earth, which provides for us all, first; to challenge - strongly - the absurd and dark experimentations and practices that threaten our planetary existence?

[Gavin White]

One of my aims every new year is to read through the Bible all the way through in 365 days - it's a great journey of inspiration and faith every year.

My friend has set up a great website to help people do this in 2006 - www.bibletour.co.uk

My 3 Goals for 2006 are:

Prayer
I want to pray more and see more people saved and healed in the name of Jesus Christ in 2006

Proclamation
I want to speak out the truth of the good news of the gospel of the kingdom in my place of work and the neighbourhood where I live increasingly in 2006

Presence
I want to be a man who spends time in God's presence and for my resulting life to carry the fragrance and aroma of Christ to those who don't yet know Jesus Christ, and for me to mirror his life and character in all that I do

[Dorothy King]

original resolution entry:

my resolution is to enjoy a bottle of champagne with my husband every month, to celebrate the fact that we reach our silver wedding this year & to remind us of the importance of spending time together - so any chance of January's bottle to start us off?!

[Canon Eddie Neale]

The Book of Ecclesiastes has wise advice for the Bishops New Year Resolutions. That they know the difference between a 'time to speak and a time to keep silence'. It will do for me too.

[Angela Clare]

(Entry for the original resolution)

HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT QUICKLY AND HELP WORLD POVERTY

Donate the entire contents of ones wardrobe to a Charity shop.Replace by buying a new set of clothing two sizes smaller . These must be worn from the first day of the diet!

[Marian Bythell]

Last year my resolution was, for me to move less and my husband to move more (he is at least l stone overweight) and for me to talk less (I am a great talker) and for him to talk more!

This year my resolution is for me NOT to go to my close friend's keep fit class as I want her friendship on a one to one basis and not based on a social level i.e. I want her friendship as it was four years ago.

[Malcolm Dallas]

My resolution is best summed up in this verse from the New Testament:

"Contentment with godliness is great gain."

If only we could all aspire to that...

[Lucy Dallas]

(In hope of winning a bottle of champagne!!)

If years were colours, for me 2005 was storm-grey flecked with silver and gold. Therefore my resolution for 2006 is to do everything I can to make 2006 much sunnier; pinky-apricot flecked with silver and gold.

[Norris Battin]

All the best for '06 from Newport Beach, CA where I faithfully (sorry) read every word. The blog will be a spectacular success. I hope to see you in the diocese of LA some day.