A concerned Catholic: I have done my usual thing of giving up alcohol for Lent. While by no means a teetotaller, I do not find it a particularly difficult sacrifice. In consequence, I think it rather routine and that I ought to be doing something more. What do you advise?
Chaplain: You are correct. Lent can become routine, whereas it is meant to disrupt our regular patterns, giving God the opportunity to break into our lives. ‘Giving something up’ has become the sum total of what Lent means, even for many Catholics. The Church Fathers show us, however, that the traditional emphasis of Lent was upon fasting, by which they meant something very different from our ‘giving up’ alcohol or chocolate. Fasting, for them, was a necessary prerequisite for spiritual preparation for Easter.
It is with respect to fasting that an early Christian might find the modern Western Church most different from his experience. (Many Eastern Christians continue to take fasting seriously.) In the early Church, Lent meant one small daily meal in the evening, often abstaining from fish and dairy products, as well as meat, for the whole of Lent, with the possible exception of Sundays. We, by contrast, have been left with only two days of obligatory fasting: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Even here, there are exceptions for children, the elderly and those with medical conditions. It is not necessary, however, for us simply to fulfil the legal obligations.
Fasting has a long scriptural precedent throughout the Old Testament. St Irenaeus, St Leo the Great and others indicate that Lenten fasting goes back to the time of the Apostles. What did Our Lord have to say on the subject? On Ash Wednesday we heard Him say that when we fast, we are to avoid hypocrisy; our fasting is not to be a matter of display. When John’s disciples ask Jesus why his disciples did not fast, He responds that there will be a time to fast, but it is not while the bridegroom is still with them. Nowhere does Our Lord denigrate the practice of fasting. Rather, He urges us to undertake it in due season and with the correct intention.
Indeed, Our Lord indicates the power of fasting. When his disciples fail to cast out an evil spirit, He tells them that this is the type which can only be cast out by prayer and fasting. Of course, the pattern of our Lenten fasting is given to us by Jesus Himself. In preparation for His combat with the Devil in the wilderness, He first fasted for 40 days.
Even today we have spiritual warriors in our midst who know the power of fasting. They undertake meaningful fasting when confronted by evil or some great spiritual dilemma. They have witnessed the results that fasting can achieve.
It is easy to forget the corporal dimension to our faith. We need to remember that we are body and soul. Therefore, the Church has never ceased to urge us to undertake bodily penance for a spiritual good. Fasting is about learning self-control, disciplining our desires, attaining true freedom and attuning our inner ear to the voice of God, rather than always satisfying our material needs. We object: fasting is difficult. That is the point. It is part of that denial of self, taking up the Cross, which Our Lord taught. As such, it is an essential part of our faith which we need to recover.
What does this mean in practice? It means not seeing fasting as a matter of rules and regulations, but rather as part of a process of conversion, a deepening of our discipleship. It is not about beating ourselves up spiritually. St Teresa of Avila said: “There is a time for penance, and a time for partridge.” Lenten fasting is a preparation for Easter feasting. But without fasting, feasting loses its meaning and joy.
So, yes, I suggest that you consider undertaking fasting seriously, either for the remainder of this Lent or for Lent next year. Of course, to achieve the desired result of conversion, fasting is always intended to be combined with the other two Lenten disciplines of prayer and giving, and with the use of the sacrament of Confession.
Start gradually and build up the practice of fasting. Ensure that Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are kept as proper days of fasting. The Church lays down that this means one small meal and two snacks. Again, if we are healthy and able, there is no need simply to observe the bare minimum. There are those who restrict themselves to bread and water on these two days. Then see if you can incorporate all the Fridays of Lent as days of fasting. Simply going without meat on Fridays is not fasting – that is abstinence from a specific type of food. Fasting would mean perhaps having only one small, simple meal on a Friday evening. We might then extend this to Wednesdays and other days of the week.
No doubt you will find this difficult, but persevere, offer the fasting for a particular intention and see what spiritual benefits might result.
