Is St. Cyril of Jerusalem from the 4th century important enough?
**Many people eat plenty and grow fat on it. Others abstain from some kinds of food in order to practice asceticism, and condemn those who eat. Put briefly, they have only hazy ideas why they should eat, or why they should abstain.
We, on the other hand, when we fast, giveu p wine and meat, not because we destest them, as though using them were a crime, but because we are hoping for an eternal reward. We willingly go without things that please the senses in order to be able to enjoy the pleasures of the spiritual table; we sow in tears today in oder to be able to reap in joy tomorrow.
Do no despise those who eat, when they are eating to keep their strength up. Do not condemn those who drink wine in moderation; it does their stomachs good. Never regard meat or wine as an evil in itself.
If you abstain from those foods, do no do so as if they were unclean. Rather think of them as a good thing whic you are content to give up for love of a greater spiritual benefit.
**
One of the reasons we fast is to humble the flesh. Those who have medical conditions that humble the flesh may reduce the fast in proportion as their flesh is already weakened.
But then those people put spend greater emphasis on prayer and almsgiving.
The ultimate reason for fasting is training of the will. Saying, “no,” to little things like food (or tv, or whatever) makes it easier to say, “NO!” to big things like sin.
