Reclaiming roots – Catholics need to rediscover fasting, author says

Catholic Online ^ | February 27, 2006 | Father Thomas Ryan

[NYer]

NEW YORK (America Magazine) – Have you ever tried to explain the Catholic regulations on fasting to a Muslim, a Jew or a Hindu? Save yourself the raised eyebrows of incomprehension or the smirk that says, “You’ve got to be kidding!” Somehow “one full meal and two lesser ones not equaling it” doesn’t cut it in the eyes of adherents of other world religions, all of whom have an understanding of fasting that is closer to what your doctor has in mind when he tells you to fast before coming in for blood tests.

Perhaps their response helps explain why the practice has lost currency among Catholics.

A return to the fundamental sources of our faith might help. There are three major themes in the history and practice of Christian fasting: mystical longing for fulfillment, liberation through discipline and the relationship of fasting to works of charity and justice. After taking a brief look at each, I will offer some characteristics that might point to a rediscovery of this valuable spiritual life practice in our time.

Mystical union and longing for fulfillment

Jesus began his public life with a fast similar to that of Moses and Elijah: 40 days and 40 nights in a deserted place. This fact itself is significant, because Jesus taught as much by acts as by words. Yet he instituted no particular practice for his followers; in fact, once into his ministry, he “came eating and drinking,” so that some said of him, “Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard” (Lk 7:34).

On the face of it, both Jesus and Paul, while embracing the practice of fasting themselves, refrain from making it a requirement for their followers. Jesus explains this paradox in his response to a question about why his disciples don’t fast like those of John the Baptist: The wedding guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast (Mt 9:15).

Jesus’ words indicate that the way in which the reign of God is rushing into the world through his physical presence and ministry leaves room only for joy and thanksgiving. He has come as the bridegroom to establish a mystical marriage with God’s people. Before his death there was time for celebrating the nuptial promises, a time for announcing the good news: “The kingdom of God is among you” (Lk 17:21).

But “the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” Fasting will then be a recognition of something new that is already set in motion though not yet completed: the reign of God in our midst. During this time, his faithful, in mystical union with their Lord, wait with quiet joy and busy hands in vigilant preparation and deep longing for his return and the fulfillment of his reign.

One might liken this discrete, mysterious joy to the quiet humming of a choir member earlier in the day of a concert, or to the anticipation of parents cleaning the house in preparation for the children’s return home at Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Liberation through discipline

Enter the penitential motif, which is probably what people associate most strongly with Christian fasting. Penitence is always oriented toward freedom and liberation, though this has not always been clearly grasped. In Christian faith, penitence is not about expiating sin, for acquittal has already been granted. We tend to think that God will love us if we change, but God loves us so that we can change. Penitential practices and disciplines enable us to appropriate and make real in our life the freedom given through grace. They help readjust priorities and remind us where our real treasure lies.

It is sometimes said that Jesus came preaching the reign of God, while Paul laid the foundation for the growth and development of the church. And Paul’s great theme is freedom: “For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters, only do not use your freedom for self-indulgence but through love become servants to one another” (Gal 5:13).

It is Paul’s deepest desire that the followers of the new way benefit from the practices of the spiritual life as means without becoming enslaved to them. Paul gives no interdictions regarding food any religious significance. At the same time, he witnesses to fasts of his own and clearly recognizes the place of discipline and voluntary self-privation.

The entire tradition of monasticism bears witness that union with God usually presupposes a life of self-discipline rather than self-indulgence. Everything comes with a price tag, and a strong love is willing to pay the price. The normal path is pointed out by Jesus: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Mt 16:24).

The primary reason for asceticism is the call to liberating transcendence of the thousand little threads that form a rope to bind us, the call to become free for service in love.

Work of charity and justice

Jesus remained faithful to the traditional triad of practices that were his Jewish heritage: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. In fact, a whole section of his Sermon on the Mount (Mt 6:1-18) is structured according to that schema.

The relationship between fasting and almsgiving is a prominent theme in patristic literature. The Shepherd of Hermas, a second-century text, reads: “In the day on which you fast you will taste nothing but bread and water; and having reckoned up the price of the dishes of that day which you intended to have eaten, you will give it to a widow, or an orphan, or to some person in want, and thus you will exhibit humility of mind, so that the one who has received benefit from your humility may fill his own soul.”

