THERE are a lot of ways in which the traditions and practices of the Catholic faith are counter-cultural. Last week, we explored the injunction to spend the season of Lent as a time of extra prayerfulness. The mandatory days of fasting serve as yet another example of this radically counter-cultural teaching:
“Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics.
In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.”
(Source: website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)
The encouragement to fast is just about as contrary to the messages of our advertisement-saturated commercial culture as you could hope to find. If you think about it, ads on TV or on the radio mostly have to do with feasting, and not fasting: “Buy MORE!” “Get more for your buck.” “Consume this product and you will be happier/healthier/ more popular.”
In contrast, the Church advises fasting at least twice a year, and abstaining from meat on Fridays.
“For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fast- ing are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards.” (USCCB)
Perhaps you have grown up with a tradition of fasting and abstaining during Lent and you have already personally experienced some benefits. But for the sake of review, let’s explore some of the “Why” of Lenten fasting.
First of all, fasting is always preparatory. Fasting is fundamentally about fasting from sin; it is about avoiding temptation and remaining pure; it contains within it the promise of learning the discipline of self-mastery and attaining heaven. Self-discipline is not an end in itself, therefore: fasting helps us to prepare to receive the sacraments, and living a Christian life is in some sense a lifetime fast from all sin. For example, in preparation for receiving the Eucharist, we must fast, if only for an hour.
Secondly, fasting is more about spiritual nourishment than about denying ourselves physical food. It is about relying on God. Since the world was given to humankind as a means of nourishing us so that we can live, but since “life” ultimately means communion with God and not physical food, Father Daniel Merz points out that
“Christian fasting is not concerned with losing weight. It is a matter of prayer and the spirit. And because of that, because it is truly a place of the spirit, true fasting may well lead to temptation, and weakness and doubt and irritation. In other words, it will be a real fight between good and evil, and very likely we shall fail many times in these battles. But the very discovery of the Christian life as ‘fight’ and ‘effort’ is an essential aspect of fasting.”
Third, fasting is intended to save resources and devote oneself to the poor and the suffering. If we are constantly feasting, how can we expect to be attuned to the needs of others? Through the Prophet Isaiah, God condemned fasting that is just for “show” and outlines what a True Fast ought to be:
The kind of fasting I want is this: remove the chains of oppression
and the yoke of injustice,
and let the oppressed go free.
Share your food with the hungry
and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help you own relatives. (Isaiah 58:6-7)
Idea for Lent:
If you skip a meal, consider donating the food or cash you save to charity. The Karidat food pantry and Salvation Army soup kitchen are always grateful for donations of canned food goods.