Fasting Not Only Subtracts Weight; It Adds Spiritual Riches

The beginning of Lent each year brings about an annual notice from the Catholic Church about the current regulations for fasting, and with this is an annual reminder of how “soft” the Church has become. The current Catholic definition of fasting is a minimum requirement to fast solely on two out of 365 days – on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. On top of that piddling expectation, the Church nowadays redefines fasting as eating only one full meal and two smaller meals per day. To put it another way, Catholics are being asked to “sacrifice” by reducing the number of bacon slices they eat for breakfast from three to one and cutting the peanut butter and jelly sandwich in half at lunchtime. Though the Church has always taught that fasting is a powerful and necessary form of prayer and penance, the present-day Catholic rules on fasting are so weak to the point of being insignificant.

Historically, Catholics have always been called to fast as an act of penance as well as an act of self-denial as we attempt to imitate the example of the Son of God Himself, who went into the desert to fast and to pray for 40 days and 40 nights. Asceticism – the practice of the denial of physical desires in order to attain a spiritual goal – should be more important in the 21st century than ever before due to how modern man is living in such a materialistic society. Unfortunately, too many present-day Catholics aren’t partaking in the genuine meaning of fasting due both to their ignorance and the Church’s lax regulations.

The practice of abstaining from eating meat on Fridays is one of the oldest traditions in the Church, extending back to the first century. Catholics performed this mortification not just every Friday year-round but also every day of the week during the entire 40+ days of Lent and much of Advent. Plus, our Catholic ancestors were required to refrain from eggs, butter, cheese, and milk throughout Lent. Therefore, earlier generations of Catholics annually undertook over 50 days of fasting and about 60 meatless days; whereas, today’s Catholics observe simply two days of fasting and eight meatless Fridays.

Not only do many Catholics today not partake in the holy practice of fasting and abstaining at a level comparable with past generations who followed more stringent rules, but most modern-day Catholics also are ignorant of the current rule for Fridays. We are still expected to refrain from eating meat all 52 Fridays of the year – not just the eight Fridays during Lent. Confusion regarding this is due to the Bishops softening this regulation a few decades ago, declaring that one should not consume meat on the eight Lenten Fridays but could eat meat on all other Fridays as long as they substituted this act of self-denial with some other sacrifice in its place.

It wasn’t just the rules on Lenten fasting and Friday meat abstaining that have been reduced. Every weekend, previous generations of Catholics needed to fast starting Saturday at midnight before Sunday Mass, and this not only meant no toast or coffee before morning Mass but also no water. In the 1950s and ’60s, this rule was relaxed from first allowing water and then making the fasting period just three hours before receiving Communion, to finally today’s rule of merely one hour prior.

By engaging in fasting and abstaining regularly as a form of self-denial, a Catholic is getting closer to God and growing more spiritually, similarly when other holy actions such as daily prayer, frequent reading of the Scriptures, and regular participation in the Sacrament of Confession are performed. It is seen as good by God when we, His sons and daughters, discipline our bodies and appetites by suppressing desires and practicing abstinence.

Fasting takes one’s mind off of one’s own needs, thus providing the opportunity to focus on feeding one’s soul. Most of a person’s bad habits are formed from uncontrolled desires. So if a person can be successful in giving up food for a day – or even a partial day – his or her self-control is strengthened which in turn could help in the future with other desires that need to be controlled – from limiting gossiping to refraining from viewing pornography.

St. Francis de Sales said this about the spiritual and virtuous effects of fasting:

Besides the ordinary effect of fasting in raising the mind, subduing the flesh, confirming goodness, and obtaining a heavenly reward, it is also a great matter to be able to control greediness, and to keep the sensual appetites in the whole body subject to the law of the Spirit. And although we may be able to do but little, the enemy (Satan) nevertheless stands more in awe of those whose he knows can fast.

Pope Benedict XVI once said about fasting:

Fasting represents an important ascetically practice, a spiritual arm to do battle against every possible disordered attachment to ourselves. Freely chosen detachment from the pleasure of good and other material goods helps the disciple of Christ to control the appetites of nature, weakened by original sin, whose negative effects impact the entire human person.

