We are required to fast on the prescribed days of fasting set up by the Church. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are the only required days. Abstinence, or not eating meat, is to be done on every Friday during Lent. We are also required to make some type of small sacrifice on every Friday of the year, we can fast, abstain from meat, go to Eucharistic adoration, say some extra prayers, really it is up to us but Catholics used to be required to abstain from meat on every Friday of the year. All that being said we can fast on our own anytime we want as a self-mortification. We can offer our suffering up to God as a sign of our love for Him and we can ask that our suffering be applied to many things. Like we can fast for the well-being of our wife, the Holy Souls in Purgatory, as a penance for our many sins, ect. Be careful not to fast so much that you become prideful or develop anorexia (lol), but there are many other forms of mortification too. We can park our cars in the furthest parking spot and offer that to God, we can wake up out of bed as soon as our first alarm goes off without hitting the snooze button and immediately make the sign of the cross, we can do all of our chores happily, we can smile and be kind to someone that really gets on our nerves, we can order a small soda when we really want a large…the list goes on and on. I hope this helps.Pax et bonum!
What’s the traditional rule for fasting? When should we fast? The orthodox churches talk a lot about fasting but what does the catholic church say?
Very true. One is sometimes in danger of going too far in the opposite direction, and usually for the wrong reasons. It’s all about reasonable self-denial - though that can differ greatly from person to person. Some people can’t abstain from all food due to lifestyle or health reasons; others benefit immensely from doing so.Be careful not to fast so much that you become prideful or develop anorexia (lol), but there are many other forms of mortification too.