The Gospel passage where Jesus makes it abundantly clear that His disciples will fast is one that seems to catch my attention when I hear it read. It always make me reflect back through history on how fasting requirements within the Church vary and have changed over the years.
Even today, other Rites of the Church actually have much more stringent fasting requirements throughout Lent compared to the requirements we have in the Latin Rite. As you know, we have only two days of required fasting, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, with of course those days along with every Friday during Lent being a day of abstinence from meat.
That said, we are invited and even encouraged to practice fasting and abstinence more often, particularly on Fridays throughout the year, which continue to be considered a day of penance in honor of the Passion of Christ.
In consideration of our readings today, I thought it would be a good opportunity to take a moment to reflect on why Jesus may have made the point that His disciples will fast and why the Church requires the practice of fasting and abstinence to be part of our spiritual lives.
Saint Teresa of Avila sums it up well when she said, “Restraint at table is often the first line of defense against the spirit of the world.” Let’s break it down.
1. Fasting helps us temper our temptations.
Let’s face it, we live in a culture that seems to continually seek instant gratification in all things. The practice of fasting and abstinence teaches our senses to ignore this cultural programming by focusing instead on our need for God.
Further, the practice of fasting and abstinence gives us a spiritual defense against the seven capital sins; particularly gluttony. In those times we are tempted to fall to a capital sin, the practice of fasting and/or abstinence can give us an alternative focus to avoid the temptation.
The idea is that if we can learn to control our appetites, if we can learn to control our hunger, then we can learn control all of the temptations to capital sins; anger, lust, pride, and so on.
2. Fasting helps us grow in gratitude.
An attitude of gratitude is immensely important for our spiritual life. The practice of fasting and abstinence helps develop this attitude of gratitude in that we come to a deeper appreciation for the food that we ultimately consume. This appreciation can then spread to all of the other gifts and blessings God gives us in our lives.
3. Fasting can be a very powerful form of prayer.
To give us an idea of how powerful of a prayer fasting can be, Jesus tells us in the Gospel of Matthew that some unclean spirits will only come out through prayer and fasting. And, in Acts of the Apostles, we see how important fasting was as part of a prayerful discernment process in the early Church.
Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are all intended to be practiced hand-in-hand (which is one of the themes of the first reading).
When we practice fasting, abstinence, and/or almsgiving, we can offer that sacrifice in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for any prayer intention: in reparation for our sins and the sins of others, our marriages, our families, a holy soul in purgatory, vocations, or as an expression of love for Jesus Christ. Really, any prayer intention on our heart can be conveyed through the practice of fasting and abstinence.
4. Fasting can strengthen us in virtue.
Not only can the practice of fasting and abstinence help us temper our temptations and help us be more grateful, but it can go beyond that to strengthening our virtues. Acceptance, patience, fortitude, temperance, and humility are just a few examples of virtues that are often exercised and strengthened through the practice of fasting and abstinence.
5. Fasting spiritually empties us.
If we allow it, physical hunger can become a manifestation for spiritual hunger and a deeper longing for God. This is one of the reasons why we have the Eucharistic fast before Mass. We want to make sure we are truly spiritually hungry for the Lord when we come here to receive Him in the Bread of Life.
Similarly, the practice of fasting and abstinence regularly helps us nurture this sense of spiritual hunger…a hunger that can only be satisfied by God’s grace. Fasting and abstinence helps us make room in our psyche for the strength, love, and presence of the Holy Spirit in order that we may be a true temple of the Indwelling Trinity.
Ultimately, the self denial involved in the practice of fasting and abstinence helps us follow the model of John the Baptist in that we decrease in order for Jesus to increase through us to the world around us.
These are just a few examples of how fasting on a regular basis aids us in our spiritual lives. Ultimately, the practice of fasting and abstinence is a gift Jesus has given to His disciples in order to foster a deeper relationship with God and to seek Him more earnestly with a humble and contrite heart.
Thanks be to God!
