Comments please

[Ultima_Ratio]

Hello all,

The following was written as an insert for a Church bulletin. I’m looking for feedback. If anyone has any comments or suggestions, please pass them along. I have a few more days to make changes.

Thanks in advance.

The Season of Lent and the Benefits of Fasting

When God created the first man he gave him four conditional gifts – one supernatural and three preternatural. By the supernatural gift of sanctifying grace, man was made a partaker of the divine nature, an adopted son of God and heir of eternal life. By the gift of bodily immortality the separation of the body and soul was prevented, thereby eliminating the possibility of death. By infused knowledge, Adam knew all that pertained to this life without having to learn. And by the gift of integrity, man’s lower nature was perfectly subordinate to his higher nature; that is, his appetites, passions, and emotions were perfectly subject to his reason with no rebellion whatsoever, and his body was perfectly subject to his soul. In this state of original justice there existed perfect harmony between the lower and the higher powers: Man was subject to God, man’s lower nature was subject to his higher nature, and even the animals were perfectly obedient to man. The order and perfect state of harmony that existed in Paradise, was lost by original sin. “**y the sin of our first parent original justice was taken away, whereby not only were the lower powers of the soul held together under the control of reason, without any disorder whatever, but also the whole body was held together in subjection to the souls without any defect…” (St. Thomas, Summa, Vol. 2 Q 85, Art. 5).

When man rose up in disobedience to God, he lost all of these conditional gifts including integrity, which resulted in man’s lower nature rising up against his higher nature. This is the reason for battle between the flesh and the spirit “For the flesh lusteth against the spirit: and the spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary one to another” (Gal. 5: 17). Our reason (higher nature) fights on one side, and our lower nature on the other. “I know that there dwelleth not in me, that is to say, in my flesh (lower nature), that which is good. For to will is present within me; but to accomplish that which is good, I find not. For the good which I will, I do not; but the evil which I will not, that I do. … For I am delighted with the law of God, according to the inward man (the reason): But I see another law in my members (the flesh), fighting against the law of my mind, and captivating me in the law of sin, that is in my members." (Romans 7: 18-19,22-23) This disorder resulted from the loss of the gift of integrity.

How do we restore the original order and harmony? The order that existed between the higher and lower nature, between the body and the soul, is restored by fasting. By fasting and other forms of self denial, our lower nature is gradually subjected to our higher nature, and the original order is restored. The result of this order is peace of soul – the one thing that all want, but few know how to attain.

Another reason for fasting and denying ourselves legitimate pleasures is to atone for the times we chose illegitimate pleasures. Fasting, then, is an act of justice toward God. When fasting, it is always necessary to add prayer, the combination of which are extremely powerful for overcoming sins, especially those contrary to purity – “this kind cometh out not, but by fasting and prayer”, said our Lord to His apostles. Fasting, when united to prayer, will bring down abundant grace from God and restore the harmony lost through sin.

Fasting will also serve to lift our minds to God. Just as the mind is dulled after a big meal, so too is it lifted up and enlightened when we fast. Fasting, then, is the means by which we restore the lost harmony and raise our mind to God.

St. Basil: ““As much as you subtract from the body, so much will you add to the strength of the soul… By fasting, it is possible both to be delivered from future evils, and to enjoy the good things to come. We fell into disease through sin; let us receive healing through repentance, which is not fruitful without fasting.”

St. Augustine: “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”.

continue**

 

[Ultima_Ratio]

continuation (back page of the insert)

Septuagesima (Seventeith) Sunday

Septuagesima Sunday, the beginning of the penitential season, is the 9th Sunday before Easter and third Sunday before Lent. It begins a time of voluntary fasting, and prepares us for the great fast of Lent. Septuagesima, which means seventy, signifies the seventy years of Babylonian captivity, and man’s fallen condition. The following is from the The Liturgical Year, by Dom Gueranger:

“The season upon which we are now entering is expressive of several profound mysteries. But these mysteries belong not only to the three weeks which are preparatory to Lent: they continue throughout the whole period of time which separates us from the great feast of Easter. … [L]et us listen to St. Augustine, who thus gives us the clue to the whole of our season’s mysteries. ‘There are two times,’ says the holy Doctor: ‘one which is now, and is spent in the temptations and tribulations of this life; the other which shall be then, and shall be spent in eternal security and joy. In figure of these, we celebrate two periods: the time before Easter, and the time after Easter. That which is before Easter signifies the sorrow of this present life; that which is after Easter, the blessedness of our future state… Hence it is that we spend the first in fasting and prayer; and in the second we give up our fasting, and give ourselves to praise’.

