“ . . .fasting gives me singularly happy afternoons. ”
One of my confreres sketched an explanation that attracted me: since the process of digestion is under the control of the brain, its cessation gave repose to the brain, allowed it a vacation.
~ Adalbert De Vogüé
In the afternoon the digestion of the meal deprives me of the incomparable lightness which characterizes the fast days.
When I walk in the forest just before the meal, while reciting the scriptural phrase that I meditate for that day, spiritual joy comes over me as if by appointment.
When a person eats shortly before going to bed, digestion accompanies sleep. The two great physiological functions are completed together, leaving the maximum of freedom to the mind during the day.
