How do you practice fasting, and how has it helped you spiritually?

[BeeSweet]

Matthew 6:16, Christ says, “And when you fast…” not ***if ***you fast, but when you fast. I feel that I need to develop a more regular practice of fasting beyond the yearly Ash Wednesday and Good Friday requirement. I’m healthy enough for regular fasts right now, but someday I may not be (like next time I’m pregnant or nursing), so I shouldn’t be wasting the opportunity to show this form of praise.

I’m not quite sure how to go about developing the practice of regular fasting though. I hoped some of my fellow CAF members would share here how they started, and how their spiritual life has benefited from the practice. How long did it take you to develop a regular practice? What forms of fasting do you practice, and how often? Most importantly, how are you different because of your practice of fasting, and how were you led to do so?

Any resources will also be appreciated.

 

[blessedstar]

I never like talking about these things. The minute we start saying what we do and how we fast it sounds like showing off even though that isn’t the intent.

I suppose the best way is to find material on fasting or read about Saints who have fasted.

Then go about your fast privately and keep it between you and Jesus.

In the Living Prayer of my life

 

[blessedstar]

penitents.org/stmartinfast.html

catholic-pages.com/saints/st_aloysius.asp

I suppose you may choose to fast from food, but also you may fast from other things such as tv viewing, etc

In the Living Prayer of my life

 

[BeeSweet]

I never like talking about these things. The minute we start saying what we do and how we fast it sounds like showing off even though that isn’t the intent.

I know what you mean… maybe you could say, “I know someone who…” instead of claiming it yourself? I’m just looking for advice and wondering what other’s experience is with fasting. I’m very interested in how it has helped a person’s spiritual experience. What are the fruits of your fast? How has it brought you closer to Jesus? Would you recommend others adopt the practice, or is it difficult? I know sometimes spiritual experience can be difficult to put into words…

I suppose you may choose to fast from food, but also you may fast from other things such as tv viewing, etc

I’m most interested in fasting from food, there is something appealing to me about the physical hunger for food as it manifests itself in the spiritual hunger for God during a fast. And, if your physical hunger is relieved by the act of eating, how can we relieve the spiritual hunger for God? Or is it that the spiritual hunger is satiated during the fast?

It’s also interesting to me lately that prayer and fasting seem to go hand in hand. My prayer life has been suffering lately. I wonder if fasting can help to refresh and revive my prayer life.

 

[blessedstar]

I know what you mean… maybe you could say, “I know someone who…” instead of claiming it yourself? I’m just looking for advice and wondering what other’s experience is with fasting. I’m very interested in how it has helped a person’s spiritual experience. What are the fruits of your fast? How has it brought you closer to Jesus? Would you recommend others adopt the practice, or is it difficult? I know sometimes spiritual experience can be difficult to put into words…

I’m most interested in fasting from food, there is something appealing to me about the physical hunger for food as it manifests itself in the spiritual hunger for God during a fast. And, if your physical hunger is relieved by the act of eating, how can we relieve the spiritual hunger for God? Or is it that the spiritual hunger is satiated during the fast?

It’s also interesting to me lately that prayer and fasting seem to go hand in hand. My prayer life has been suffering lately. I wonder if fasting can help to refresh and revive my prayer life.

well now if I start saying ‘I know someone who’ everyone will presume it is me!!!

Anyway I know someone whom …

…started to fast as they felt compelled to do. The first fast they decided to undertake was a fast of sleep staying up all the night in prayer once a week united to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. This fast continues, but less than once a week.

The second fast they undertook was a fast of food. They began to fast once a week and did not take any food until evening meal when the fast broke. This fast for the most part increased to everyday as they felt compelled to do. I believe this person eats on occassion at breakfast and sometimes at midday if others are present and it is sociable to do or if someone offers them food. For the most part this person fasts daily of food until the evening meal.

The third fast they undertook was to fast from company, that is to be alone and be with God at least two days a week. This fast continues.

I believe this person has permission to conduct these fasts and is in good health in all aspects, physically and mentally and is certainly not thin. This person is careful not to let fasts interfere with the duties as befitting to their life that are required of them and duties and responsibilities take precedence over the fasts. The person concerned has found the fasts beneficial to their spiritual life and their prayer life.

