P
pioneer_rick
Guest
I want to find out how exactly to go about fasting… and how long to do it. Thank you.
- Status
B
bpbasilphx
Guest
The best way to go about fasting at the beginning is to follow the practices of the sui juris church to which you belong.
And never undertake anything more stict without spiritual advice.
And never undertake anything more stict without spiritual advice.
A
Andruschak
Guest
OPINIONS follow
Well…first, it would be best to talk about fasting with your Priest, Confessor, or Spiritual Director.
If you are new to fasting, start slowly. One day per week or less. Friday is a traditional day for fasting and abstinance.
There are many types of fast, so…again…talk it over with Priest/confessor/spiritual director.
In today’s Catholic Church, fasting consists of one moderate meal per day. You decide what is moderate. But a 17 inch pizza with all the toppings, for example, might not be considered moderate if you’re the only one eating it
In addition to the one moderate meal, you are allowed two smaller meals, sometimes called “collations”, that together do not add up in amount to the one moderate meal.
You may decide to eat meat or fish at the moderate meal only.
In general, no snacks of solid feed allowed between the 3 meals.
But there are many other types of fast, which is why you really need to talk it over with Priest etc etc. In my case, at age 63, I also had to clear it with my Physician, who laid down a few extra rules for my health and safety.
It is OK to be hungry during a fast. It is NOT OK to be weak, debilitated, unable to function safely, or unable to think clearly. Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and should always be respected as such.
Any more questions, feel free to ask. And you will probably get other opinions from other posters soon.
P
puzzleannie
Guest
if you are an Eastern Rite Catholic, search on the recent threads that discuss their disciplines, since their fasting in preparation for Lent and Easter is beginning now.
for Latin Rite Catholics you can fast at anytime except Sundays and the Christmas and Easter seasons, in the traditional manner, one regular meal and two smaller meals which together do not equal one full meal, and nothing but water or clear liquids in between. you can also abstain from meat on all Fridays of the year, or during Fridays of Lent as prescribed, and on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. You can substitute another penitential practice, or charitable work on Fridays of the year. For anything more stringent you should get permission from your confessor or spiritual director, and from your doctor if you have health issues like diabetes or pregnancy.
you can also fast from rich foods at any time–sweets, desserts, alcohol, red meat etc.
you can also fast from bad habits, from neutral but time-wasting habits, from other luxuries besides food–frivolous shopping, TV etc.
for Latin Rite Catholics you can fast at anytime except Sundays and the Christmas and Easter seasons, in the traditional manner, one regular meal and two smaller meals which together do not equal one full meal, and nothing but water or clear liquids in between. you can also abstain from meat on all Fridays of the year, or during Fridays of Lent as prescribed, and on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. You can substitute another penitential practice, or charitable work on Fridays of the year. For anything more stringent you should get permission from your confessor or spiritual director, and from your doctor if you have health issues like diabetes or pregnancy.
you can also fast from rich foods at any time–sweets, desserts, alcohol, red meat etc.
you can also fast from bad habits, from neutral but time-wasting habits, from other luxuries besides food–frivolous shopping, TV etc.
S
Scanner
Guest
I never quite understood this.
Fasting to me means total abstinence.
Eating is kind of like sex - you are either doing it, or you are not.
And actually, if you are going to fast, the easier way to do it from a physiological perspective is to not eat at all. If you injest a small meal midday and then fast the rest of the day, you are raising your blood sugar and then collapsing it. That means headaches, cravings, weakness, etc.
It’s not weakness in the sense of “Ohhhh, my muscles are losing mass.” It’s just “shakiness.”
I don’t think you really have to eat “3 squares a day” like we have been conditioned to think in America.
Going a whole day without food to me is easier than eating a ham sandwich at 1:00 p.m.
Is the point to test willpower/devotion to God or to connect with God?
If the point is to test willpower, yes, eating a ham sandwich midday and then continuing the fast is much, much more of a test.
In fact, our brains are wired that if you know you are getting that ham sandwich as a moderate meal midday, you’ll be thinking nothing of but that ham sandwich and not about God.
Fasting to me means total abstinence.
Eating is kind of like sex - you are either doing it, or you are not.
And actually, if you are going to fast, the easier way to do it from a physiological perspective is to not eat at all. If you injest a small meal midday and then fast the rest of the day, you are raising your blood sugar and then collapsing it. That means headaches, cravings, weakness, etc.
It’s not weakness in the sense of “Ohhhh, my muscles are losing mass.” It’s just “shakiness.”
I don’t think you really have to eat “3 squares a day” like we have been conditioned to think in America.
Going a whole day without food to me is easier than eating a ham sandwich at 1:00 p.m.
Is the point to test willpower/devotion to God or to connect with God?
If the point is to test willpower, yes, eating a ham sandwich midday and then continuing the fast is much, much more of a test.
In fact, our brains are wired that if you know you are getting that ham sandwich as a moderate meal midday, you’ll be thinking nothing of but that ham sandwich and not about God.
M
Mijoy2
Guest
I think the point is to sacrifice. If you are accustomed to having your 2 eggs over easy at breakfast and will feel significantly deprived if you go with only a cup of coffee, you have fasted if (and only if) you do not make up for it with a footlong sub at lunch time.
Rule of thumb, if you feel deprived, you fasted. You offer up the sacrifice as a tiny little effort towards sharing Christs’ pain and suffering on the Cross. If it’s easy it doesn’t count, if it’s for altera motive (weight loss) it doesn’t count.
My thoughts only!
Rule of thumb, if you feel deprived, you fasted. You offer up the sacrifice as a tiny little effort towards sharing Christs’ pain and suffering on the Cross. If it’s easy it doesn’t count, if it’s for altera motive (weight loss) it doesn’t count.
My thoughts only!
- Status