April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
REFLECTION
A new look at fasting
Of the three, fasting is the most puzzling. It seems to belong to another age. Yet fasting is part of our Christian tradition: It is mentioned many times in the Old and New Testaments. Fasting is also a common spiritual practice in many religions in the world.
Where does the practice of fasting come from, why do we fast and how do we fast?
In the Old Testament, fasting was a common action by individuals and the community. Sometimes, a fast was proclaimed as a sign of repentance (for example, by the people of the city of Nineveh in Jonah 3), or as an invitation to renew and refocus their relationship with God (as in the first reading for Ash Wednesday, Joel 2:12).
Other times, fasting was part of preparation for a major task (Esther 4:16), or to clear the mind and heart to receive a revelation or mission from God (for example, Daniel's vision in Daniel 10:2-4, or in Exodus 34:28 where Moses fasts before receiving the Ten Commandments).
Jesus fasted during His temptations in the desert (Mt 4:1-11) and at other times. Early Christians followed that example. Perhaps they recalled when Jesus' disciples were criticized for not fasting, whereas disciples of John the Baptist did (Mt 9:15).
They would remember Jesus' reply: "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? When the bridegroom is taken from them, then they will fast."
We hear of fasting in the Acts of the Apostles as a preparation for the liturgy (Acts 13:2), for the strength to fulfill a mission or as a form of prayer. St. Paul, too, frequently fasted and encouraged the practice of fasting (2 Cor 6:5,11-27).
All these aspects of fasting have become part of our Christian tradition. They were formalized in the annual Christian calendar. There used to be fasts of three days every three months or so (called "Ember Days"). Lent grew out of a three-week fast in preparation for Easter. A number of religious communities still keep various times and seasons of fasting.
Today, we have just two official days of fasting: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, as well as the hour-long fast before receiving communion.
Why fast? Fasting is associated with our journey of conversion and need for penance. The Catechism summarizes, "Fasting expresses conversion in relation to oneself, to God and to others." St. Augustine says fasting "purifies the soul, it lifts up the mind and it brings the body into subjection to the spirit. It makes the heart humble and contrite and enkindles the true light of charity."
Pope Francis spoke about fasting in his Ash Wednesday homily this year: "Fasting makes sense if it really chips away at our security and, as a consequence, benefits someone else; if it helps us cultivate the style of the good Samaritan, who bent down to his brother in need and took care of him."
Fasting, said the pope, should "exercise the heart. It is a sign of becoming aware of and taking responsibility for injustice and oppression, especially of the poor and the least, and is a sign of the trust we place in God and His providence."
In other words, fasting can help us to focus on our relationships with God, others and self: to remember that we ultimately depend on God and to show solidarity with those who have to fast every day not by choice, but by necessity.
How do we fast? We need to do it in the right spirit. Jesus warns us not to go parading around the fact that we are fasting to impress or to be noticed (Mt 6:16).
If fasting makes us crabby or mean-spirited, something is not right. I knew a priest who, every Lent, gave up alcohol and smoking - and everyone dreaded it. By the end of the first week of Lent, even the other priests who lived in the rectory were begging him to reverse his decision, as he was quite impossible to be around! Fasting is meant to help, not hinder us in our relationship with God, others and our self.
We can fast from material things like food or alcohol, as well as from the TV, computer, smart phone or X-Box. We can then use the "space" created by fasting to focus on relationships.
How about also fasting or abstaining from gossiping, anger, bitterness, negativity or selfishness? As one poem puts it: "Fast from discontent, feast on gratitude./Fast from complaining, feast on appreciation./Fast from bitterness, feast on forgiveness./Fast from self-concern, feast on compassion for others./Fast from suspicion, feast on truth./Fast from idle gossip, feast on purposeful silence./Fast from unrelenting pressures, feast on unceasing prayer."
May this Lent be a time of growth for all of us: a time of prayer, acts of charity and of fasting!
(Father Barratt is pastor of St. Ambrose parish in Latham. He holds a doctorate in theology and was a professor at St. John's Seminary in England before coming to the U.S. in 2004.) [[In-content Ad]]
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