“The Church, the intepreter of the sacred Scriptures, often speaks to us of two places, which correspond with these two times of St. Augustine. These two places are Babylon and Jerusalem. Babylon is the image of this world of sin, in the midst whereof the Christian has to spend his years of probation; Jerusalem is the heavenly country, where he is to repose after all his trials. The people of Israel, whose whole history is one great type of the human race, were banished from Jerusalem and kept in bondage in Babylon.

“Now, this captivity, which kept the Israelites exiles from Sion, lasted seventy years; and it is to express this mystery… that the Church fixed the number of seventy for the days of expiation”(TLY).

Babylon signifies enslavement to the flesh, Sion the state of sanctity and perfection, while Jerusalem signifies our heavenly destination. Due to man’s fallen condition, in order to enter into Sion and eventually arrive at Jerusalem, we must pass through Babylon. Therefore, let us spend the next 9 weeks in “Babylon” in fasting and prayer, that we might restore the original order and tranquility and become men of Sion.

The season of Lent is a time of great grace for those who make the most of it. If we have a vice we are unable to break free from, Lent is the time for action. Through prayer, self denial, and most of all God’s grace, vices are broken, our corrupted nature is restored and the interior harmony is regained

And let us not think that the penitential season is a time of sorrow and misery. Quite the contrary, for when we deny our body legitimate pleasures and combine it with fervent prayer, our soul becomes tranquil and we often experience spiritual consolations that exceed all carnal delights. When we deny our body pleasure, God Himself gives it to the soul. In the midst of the most austere lives, the saints enjoyed the greatest spiritual delights.

 

[Stylites]

Very well-written and uplifting to read!

 

[Ultima_Ratio]

Very well-written and uplifting to read!

Great. Anybody else have any comments. Good, bad, or suggestions?

 

[Claire_from_DE]

I found it very interesting and inspiring also. My only criticism, and I’m not sure it’s really a negative, is that it’s almost too well written, kind of lofty in language (well, you quote the Summa and The Liturgical Year). It depends on what your parish is like, I suppose. If most of the people are well educated and actually read the bulletin inserts, they should find it helpful. Church bulletin inserts in my parish tend to be colorful and practical with little drawings, short paragraphs, some in boxes.

You may want to experiment with a variety of fonts and layouts to make it easy for a busy parent to pick up, get an idea from, and go back later for another idea. Or maybe not.

I’m surely going to re-read it several times before Lent. Thanks for posting.

 

[Ultima_Ratio]

I found it very interesting and inspiring also. My only criticism, and I’m not sure it’s really a negative, is that it’s almost too well written, kind of lofty in language (well, you quote the Summa and The Liturgical Year). It depends on what your parish is like, I suppose. If most of the people are well educated and actually read the bulletin inserts, they should find it helpful. Church bulletin inserts in my parish tend to be colorful and practical with little drawings, short paragraphs, some in boxes.

You may want to experiment with a variety of fonts and layouts to make it easy for a busy parent to pick up, get an idea from, and go back later for another idea. Or maybe not.

I’m surely going to re-read it several times before Lent. Thanks for posting.

“Too well written” is a criticism I can handle . But I do know what you mean, which is one of the reasons I posted it here for comments. Since you are going to read it before Lent, here’s the final version (I revised the last three paragraphs).

The Season of Lent and the Benefits of Fasting

When God created the first man he gave him four conditional gifts – one supernatural and three preternatural. By the supernatural gift of sanctifying grace, man was made a partaker of the divine nature, an adopted son of God and heir of eternal life. By the gift of bodily immortality the separation of the body and soul was prevented, thereby eliminating the possibility of death. By infused knowledge, Adam knew all that pertained to this life without having to learn. And by the gift of integrity, man’s lower nature was perfectly subordinate to his higher nature; that is, his appetites, passions, and emotions were perfectly subject to his reason with no rebellion whatsoever, and his body was perfectly subject to his soul. In this state of original justice there existed perfect harmony between the lower and the higher powers: Man was subject to God, man’s lower nature was subject to his higher nature, and even the animals were perfectly obedient to man. The order and perfect state of harmony that existed in Paradise, was lost by original sin. “**y the sin of our first parent original justice was taken away, whereby not only were the lower powers of the soul held together under the control of reason, without any disorder whatever, but also the whole body was held together in subjection to the souls without any defect…” (St. Thomas, Summa, Vol. 2 Q 85, Art. 5).