The preaching of the church fathers is clear that whatever saving is realized through one’s fasting belongs to the poor. Thus Gregory the Great preached, “The one who does not give to the poor what he has saved but keeps it for later to satisfy his own appetite, does not fast for God.” Origen blessed those who fasted in order “to nourish the poor.”

For Augustine, fasting of any kind, if it is to elevate the soul, flies on two wings: prayer and works of mercy. The unbreakable linkage between fasting and works of mercy in Christian preaching and teaching finds contemporary expression in the call by the U.S. member churches of the World Council of Churches, in conjunction with its declaration of a decade (2001-10) to overcome violence, for an annual Lenten fast from violence.

The invitation is for all Christians to pray regularly the prayer sometimes attributed to Francis of Assisi (“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace...”); to examine one’s life and choose a fast that has personal and/or communal meaning (for example, fast from violent television shows, movies, video games, from products manufactured in sweatshops, from financial investment in companies that produce violence); and to give over and above one’s regular offerings to support the work of programs that address the causes of violence, alleviate its consequences or work for peace and reconciliation.

Why did the church change earlier practice?

Many factors made it necessary to revamp the approach to fasting in the Catholic Church. Among them were: a juridical approach that had gradually smothered the mystical spirit at the origin of the practice; a dualistic conception of the body and soul resulted in fasting being seen as mirroring the combat of the spirit against the body; the erosion of personal and communal faith in an increasingly secular society; an intellectualization of faith incapable of supporting practices like fasting and prayer, which flow from deep dispositions of the heart; the overturning of traditional customs, mental frameworks and life rhythms in a technological society.

For Roman Catholics, the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) relegated the regulation of fasting to national episcopal conferences. The U.S. bishops’ 1966 Pastoral Statement on Penance and Abstinence remains a source of inspiration and guidance:

“Friday itself remains a special day of penitential observance throughout the year.... Friday should be in each week something of what Lent is in the entire year. For this reason we urge all to prepare for that weekly Easter that comes with each Sunday by freely making of every Friday a day of self-denial and mortification in prayerful remembrance of the passion of Jesus Christ....

“Fridays, please God, will acquire among us other forms of penitential witness which may become as much a part of the devout way of life in the future as Friday abstinence from meat.... It would bring great glory to God and good to souls if Fridays found our people doing volunteer work in hospitals, visiting the sick, serving the needs of the aged and the lonely, instructing the young in the faith, participating as Christians in community affairs, and meeting our obligations to our families, our friends, our neighbors, and our communities, including our parishes, with a special zeal...born of living faith.”

But alas, the “invitatory” (as opposed to the obligatory) approach has not taken hold. I think it would be fair to say that Western Christians today have by and large lost the sense of fasting, no longer know how or why or when, and are at a loss as to how to reconnect meaningfully with the tradition. But if our present circumstance is the occasion for rediscovering treasure tried and true, reappropriating it and integrating it into our lives with new appreciation for its value, then there is a hidden grace in the moment.

Reclaiming the best elements

In every age the church must interpret the old truths in new, fresh forms. The climate of spirituality in our age is incarnational. Practices are embraced because of their liberating, life-giving potential, rather than being aimed at punishing the body or compensating for guilt. It is the goodness of creation that is emphasized, rather than the transitory quality of life or the pervasive presence of sin. A healthy contemporary Christian asceticism will not attack or deny what has already been redeemed.

Here are 12 characteristics that could mark a rediscovery of fasting as a valuable spiritual life practice among Christians today.

1. It is freely embraced out of a personally perceived value. The point at which our human freedom reaches its peak is when we, having experienced in our daily lives the abundant love of God for us, move freely and spontaneously to return God’s love.

2. Its two “wings” are prayer and almsgiving. This approach deepens one’s relationship with the Lord and strengthens the community.

3. It is sensitive to and follows the spirit’s lead. This prevents it from becoming a technique taken on solely for health purposes or expanded consciousness.

4. It is not just for Lent but for the entire Christian life. If prayer, fasting and works of justice form the core of Christian life and are inextricably linked, how can any one of them be quarantined to just one season of the liturgical year? They are all essential elements of Christian living throughout the year.

5. It accords priority to that day in the week when Jesus revealed God’s immeasurable love for us: Friday. A valuable point of reference is the pattern in the early Christian centuries: Fasting was generally understood as abstinence from food until evening, or one meal a day, which was to be as simple as possible.

