Fasting...should it be more important in the Christian faith?

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was thinking the other day about this time when I had to eat almost nothing for ten days… not on purpose lol But in all seriousness I felt a different feeling in myself then I ever have before or since and also a clarity of thought.

I’m protestant…and to be honest I never fast or deny myself anything during lent, I rarely fast for even a day…

as Catholics I understand that you used to deny yourselves meat during all of lent…but now only fridays in lent?? (that doesn’t sound right - correct me :)) and also that even on days when you should fast you can still eat a full meal!! and even two snacks so long as they don’t equal the full meal…so not really a fast lol

also you can’t eat for an hour before communion? why? (I don’t understand that part)

do people still adhere to those practices, and what do you think of the benefits of fasting, and do you feel as though it is something that could be used t greater benefit?
 
Fasting is awesome! It aids you in learning to deny the temptation of the flesh, it turns your mind towards God with your body constantly reminding you of your needs, and that bringing you to the realization who meets these needs, Christ.

Its not something that is talked about a lot though.
Matt 6:
16"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
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Also the bishops don’t want to be the ones to tie heavy burdens on the backs of the flock they have been entrusted to, so they’ve reduced the minimum fast but that doesn’t mean you have to take the minimum.

Its my understanding that the fasting on Friday is still required of all Catholics. (Although the US bishops gave permission to substitue some other penitential action instead, I think.)

If you take on more serious fasts it is a good idea to get a good spirtual director because it can be a cause of pride. “Look I’m fasting I’m a better Christian than all these people.”

As an Anglican I thought y’all fasted too.
 
well you can fast… it’s not spoken of. I think it’s a private thing. I know a lot of people fast when on retreat, or for a day at a time etc. I know people fast for about three days but that’s the longest I’ve heard…and that was a private thing.

Is it not true that Catholics are not meant to eat anything for an hour before communion? I don’t know where I heard that before, but it’s not something protestants do.
 
Yes, Catholics are required to fast an hour before receiving communion.
 
Fasting is taught often by the Church. There are many devout Catholics here who fast not only on Fridays throughout the year, but also on Wednesdays. The obligation to the faithful is to fast only on Good Friday. Abstinance is the foregoing of meat on Fridays during Lent and on Ash Wednesday. Those of us who desire to follow Christ and remember His sufferings will fast on not only during these times at Lent but throughout the year as a sign of pentinence.

As for the fasting before communion, in the Latin Rite, it’s customary to do so 1 hour before reception of the Eucharist. It’s part of our preparation to received Christ openly and freely from any worldly desires, in conjunction with being free from any mortal sin (thus, receiving the Eucharist worthily).

These are just the basics that every Catholic should know. Stick around during Lent here on the forums - there will be many of us who will petition prayers and support to help them with their act of pentinence, whether it be fasting or some other denial of worldly pleasure or habit.

God Bless!
 
Tonks40 said:
Fasting is taught often by the Church. There are many devout Catholics here who fast not only on Fridays throughout the year, but also on Wednesdays. The obligation to the faithful is to fast only on Good Friday. Abstinance is the foregoing of meat on Fridays during Lent and on Ash Wednesday. Those of us who desire to follow Christ and remember His sufferings will fast on not only during these times at Lent but throughout the year as a sign of pentinence.

As for the fasting before communion, in the Latin Rite, it’s customary to do so 1 hour before reception of the Eucharist. It’s part of our preparation to received Christ openly and freely from any worldly desires, in conjunction with being free from any mortal sin (thus, receiving the Eucharist worthily).

These are just the basics that every Catholic should know. Stick around during Lent here on the forums - there will be many of us who will petition prayers and support to help them with their act of pentinence, whether it be fasting or some other denial of worldly pleasure or habit.

God Bless!
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Excellent but I believe that Ash Wednesday is also a day of fast for Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59? In addition, all Catholics 14 years old and older must abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all the Fridays of Lent.

Already in the fourth century, there was a Church law about abstinence (not eating meat on certain days). Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays were once days of abstinence in the Western Church. By the 12th century, this was required only on Ash Wednesday and on Fridays—to remind Christians that Jesus died on this day. (Later, abstinence was added in connection with a few feasts.)
The U.S. bishops decided in 1966 to require fasting and abstinence only on Ash Wednesday, the Fridays of Lent and on Good Friday. Earlier that year, Pope Paul VI allowed conferences of bishops to select days of fast and abstinence.

Why fast? I like this simple explanation
Fasting is one of the most ancient practices linked to Lent. In fact, the paschal fast predates Lent as we know it. The early Church fasted intensely for two days before the celebration of the Easter Vigil. This fast was later extended and became a 40-day period of fasting leading up to Easter. Vatican II called us to renew the observance of the ancient paschal fast.
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Fasting is more than a means of developing self-control. It is often an aid to prayer, as the pangs of hunger remind us of our hunger for God. The prophet Isaiah insists that fasting without changing our behavior is not pleasing to God. “This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own” (Is 58:6-7).
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Fasting should be linked to our concern for those who are forced to fast by their poverty, those who suffer from the injustices of our economic and political structures, those who are in need for any reason. Fasting can help us realize the suffering that so many people in our world experience every day, and it should lead us to greater efforts to alleviate that suffering.
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Abstaining from meat traditionally also linked us to the poor, who could seldom afford meat for their meals. It can do the same today if we remember the purpose of abstinence and embrace it as a spiritual link to those whose diets are sparse and simple. That should be the goal we set for ourselves-a sparse and simple meal. Avoiding meat while eating lobster misses the whole point!
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Fasting and abstinence does and can indeed occur outside of the Lenten season and obligation.Many Catholics fast on a regular basis.
 
