Fasting

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Questioner28

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Is it an obligation for Catholics to fast on dates appointed by the church ?
Is it an obligation for Catholics to fast an hour before receiving Holy Communion ?
 
I’d also like to add a question about the Rosary to this thread. Is it standard to pray the Fatima Decade prayer after the first Glory Be that follows the the three Hail Marys ? Is it okay to do that ?
 
Questioner28 said:
Is it an obligation for Catholics to fast on dates appointed by the church ?
Is it an obligation for Catholics to fast an hour before receiving Holy Communion ?
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Yes to both questions. It is so easy and so minimal to do. The way I see it, if people desire to do more and not sure if it is excessive and harmful to them, they should talk to a holy spiritual director who knows them Or…get some general advice from a priest or good spiritual book if the first option is not possible.
 
Questioner28 said:
I’d also like to add a question about the Rosary to this thread. Is it standard to pray the Fatima Decade prayer after the first Glory Be that follows the the three Hail Marys ? Is it okay to do that ?
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It is very common, as I have always heard it that way. Of course it is okay to do that.

The Liturgy of the Hours is the official prayer of the Church, and the designated prayers in it should not be changed. I say that in order to help you be aware that the Rosary is a private prayer…even though we can say it in community in church.
 
Questioner28 said:
Is it an obligation for Catholics to fast on dates appointed by the church ?
Is it an obligation for Catholics to fast an hour before receiving Holy Communion ?
Click to expand...
Yes, and frankly two days of fasting and a handful of Fridays of abstinence is NOT much. I was reading the old 1952 rules a while back and man, have we got it easy!

Yes to the second one as well. Before Mass we should be preparing our heart, soul, mind, AND body to receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.By fasting an hour before we prepare our body to receive Him.
 
We fast before receiving Holy Communion as a symbolic way of preparing ourselves to appreciate the spiritual nourishment of the Lord’s body and blood. Fasting at any time as a church regulation should not be a negative experience. Instead, such self-denial is intended to bring about an inner transformation leading to deeper union with God, who is the source of our life and joy. Something is missing if fasting and other penitential practices do not lead us to a deeper relationship with God. When we fast, we participate–at least in a small way–in the “self-emptying” that Christ experienced as he became a human being and died on the cross (Philippians 2:7-8). The more we grow in our desire to be like Christ for the world, the more important occasional fasting will become in our lives.
 
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