6. It finds meaningful expression in preparation for receiving the Eucharist. Forgoing whatever meal precedes Sunday worship creates a psychic as well as physical space within. When something or someone greater is coming our way, we are generally willing to put the eating on hold.

7. Its approach is holistic. I am not body and soul (two things); I am enspirited flesh, one reality. What is good for my soul is good for my body, and vice versa.

8. Its characteristic virtue is humility. We are created from nothing, and God wants us to recognize that we are always utterly dependent on our creator for all good things.

9. It is marked by moderation. Like everything else in the spiritual life, it is not about doing it all or doing it right; it is just about doing it in a spirit of faith and love.

10. It often has traces of quiet joy within it. It is only when fasting is experienced as a “body language” of spiritual communication (mystical union) with the risen one and longing for future fulfillment that we can understand why it is characterized by quiet joy.

11. It stays close to its mystical inspiration. For so many, Christianity is a moral matter, whereas in fact it is a mystical matter. “Mystical” here refers to our participation in the very life of God by our being “in Christ.” When we get the relationship part right, the moral living follows naturally.

12. It is a flexible instrument of the spiritual life that can be used creatively. Unity in the Holy Spirit, together with great diversity, has characterized the life of the church in its healthiest eras. The choice is between a variety of realizations, united in spirit, and conformity without spirit – which is a sin against and extinguishes the Holy Spirit.

In every culture and religion in history, fasting has been an instinctive and essential language in human communication with God. Let us not be the ones who forget the reasons, the rituals and the words.

[Dumb_Ox]

Eamon Duffy's essay To Fast Again is also worth a read.

[redgolum]

I know little of the Eastern method of fasting, but it sounds like a great discipline if done in the right heart.

Fasting, if only done because "you have to" or so you can brag to others about how hard it is, isn't what we should do. Fasting (or other forms of self denial) is good if being done to truly bring yourself closer to the Lord.

Lutherans in this country don't have any mandatory fast days, but "giving it up for Lent" and fasting on Wednesdays during Lent is very much encouraged. My current pastor gave a great sermon last year about the proper way of self denial, and the improper way.

Myself, I will be avoiding buying new books and reading more of things like Augustine and Bonhoffer (I am a bibliophile, so not wandering into a book store is very hard for me).

[Kolokotronis]

"But I have to eat to produce milk for the Ravenous Maw, who weighed 10 lbs. 10oz. this morning, for an average of slightly over a pound gained each week!"

Even the monks on the Holy Mountain would see the wisdom in your position!

[Tax-chick]

Even the monks on the Holy Mountain would see the wisdom in your position!

Someone fed them when they were babies, even during Lent!

[bboop]

Maybe it's form without substance, the fasting followed by partying all night. It fits, imho, with my understanding of that ROP. They HATED it there, went with an open mind to understand another culture....

[ArrogantBustard]

baby n: An alimentary canal with arms and legs.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

You are not in the usual situation, dear Tax Chick! But tubby ol' me can sacrifice for the both of us.

Right now, I am contemplated bread and water tomorrow. My tummy may hurt too much to carry through with it though. We will see.

Fasting with tummy problems is another interesting challenge!

[opticks]

Muzzie. That is an interesting piece of verbal coinage for Muslims. Now every time I look at one of my Muzzy(R) broadheads, I will think of Osama. Thanks!

[NYer]

I know little of the Eastern method of fasting, but it sounds like a great discipline if done in the right heart.

Yes ... you have grasped the concept. It's better known as asceticism.

While Kolokotronis and I are separated in faith by a thin chord, we both enjoy the beauty of eastern traditions. I can only stand in awe at the strict discipline of fast conserved by the Orthodox and pray that my fellow Catholics will learn from it. For my part, as a Roman Catholic practicing my faith in a Maronite (Eastern) Catholic Church, it has been a learning experience. Like their Latin cousins, the Maronites of the diaspora prefer to follow the Latin 'relaxed' forms of fast. Our bishop, however, has encouraged all Maronites to re-adopt the fast of their ancestors. And this is it:

