Fasting is one of the three practice the church invites us to enter into during this lenten season, these 40 days, in order to deepen our conversion to Christ.
Fasting doesn't mean starving but it does mean being hungry. It is often connected to abstinence, which simply means to go without.
The official rules for fasting and abstinence are as follows: at age 14 and up we are asked to abstain from meat on fridays. Between the ages of 18 and 59 we are invited to fast on those days prescribed: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
But, we should practice fasting often in our own life. We can fast from many things: food, drink, Tv, Radio, Our cell phone, texting etc... anything sensual
But primarily we fast from food and drink.
In the world many people fast for different reasons.
People fast to lose weight. They want to achieve a desired look and work on their figure. IT usually deals with beauty though sometimes, vain glory.
People fast for health reasons. There are times in our life when we should not eat certain foods for it is bad for our health, thus we abstain. When we have procedures or surgery, the doctor will prescribe fasting. Fasting is also a way of cleansing our bodies from toxins.
People also fast for political purposes. They fast in order to bring attention to particular problems in our society. Ghandi would be a prime example. In this case it is fasting in order to bring about change.
When you look into the biblical record, you find many biblical figures fasting.
Moses fasted for forty days prior to receiving the ten commandments; Elijah fasted forty days before climbing the mountain and hearing the whisper of God; the Ninevites fasted in order to change and seek God's favor; Isaiah speaks of fasting as a way of reaching inward in order to reach outward to neighbors; St. Paul fasted after his conversion and throughout his ministry; Jesus fast today in the gospel.
Jesus fasts and prays for forty days prior to being tempted. Fasting and prayer seemed to be a vehicle to prepare for battle. Jesus prepares his humanity for the confrontation; he prepares for his mission. Fasting and prayer deepen his communion with the Father in the Spirit which strengthens him for the ministry ahead.
Jesus leaves nothing to chance.
Jesus prepares for the temptation and thus overcomes them.
Do we prepare? Or do we leave everything to chance?
If the Son of God prepares, how much more do we need to prepare.
The problem is we often think we are stronger than we are.
Fasting has always been a hallmark of the catholic faith. It has also been a hallmark of man's relationship with God. From the beginning, Adam and Eve, in paradise, in the Garden of eden were asked to fast and abstain. In fact fasting and abstinence was at the heart of their communion with God. They were told not to eat of the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
It reminded them that the created world, as good as it was, was not to fill them completely. IT was never meant to fill them fully. It also was an invitation to let God direct their life rather than running their life themselves.
As we look at fasting today in our life, the question arises, "what good comes from it?"
* fasting is a prayer for the body, of the body. When we fast our body begins to experience a longing that our spirit endures continually. We practice in our body what we proclaim in our faith: we want more. Fasting is a way of unifying our body and soul, integrating our life before God.
*Fasting shows that we are sincere. We put our money where our mouth is. Sincerity is more than words, for talk is cheap. When we fast it becomes a lived reality. Our sincerity means more.
*the hunger we experience invites us to look beyond. It deepens our longing for the kingdom and helps us to realize the kingdom is both spiritually and physically breaking through. We realize that we do not live on bread alone. Thus, we are empowered to build the kingdom in our life, our relationships, in our society. It gets us moving. We realize we need more.
*fasting is about liberation. We are liberated from our appetites. Our cravings and desires often want to rule the roost, but fasting puts them back in order. We discover we are no longer earth bound but rather we are disposed to heaven and we can do more.
*Fasting is an entrance into humility. The first thing we discover when we fast is we are not as strong as we think we are. We encounter our weakness. When accept our weakness, we are able to look at the weakness of others differently. We can now be compassionate as opposed to judgmental. Living without enables us to live for others. We are able to be more welcoming to our neighbors in need.
*Fasting keeps us awake and attentive and alert. Think about thanksgiving. After we eat our turkey and dressing and pies and the like, we normally are so full that all we want to do is sleep, slumber. We lose sight of the race we are on. The devil wants nothing more than to catch us napping. The scripture often tells us to stay awake. Fasting helps us be alert and watch for more. It is better than any 5 hour energy drink.
*fasting gives us confidence in God. Any time we give up something, we make an act of faith that God will provide, he will see us through. We put our trust in him. Every 'no' we make is a 'yes' to something greater. Self-denial is really about self-fulfillment. When we fast we are able to take possession of ourselves and truly give ourselves to God and neighbor more fully: free, total, faithful and fruitful.
*St, Augustine says if we want our prayer to fly to God then we must give it two wings: fasting and almsgiving. But we must remember it is not about getting what we want but rather accepting what God gives. Thus, we become who we were meant to be and we are meant to be so much more.
This is what our fasting these 40 days is about.
No comments:
Post a Comment