Why We Fast

Haley Jonna

November 3rd is a critical time that will bring election season to a close; however, what comes after November 3rd solely depends on us and our powerful, educated vote. As Catholics and citizens of the United States it is our responsibility to get out and vote for those who will be representing us in all levels of government. As voting day draws near, there is much chatter whether in the media or in our everyday lives regarding the various issues that plague America today. Media seems to be the ones who inform us about what the issues are that we should be concerned about in our society. They attempt to persuade us to vote in a certain manner regardless of being wrong or right. As Catholics, however, we are called to defend the dignity and the sanctity of human life. This is an issue that cannot be ignored, as it is a key indication of how we, as a society, view the human person as well as how we view the fundamental right to life itself.

As Christians, we fast for forty days in the season of Lent. Those brought up as Catholics often run the risk of forgetting the real purpose behind the tradition of fasting. We fast by the example of Jesus. Right before starting his life in public ministry, the Gospel tells us that Jesus spent 40 days and 40 nights fasting in the desert. He fasted for spiritual strength and to grow in dependence on God the Father. He joins the company of Moses who fasted for forty days before receiving the Ten Commandments, preparing himself for God’s presence. The difference between Jesus and Moses and the rest of us is that Jesus did not need purification. Nonetheless, Jesus came to show us how to live. He knows our human nature. Through his example of fasting, he gives us a tool to grow in relationship with the Holy Trinity.

While fasting is a form of worship, we need to remember that nothing we do can make God any greater. He is in fact already our creator, all powerful and all knowing. So, this Lent, instead of thinking of fasting as a favor we do for God, think of it as a gift He has given to us. Think of it as our gift of love to Him and to each other.

According to Saint Thomas Aquinas, we fast for three good reasons: (1) to restrain the desires of the flesh; (2) to raise the mind to contemplate sublime things; (3) and to make satisfaction for our sins. But what exactly does that mean?

Fasting is a form of penance that helps us practice mastery over our instincts and freedom of heart. Most of us can think of at least one thing we can’t live without – social media, our phones, dessert. We become controlled by these daily pleasures. When our desires for something overcome our reason and will, we lose our freedom to that object. Fasting allows us to strengthen our will so our desires no longer overcome us. Discipline is a muscle we need to strengthen. When we practice self-restraint in one area of our lives, it becomes easier for us to show restraint in other areas of our lives. This means that while the things we fast from during Lent may not be innately evil, saying “no” to these things makes it easier for us to say “no” to sin. For example, many people fast from meat for forty days. There is nothing sinful about eating meat, but denying ourselves something that we want trains the will to overcome desire.

By fasting we grow in discipline, but discipline alone won’t give us true freedom. We need to also pray to receive the Holy Spirit and to better know our identities as sons and daughters of God. As we create room in our lives for God, through prayer we will better understand His will for us in our lives and our purpose here on Earth.

Undoubtedly, our main purpose on Earth is to love. Fasting is an act of love because love is sacrifice. On a small scale, when we sacrifice our phones at the dinner table to be more attentive to our loved ones, that’s an act of love. When we sacrifice our time for the poor, that’s an act of love. Most of all, when Christ sacrificed his life for our salvation, that was the ultimate act of love.

When fasting is coupled with prayer, we offer our sacrifice as an act of love for God. Our fasting can’t cause God to love us more because God’s love for us is already perfect. Loving Him more will only allow us to experience that perfect love that He has for us.

We can join our small sufferings with Christ’s suffering on the cross and offer them to Him on behalf of others suffering around the world. For example, just recently Pope Francis called for a day of prayer and fasting for Lebanon to remember those killed in the Beirut explosion. He asked us to fast so we could join in suffering with them. Fasts such as these wake us up from indifference and remind us that there are people around the world that go without every day. But blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God. The things of this world are just that – things. Fasting allows us to put them in their proper place. It gives us an opportunity to stop elevating things of this world to the level of God’s importance. All of our needs will ultimately be filled by God.

As we fast and grow in temperance and love for God, we prepare ourselves for battle with the devil. The devil was defeated by Christ’s ultimate sacrifice on the cross. So too can we defeat the devil through small sacrifices in our daily lives. The devil’s goal is to disorient our thinking – to cause us to prioritize those things that don’t truly serve our souls any good. Fasting prepares us to resist temptation just as Jesus did after His fast in the desert.

Keep in mind that fasting is not a practice that is limited to Lent. We can fast at any time of the year, looking to the examples of the saints who fasted throughout their daily lives. Pope Benedict XVI called fasting, “therapy to heal all that prevents [us] from conformity to the will of God.” Saint Augustine said, “Fasting purifies the soul. It lifts up the mind, and it brings the body into subjection to the spirit. It makes the heart contrite and humble, scatters the clouds of desire, puts out the flames of lust and enkindles the true light of chastity.”

Finally, throughout Lent, pray that your fast helps you grow in the four cardinal virtues –

(1) Prudence – right reason in action

(2) Justice – constant and firm will to give due to God and neighbor

(3) Fortitude – strength and resolve to resist temptation and to overcome obstacles in the moral life

(4) Temperance – ensures the will’s mastery over instincts and keeps desires within the limits of what is honorable

God won’t instruct us to do anything unless it leads us closer to Him and to Heaven.

Wishing you all a very blessed Lenten season. May you welcome Joseph and Mary into your homes and bring them along with you as you fast and pray to prepare for Christ’s resurrection.

“For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.” – Galatians 5:17