When man rose up in disobedience to God, he lost all of these conditional gifts including integrity, which resulted in man’s lower nature rising up against his higher nature. This is the reason for battle between the flesh and the spirit “For the flesh lusteth against the spirit: and the spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary one to another” (Gal. 5: 17). Our reason (higher nature) fights on one side, and our lower nature on the other. “I know that there dwelleth not in me, that is to say, in my flesh (lower nature), that which is good. For to will is present within me; but to accomplish that which is good, I find not. For the good which I will, I do not; but the evil which I will not, that I do. … For I am delighted with the law of God, according to the inward man (the reason): But I see another law in my members (the flesh), fighting against the law of my mind, and captivating me in the law of sin, that is in my members." (Romans 7: 18-19,22-23) This disorder resulted from the loss of the gift of integrity.

How do we restore the original order and harmony? The order that existed between the higher and lower nature, between the body and the soul, is restored by fasting. By fasting and other forms of self denial, our lower nature is gradually subjected to our higher nature, and the original order is restored. The result of this order is peace of soul – the one thing that all want, but few know how to attain.

Another reason for fasting and denying ourselves legitimate pleasures is to atone for the times we chose illegitimate pleasures. Fasting, then, is an act of justice toward God. When fasting, it is always necessary to add prayer, the combination of which are extremely powerful for overcoming sins, especially those contrary to purity – “this kind cometh out not, but by fasting and prayer”, said our Lord to His apostles. Fasting, when united to prayer, will bring down abundant grace from God and restore the harmony lost through sin.

Fasting will also serve to lift our minds to God. Just as the mind is dulled after a big meal, so too is it lifted up and enlightened when we fast. Fasting, then, is the means by which we restore the lost harmony and raise our mind to God.

St. Basil: “As much as you subtract from the body, so much will you add to the strength of the soul… By fasting, it is possible both to be delivered from future evils, and to enjoy the good things to come. We fell into disease through sin; let us receive healing through repentance, which is not fruitful without fasting.”

St. Augustine: “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”.

continue**

 

[Ultima_Ratio]

continuation (back page)

Septuagesima (Seventeith) Sunday

Septuagesima Sunday, the beginning of the penitential season, is the 9th Sunday before Easter and third Sunday before Lent. It begins a time of voluntary fasting, and prepares us for the great fast of Lent. Septuagesima, which means seventy, signifies the seventy years of Babylonian captivity, and man’s fallen condition. The following is from the The Liturgical Year, by Dom Gueranger:

“The season upon which we are now entering is expressive of several profound mysteries. But these mysteries belong not only to the three weeks which are preparatory to Lent: they continue throughout the whole period of time which separates us from the great feast of Easter. … [L]et us listen to St. Augustine, who thus gives us the clue to the whole of our season’s mysteries. ‘There are two times,’ says the holy Doctor: ‘one which is now, and is spent in the temptations and tribulations of this life; the other which shall be then, and shall be spent in eternal security and joy. In figure of these, we celebrate two periods: the time before Easter, and the time after Easter. That which is before Easter signifies the sorrow of this present life; that which is after Easter, the blessedness of our future state… Hence it is that we spend the first in fasting and prayer; and in the second we give up our fasting, and give ourselves to praise’.

“The Church, the intepreter of the sacred Scriptures, often speaks to us of two places, which correspond with these two times of St. Augustine. These two places are Babylon and Jerusalem. Babylon is the image of this world of sin, in the midst whereof the Christian has to spend his years of probation; Jerusalem is the heavenly country, where he is to repose after all his trials. The people of Israel, whose whole history is one great type of the human race, were banished from Jerusalem and kept in bondage in Babylon.

“Now, this captivity, which kept the Israelites exiles from Sion, lasted seventy years; and it is to express this mystery… that the Church fixed the number of seventy for the days of expiation”(TLY).

Babylon signifies enslavement to the flesh. Sion signifies the spiritual man; that is, the one who has subdued the “babylon” powers of the flesh, and is guided by the Spirit. Due to man’s fallen condition, the only way to become a true man of Sion is to do battle in the land of Babylon. That is what the penitential season is about. Therefore, let us spend the next 9 weeks passing through Babylon in fasting and prayer, so that we might restore the original order and harmony and become true men of Sion.