Jesus not only fasted Himself, but He insisted that we fast. Notice when speaking to His disciples in Matthew 6, Jesus didn’t say, “If you fast…” He said (twice), “When you fast…” – inferring an obvious expectation that we are too fast.

When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites…But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to others to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.

Unless one has a medical condition that prohibits it, it would be beneficial for Catholic adults not simply to pledge to undertake fasting as the Church stipulates, but to elevate the level of suffering so that it is felt more intensely than the current, anemic rules of “don’t eat three full meals” and “abstain from meat just on Lenten Fridays.”

Stepping up the intensity one notch, fasting could consist of every Friday – all year long and not simply during Lent – to not eat any food and only drinking low or no-caloric fluids for an entire 16-hour, 20-hour, or 24-hour period. An example of this would be to stop eating after dinner/dessert and not resume eating until dinner the following day 20 hours later (e.g. fast from 8 pm Thursday through 4 pm Friday). Referred to as a “black fast” in early Church history, today this type of fasting has become a popular health practice called “intermittent fasting,” which has been shown to provide physical benefits such as weight loss, stabilization of insulin levels, and reduction of inflammation.

Of course, historically speaking, fasting never came about so to help one drop some pounds and improve the body. Denying oneself food on a repeatedly continuing basis has been undertaken for thousands of years because it is a powerful penitential practice that bestows great benefits upon the soul. By denying oneself certain food and drink for an extended amount of time, one is both strengthening the soul and receiving many spiritual blessings. One of the greatest doctors of the Church, St. Thomas Aquinas, wrote in his famous Summa Theologica that fasting should be done for three beneficial reasons:

1. In order to “bridle the lusts of the flesh”;
2. In order that “the mind may arise more freely to the contemplation of heavenly things”;
3. In order to “satisfy for sins” by cleansing one’s soul and rendering one’s heart contrite and humble.

Whereas Friday has always been the typical day of fasting for Catholics since it was a Friday in 33 A.D. when Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice, Wednesday has traditionally been another common day for Catholics to fast, since according to tradition Judas betrayed Jesus on a Wednesday. Thus, Wednesday fasting in past centuries became a way for Catholics to atone for this betrayal as well as to remind themselves how often one betrays Jesus through our sins.

If stepping it up one notch from today’s relaxed regulations would be to perform intermittent fasting (black fasting) every Friday all year long, then a bigger challenge would be to take it up two notches by partaking in an intermittent fast (of 16, 20, or 24 hours) on both Wednesdays and Fridays. One might be more successful at sticking to this form of mortification consistently by not going extreme all at once but increasing one’s self-denial gradually, first fasting on Fridays and after months of success, adding Wednesdays.

Another piece of advice to help you remain faithful to fasting is to set your smartphone reminder-app to pop up reminders throughout your fasting day(s) to remind you about why you are doing this and to motivate you to keep suffering through the hunger pains. Some of the reminders I use to help me include the quotes above from St. Francis de Sales and Pope Benedict, along with these:

Fasting cleanses the soul, raises the mind, subjects one’s flesh to the spirit, renders the heart contrite and humble, scatters the clouds of concupiscence, quenches the fire of lust, and kindles the true light of chastity (St. Augustine).

Fasting gives birth to prophets and strengthens the powerful; fasting makes lawgivers wise. Fasting is a good safeguard for the soul, a steadfast companion for the body, a weapon for the valiant, and a gymnasium for athletes. Fasting repels temptations, anoints unto piety; it is the comrade of watchfulness and the artificer of chastity (St. Basil the Great).

Don’t underestimate the value of making sacrifices by fasting from food and abstaining from meat. Duty and obedience are often what sanctify us. It is not as likely that by simply keeping to the Catholic Church’s minimal fasting and abstaining regulations you will grow spiritually, as it might be were you to increase the intensity and commitment.

With Jesus, the Saints, and even earlier generations of Catholics as our models, we should strive to make sacrifices to God, turning these weekly, bi-weekly, or daily sufferings into offerings to our Lord. By embracing fasting regularly and at a higher level than today’s Church’s nominal requirements, God will surely bestow upon you many spiritual riches.