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

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Abira said:
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?
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it is hard to see how fasting could be more important and more emphasized than it already is. Jesus himself fasted, he taught his apostles to fast, how to fast, and why, and all the great spiritual writers and teachers have advocated fasting, with the other two great penitential practices, prayer and almsgiving. The purpose of fasting is twofold. By fasting from pleasures of the senses we lessen the attachment to created things, which is an essential movement in the spiritual progress. Fasting disposes us to sumission and readiness to here and obey the will of God.

Fasting prepares us to endure temptation and persecution. Jesus told us some demons may driven out only through prayer and fasting, and this is the experience shared by most of the saints. Yes Catholics are still obligated to fast and abstain in type and quantity of food at specified times, and are required to do penance. There is more latitude, that is the bishops are giving us credit for more spiritual maturity, in personal choice in when and how to fast and do penance.
 
puzzleannie said:
it is hard to see how fasting could be more important and more emphasized than it already is.
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There is a one-hour fast before Communion, and a requirement to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and abstain from meat on these days and all Fridays in Lent. That’s barely anything – two days of fasting and maybe 6-7 days total of abstinence from meat only. It could be emphasized a lot more. I’m sure some will now jump in saying “If the Church says it then that’s good enough for me,” and if that’s what you believe then fine. I still say Catholic fasting as it is today is almost a joke.
 
Abira said:
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.
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vegetarianism is not healthy. You can be vegetarian for a few days but after awhile, you are depriving your body of needed protein. I’ve studied nutrition for years. I’ve noticed that most people who live to be 100 and older eat meat on a regular basis. Most vegetarians (vegans) i’ve known or know OF end up getting cancer or some other disease & dying before they get beyond their 50s… (Linda McCartney, George Harrison, etc). I believe that after man fell (sinned), his body began to need meat… (my opinion). In any case, meat & animal products have nutrients that cannot be found in other foods… the Japanese have one of the longest (if not longest) life spans and they eat meat & fish…
Fasting is healthy once in awhile, or eating only 1 meal a day. It helps release growth hormone, rejuvenates the organs.
I agree: the Catholics don’t really “fast” during Lent… I don’t call that fasting…
 
wynd said:
There is a one-hour fast before Communion, and a requirement to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and abstain from meat on these days and all Fridays in Lent. That’s barely anything – two days of fasting and maybe 6-7 days total of abstinence from meat only. It could be emphasized a lot more. I’m sure some will now jump in saying “If the Church says it then that’s good enough for me,” and if that’s what you believe then fine. I still say Catholic fasting as it is today is almost a joke.
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if it is a joke to say Catholics are required to do penance on all Fridays and all weekdays of Lent, then laugh. Either you can embrace this requirement in the spirit of maturity the bishops assume, or you can blow it off. your choice.
 
tell me about it!

i was vegetarian for four years and then every so often i would crave meat and eat nothing but sausages and burgers (all the healthy stuff! lol)

now i eat minced beef, bacon and sausages lol…

i never became veggetarian to be healthy but I feel funny when I can actually see that it used to be an animal…

I have read studies however that don’t agree that vegetarian’s are more likely to get cancer at all!!

people who eat less red meat are less likely to get cancer. white meat such as fish or chicken is much healthier…i don’t know why. if you’re interested PM me and i’ll try find the news story. i remember similar ones from years ago… anyway I’ve dragged my own topic way off topic so I’ll shut up!

take care, S
 
I agree with you Wynd in some regards. There are some (most?) catholics that will only fast on the days prescribed by the church. I dont think the church intended for us only to follow her so strictly in that regard, rather the church made those days compuslory and left the rest up to us. This way is best, so that we can truly follow what Christ said: fast for God when no-one knows. Unfortunately most dont do more than what is required by the church. I asked my priest about fasting outside the recommended amount and he said fast as often as you can, the church has only given us the bare minimum.

If Medjugorje is accepted by the church then we will be fasting every Wednesday and Friday on bread and water.

I think what the church did is perfect, yes to an outsider it may seem that Catholics never fast but this is simply not true. This way it is true when we say do not let your left hand see what your right one is doing, if we all fasted together then it would become about us and not about God. I see it with the Muslims when i go to work during Ramadan. They just complain to each other (and me) how hungry they are or they get so grumpy at everyone they start snapping (usually the boss is grumpy the whole time and i know just to stay away from him then-yes how holy) and when they break the fast they all seem so happy. I had one girl that said she wished she got her period so that she didnt have to fast for the week. I guess this is what happens when a collective group fast together, i wouldnt want Catholics to turn into that, i think its best that the church left it up to us.
 