Traditional Maronite Fast and Abstinence
(in vigour until at least the 1920's)
(Cf. Fr. R.. Janin, A.A. Les Eglise orientales et Les Rites orientaux, Paris 1922)
The practise of fast and abstinence was regulated by the Maronite synod of 1736 Fast: eating and drinking forbidden until midday Abstinence: abstaining from eating all meat, oil, wine and animal products (eggs, milk, cheese etc.)
1. Great Lent	from Quinquagesima to Easter abstinence every day; fasting every day except on Sundays and Saturdays (with the exception of Holy Saturday)
2. Apostles Lent	abstinence four days 25th - 28th June
3. Assumption Lent	abstinence eight days 7th - 14th August
4. Christmas Lent	abstinence twelve days 13th - 24th December
5. Abstinence	every Wednesday and Friday except: from Christmas to Epiphany, the Friday before Great Lent, from Easter to Pentecost, June 24th and 29th; August 6th and 15th
6 Forbidden food	Like most oriental Christians, the Maronites kept the Mosaic ban on eating blood, suffocated animals and certain animals considered impure; and which Oriental Church Councils have many times renewed.

[Tax-chick]

Boy, that's the truth! It's a Digesting Machine!

[Tax-chick]

We went out for Chinese this evening, and I'm planning on granola and bananas as the mainstay for tomorrow ... although after taking all eight of the Offspring to Mass at 11:00, I may have to declare "5 O'clock Somewhere" at noon and have a restorative.

They got so out of hand on one of the Marian holidays last year that I thought Father was going to have a stroke ... he was a lovely shade of aubergine.

[Tax-chick]

Cool! I'll be discussing Lent with my Sunday School class next week, and they'll think this is really interesting!

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Sometimes, we just have to remember Jesus loves the little children...so we need to do it too!

[Tax-chick]

Father Hawker - a dear old Boston Irishman - gave up trying to keep a straight face and sat down and howled with laughter. I was ready to die, and made them all go to bed for the afternoon :-).

I think tomorrow I'll try to spread them out ... we should know most of the people at Mass at that hour - church employees, senior citizens, homeschoolers - so I'll ask if Tom can sit with Sister Veronica, Elen can sit with her Sunday School teacher, etc.

[nina0113]

There's a daycare center somewhere near my office that takes the kids on walks, all walking between a pair of ropes, holding on with both hands...they look like a pint-size chain gang. Something to consider...

[Tax-chick]

They did that with the preschool at our church in Tulsa, when they were taking the children to the playground. Each child had a knot in the rope that he had to hold on to.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

We have several large families in our parish that go to the same mass I go to. One of them has three boys that are wiggle worms and want to do things like close the cryroom door, and sneak down the aisle towards the altar, and various stunts like that. Learning to deal with the reality of kids at mass, and the fact that we are a family is an important lesson too..I do feel sorry for Mamma a times, though. How hard it must be to pay attention to the service when you have to keep an eye on these darling boys!

(I get asthma attacks sometimes from the perfumes in people's deoderants, body sprays and colognes and often have to sit in the foyer or cry room just to be able to make it through mass on Sundays. It gives me a different perspective on things...)

[nina0113]

There was a little girl at Mass last Sunday, looked about two, who apparently had just learned how to unbutton - she took her button-down denim dress off and stood there in her t-shirt and underpants. Her dad tried to get the dress back on, but she put up a fight, so he took her out & didn't bring her back till she was dressed again. I'll bet she doesn't wear that dress again! At least not to Mass.

[NYer]

They got so out of hand on one of the Marian holidays last year that I thought Father was going to have a stroke ... he was a lovely shade of aubergine.

You are just too, too funny! I can't begin to imagine what it must be like to lure the brood to Mass but I have no doubt that our Lord is smiling at you and all the young ones, grinning from ear to ear.

One of the more rambunctious pre-K kids ran up to the altar during the Consecration at Mass last year. The boy stopped dead in his tracks, staring up at the host as Father lovingly shot him a glance. He got "the lecture" afterwards. Father comes from a family of 9 children. I recall one of his homilies when he used his family as an analogy. It seems the parents went to Church one night and entrusted the care of the little ones to the older kids.

Well, old or young, the name of the game is fun and they re-arranged the furniture to suit their game plan. They didn't count on the parents returning early, however. The punishment was swift. All of the children were sent to different corners of the rooms in the house, to kneel in prayer and ask forgiveness from our Lord for their misbehavior. Apparently, it left a permanent impression :-) I regret not applying the same methodology with my one and only.

[Tax-chick]

Great story! I'll have to try your priest's mother's technique with my crowd, next time they pull something totally unexpected :-).