The season of Lent is a time of great grace for those who make the most of it. If we have a vice we are unable to break free from, Lent is the time for action. Through prayer, self denial, and most of all God’s grace, vices are broken, our corrupted nature is restored, and our interior order and harmony is regained.

And let us not think that the penitential season is a time of sorrow and misery. Quite the contrary, for when we deny our body legitimate pleasures and combine it with fervent prayer, our soul becomes tranquil and we often experience spiritual consolations that exceed all carnal delights. When we deny our body pleasure, God Himself gives it to the soul.

E-mail comments or suggestions to cathquestion@aol.com

 

[Claire_from_DE]

You know, after reading about the benefits of fasting I think there should be another bulletin insert about what fasting is and the practicalities of how to do it. Is ‘giving up’ something for Lent a kind of fasting - from TV, some favorite internet sites(oh no, not CAF!), shopping, playing cards, reading catalogs, etc? What about fasting from food, what’s involved in that? As someone who’s not experienced in this, I wonder how far to go. I really don’t like being hungry and find it distracting. Does prayer help with that?

Do you have experience with fasting? Is your last paragraph really true? Do you have any suggestions or further encouragement about fasting now that you’ve got us thinking about it?

 

[Ultima_Ratio]

You know, after reading about the benefits of fasting I think there should be another bulletin insert about what fasting is and the practicalities of how to do it. Is ‘giving up’ something for Lent a kind of fasting - from TV, some favorite internet sites(oh no, not CAF!), shopping, playing cards, reading catalogs, etc? What about fasting from food, what’s involved in that? As someone who’s not experienced in this, I wonder how far to go. I really don’t like being hungry and find it distracting. Does prayer help with that?

Do you have experience with fasting? Is your last paragraph really true? Do you have any suggestions or further encouragement about fasting now that you’ve got us thinking about it?

Regarding another bulliten insert dealing with the practicalities of fasting: That is exactly what my wife recommended. I will probably write one more before Lent to address that topic, as well as a few other things.

Regarding the last paragraph, it is certainly true. Not only does God give spiritual consolations (and a certain spiritual “sweetness”) when you fast, but personally I have a lot more energy. Do you know how, after a real big meal, you are tired and sluggish? Well for me, it is the exact opposite when I fast. Instead of being tired, I have energy, and instead of being sluggish, I am much more clear headed.

A few tips on fasting. These come from my personal experience, so I don’t know if this is the same for everyone. The first thing I recommend is to pray and asking God to help you fast. I found that to be very important. When I’ve tried to fast without praying first, I either get real hungry, or a head ache, or tired. When I pray first and ask for help, the fasting goes smooth. Next, you don’t want to over do it. If you are fasting from food, don’t give up all food completely, but limit yourself to just a little. One of the best fasts I had was on bread only. It was a number of years ago, but I think I ate about 2 or 3 pieces of bread a day. I usually start the fast the night before by going to bed hungry. I found that by doing this, I’m not as hungry the next morning when I begin the first full day of the fast. Also keep in mind that the hardest part is the beginning. After a day or two, you won’t be very hungry. What will happen after a day or two is that the desire for food will be almost identical to a tempation of the flesh. What I mean is, every so often you will have a “desire” for food, which is the same as a “desire” for sin. It is the same “desire” but it is for two different objects. When you fast, you learn how to say “no” to those desires.

I also notice that when I fast, although I usually have energy and am extremely clear headed, I am also very calm. Fasting calms the flesh (lower nature), which brings a certain amount of peace or tranquility.

You asked about giving up other things, such as TV. Whenever we deny a craving of our lower nature, it is a form of fast. So giving up TV, or the message board, or anything else is a kind of fast; but fasting from food is different. I would refer to it as a more complete fast. Your entire body is engaged in it. Giving up TV or something else will not calm your lower nature or leave you clear headed like fasting from food does.

Now, you need to be prepared because it is not real easy at first. Sometimes God makes it easy when I pray for help, but often the first day or two will be difficult. But if you can make it past that time, the difficulty fades and you just have to say no to the slight “desire” that comes and goes.

You know what might be good is to have a kind of “support group”. Maybe we can start a thread and do a fast together? It’s been a while since I’ve fasted, and I could use it.