I remember hearing that the Eastern Rites still observe the Great Fast with no meat for 40 days. Is this correct?
 
lol I guess having been (a lapsed :)) vegetarian for over four years at one point… I can’t imagine not eating meat as abstaining…or as a penitence. If I was to fast as a protestant I would fast without food full stop, with no meals at all… just water… or maybe black tea

whenever people have fasted around me they tend to do it to focus on those who do not have the food that we have in the west.
 
Many people will do a bread and water fast. Abstaining from the tastes and nutrients of regular food. If they need some extra energy necessary for work or something they will throw in a little peanut butter. This is a common fast I have heard of for people wanting to fast for longer periods. Fasting every once in a while is actually a way of staying healthy I have heard. It allows the body to get rid of all the stuff that’s accumulated in your digestive system.
 
Can anyone tell me how a person can truly fast in secret? I have a hard time trying to do this when there are people trying to stuff food down your throat. When i go visit a friend i nearly always break my fast (usually bread and water and a bit of butter) because i dont want others to know i fast (as written in the gospel). When im at home my mother questions why i dont want to eat dinner. i dont want others thinking im some self righteous holier than thou person, so i dont tell them, i dont want people knowing im fasting, this is between God and I. So how do i fast when im around others?
 
Agnieszka said:
Can anyone tell me how a person can truly fast in secret? I have a hard time trying to do this when there are people trying to stuff food down your throat. When i go visit a friend i nearly always break my fast (usually bread and water and a bit of butter) because i dont want others to know i fast (as written in the gospel). When im at home my mother questions why i dont want to eat dinner. i dont want others thinking im some self righteous holier than thou person, so i dont tell them, i dont want people knowing im fasting, this is between God and I. So how do i fast when im around others?
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It is nothing wrong to say you are fasting if somebody offers you something to eat and don’t talk much about it. You are not showing off.

It is useless if we fast and go out telling everyone I am fasting.
 
Abira said:
was thinking the other day about this time when I had to eat almost nothing for ten days… not on purpose lol But in all seriousness I felt a different feeling in myself then I ever have before or since and also a clarity of thought.
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Fasting is a great. I don’t fast quite often - the problem - I can’t think and do my job well at work. I don’t think it is fair not to eat and you can’t do the job you get paid for.

However, fasting is great. It can constantly help the person meditating on Jesus during His fasting in the dessert, His dying on the Cross. The more you think of Him, the more you pray.
 
Hi,
My former minister used to fast for 40 days before Easter. The church I am in now do it with the teenagers over a weekend. I personally have never done it because I have medical issues. Do you think that is an ok reason not to fast?
 
ALLFORHIM said:
Hi,
My former minister used to fast for 40 days before Easter. The church I am in now do it with the teenagers over a weekend. I personally have never done it because I have medical issues. Do you think that is an ok reason not to fast?
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The Catholic Church teaches that Catholics fast during Lent, and one hour before Communion.

If the person has medical issues, the person should not fast.
 
I think medical requirements do form a good reason not to fast. And specific dietary restrictions can become involved as well.

I am intolerant to gluten and so must avoid all commercial bread, cake, cookies, pasta, etc. And also allergic to chocolate. So, needless to say, I don’t do bread and water fasts, or “give up” chocolate for Lent. But at the prompting of God, I have abstained (fasted?) from certain other foods (meat, fish, and wine) for a definite period of time. Last year it was the two weeks before Easter, with a total fast on Holy Saturday.

I honestly believe it has more to with the spirit in which it is approached, rather than in what specifically is given up. Otherwise it can become meaningless deprivation very quickly.

BTW, until very recently, I thought the only meaning of “fasting” was a total fast…

Zirconia
 
ALLFORHIM said:
Hi,
My former minister used to fast for 40 days before Easter. The church I am in now do it with the teenagers over a weekend. I personally have never done it because I have medical issues. Do you think that is an ok reason not to fast?
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I think it is ok not to fast when you have medical problem. The same thing with elderly, they are not required to fast.

We can fast different way - give up smoking, stop watching violent movies, saving money to help build your church…etc…
 
Hi,
I think it’s a good idea. I don’t fast very often now - thanks for reminding me. Some of my closest times with God were when I fasted.

I read a good little book about it years ago:
amazon.com/God-Chosen-Fast-Arthur-Wallis/dp/0875085547

It mentions the fact that when Jesus mentions fasting he talks about “when” you fast, not just “if” you fast.
 
water said:
It is nothing wrong to say you are fasting if somebody offers you something to eat and don’t talk much about it. You are not showing off.

It is useless if we fast and go out telling everyone I am fasting.
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I remember growing up, I was taught that if I ate meat on Friday, it would be a sin against God. Is this still true?
If I eat meat on Ash Wednesday or Good Friday am I sinning against God and will I be denied salvation if I don’t repent?
 
Yes it should be more important in the faith, especially since a ridiculously high percentage of us here in the U.S are badly over weight. I bet we could actually feed several small nations if we sent the money left over to Catholic Charities to feed and help people in places like Chimbote Peru where they are desperately poor, they sleep on the floor with few blankets and their children frequently are victims of rat bites. $7 to supply a blanket, $75 to get someone to build a bed to get the kids up off the floor away from the rats. (Anyone interested can PM me and I’ll give you the e-mail address to contact the guy who handles all that. They are mission from our parish.)

Our Lord said that we really should not let on when we are fasting remember? (Don’t let the left hand know what the right hand is doing…") Didn’t Our Lord says that if we do out good works to be seen by men that we lose any reward for it?
 
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