Agnieszka said:
I agree with you Wynd in some regards. There are some (most?) catholics that will only fast on the days prescribed by the church. I dont think the church intended for us only to follow her so strictly in that regard, rather the church made those days compuslory and left the rest up to us. This way is best, so that we can truly follow what Christ said: fast for God when no-one knows. Unfortunately most dont do more than what is required by the church. I asked my priest about fasting outside the recommended amount and he said fast as often as you can, the church has only given us the bare minimum.

If Medjugorje is accepted by the church then we will be fasting every Wednesday and Friday on bread and water.

I think what the church did is perfect, yes to an outsider it may seem that Catholics never fast but this is simply not true. This way it is true when we say do not let your left hand see what your right one is doing, if we all fasted together then it would become about us and not about God. I see it with the Muslims when i go to work during Ramadan. They just complain to each other (and me) how hungry they are or they get so grumpy at everyone they start snapping (usually the boss is grumpy the whole time and i know just to stay away from him then-yes how holy) and when they break the fast they all seem so happy. I had one girl that said she wished she got her period so that she didnt have to fast for the week. I guess this is what happens when a collective group fast together, i wouldnt want Catholics to turn into that, i think its best that the church left it up to us.
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I think the best way would be to rise above it and let it unite us in peace and love. St. John Chrysostom says: “Before we enter the Lenten fast, we are reminded that there can be no true fast, no genuine repentance, no reconciliation with God, unless we are at the same time reconciled with one another. A fast without mutual love is the fast of demons. We do not travel the road of Lent as isolated individuals but as members of a family. Our asceticism and fasting should not separate us from others, but should link us to them with ever-stronger bonds.”
 
Agnieszka said:
I think what the church did is perfect, yes to an outsider it may seem that Catholics never fast but this is simply not true. This way it is true when we say do not let your left hand see what your right one is doing, if we all fasted together then it would become about us and not about God.
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Not necessarily. Sometimes doing difficult things together means we can support each other as well. And I don’t see why groups of people can’t fast and pray together; isn’t that what happened in Esther and Daniel?
I see it with the Muslims when i go to work during Ramadan. They just complain to each other (and me) how hungry they are or they get so grumpy at everyone they start snapping (usually the boss is grumpy the whole time and i know just to stay away from him then-yes how holy) and when they break the fast they all seem so happy.
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Two points here.

First, why not be happy when you finally break a fast? From what I know of the Orthodox fasting rules, not fasting at all during Bright Week is a sign of rejoicing because of the Resurrection, why should you be miserable?

And why not be happy and grateful that God gave you the grace to be able to fast once you have completed (and are about to break, as a symbol of completion) it in the first place?

Second, this whole deal about complaining about fasting is my major problem with making fasts mandatory for all.

Some people, at least in my opinion, simply should not fast, and might want to find other ways to draw near to God instead. If, while fasting, all a person thinks about is how hungry they are, how soon they can eat again, etc, then chances are they should not be doing it at all because it has turned into meaningless deprivation instead of a means of seeking God.

To me, it is much better to eat all you want and love God than to do a 40 day total fast and not do it out of love for Him. And if you can do such a fast with love, so much the better and please pray for me… :o

Just because some people find fasting deeply significant does not mean all will, so why require it of all?

Zirconia
 
Church_Militant said:
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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When I was in high school, we had a program where we would fast and donate our lunch money. We were given a bowl of soup and crackers for lunch, and the surplus money (since the soup and crackers were cheap) would go to Catholic Charities. We also fasted at home on those days. It was a reminder to us of what the poor have to go through all the time, and we raised money to help the poor. Years later, at a job, I found out that a Protestant co-worker had a similar program at his school.
 
Zirconia said:
Just because some people find fasting deeply significant does not mean all will, so why require it of all?

Zirconia
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I am sure many Catholics do not find Mass to be deeply significant, and they feel closer to God in other ways. Should we let them stay home?

Fasting is the tried and true method of producing saints. Any great saint will extol the virtues of fasting.
 
wynd said:
I am sure many Catholics do not find Mass to be deeply significant, and they feel closer to God in other ways. Should we let them stay home?

Fasting is the tried and true method of producing saints. Any great saint will extol the virtues of fasting.
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I think what this may boil down to is that I see fasting as most like a grace that everyone might not have. And if you don’t have it, or at least don’t have it to the same extent as the people who made the fasting rules, then it might not be such a good idea.

It would seem that in such a case, there could be a very real danger of the fast being perceived as meaningless deprivation, as opposed to a sacrifice, however small, freely offered as an act of love.

So far as enforced devotions go, does this mean that things like fasting, attending Mass, and other spiritual exercises have the same effect whether they are done out of love or done out of grudging resentment in order to avoid eternal death?

Zirconia
 
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