In the Living Prayer of my life

 

[Starfish]

I’m concerned about taking needed meds while on a fast. I had a spiritual counsellor tell me once, that if you are fasting and your soul is clearly with God, that you will not need to take your meds for that time.

This scares me.

 

[blessedstar]

I’m concerned about taking needed meds while on a fast. I had a spiritual counsellor tell me once, that if you are fasting and your soul is clearly with God, that you will not need to take your meds for that time.

This scares me.

That is not a good idea. You need to take your medication. arrange your fast around your medication not your medication around your fast.

However if you are ill you need not fast from food and are not required to fast from food even for the prescribed fasts of the Church except for Holy Communion (which is only one hour before).

Why don’t you fast from something else, like tv or buying things etc.?

In the Living Prayer of my life

 

[BeeSweet]

I’m concerned about taking needed meds while on a fast. I had a spiritual counsellor tell me once, that if you are fasting and your soul is clearly with God, that you will not need to take your meds for that time.

This scares me.

That is not a good idea. You need to take your medication. arrange your fast around your medication not your medication around your fast.

In the Living Prayer of my life

Agreed, as blessedstar stated earlier, a fast does not have to be from food. You certainly should not stop taking your medicines and explicitly following the directions for taking those medicines. Any fast from food should be preceeded by a check up with your doctor.

You should consider reporting this counselor’s advice to their superior. This advice could be life threatening to some individuals. You are right to be scared.

 

[littleone]

I never like talking about these things. The minute we start saying what we do and how we fast it sounds like showing off even though that isn’t the intent.
I suppose the best way is to find material on fasting or read about Saints who have fasted.
Then go about your fast privately and keep it between you and Jesus.
In the Living Prayer of my life

I think your words are well put, and I agree so here is something that could help.If you want to think about God, turn your life around to God thinking, then look at the saints what they did.

I for one ate up the books of **St Therese **and saw that the key to her life was her unyealding realisation of her not being able to do anything by herself. So she lived (as other saints did) on self denial, kept on asking the Holy Spirit to help.
**Therese would say **I could have told the nuns not to make too much noise but no, she would give it up and be silent.
I could have moved over away from the froth coming over me from the other nuns washing but no Jesus went through more for me.
I could have asked for more blankets but no Jesus never complained.

For yourself
You might not shave with fome on, not eat certain food you like, might turn up the seat on the toilet when useing it, smile to those you don’t know, wish them a good day. Unseeingly by others spoil your food, walk insteed of taking the car, pick up others where you would rather not, go out of your way to help others. Have a cold shower instead of hot. Deneigh the flesh and the flesh thoughts/actions will diminish. Feed the spirit and the spirit will grow stronger.
There are so many other ways.
This is I believe a very positive way of living enabling the faith to grow, turning away from the flesh, turning into wanting God, to be God centered.

I hope that that helps.

God bless
littleone

 

[blessedstar]

I think your words are well put, and I agree so here is something that could help.If you want to think about God, turn your life around to God thinking, then look at the saints what they did.

I for one ate up the books of **St Therese **and saw that the key to her life was her unyealding realisation of her not being able to do anything by herself. So she lived (as other saints did) on self denial, kept on asking the Holy Spirit to help.
**Therese would say **I could have told the nuns not to make too much noise but no, she would give it up and be silent.
I could have moved over away from the froth coming over me from the other nuns washing but no Jesus went through more for me.
I could have asked for more blankets but no Jesus never complained.

For yourself
You might not shave with fome on, not eat certain food you like, might turn up the seat on the toilet when useing it, smile to those you don’t know, wish them a good day. Unseeingly by others spoil your food, walk insteed of taking the car, pick up others where you would rather not, go out of your way to help others. Have a cold shower instead of hot. Deneigh the flesh and the flesh thoughts/actions will diminish. Feed the spirit and the spirit will grow stronger.
There are so many other ways.
This is I believe a very positive way of living enabling the faith to grow, turning away from the flesh, turning into wanting God, to be God centered.

I hope that that helps.

God bless
littleone

Self-denial is at the centre of fasting and so as you say feeds through into all aspects of our Living Prayer to offer to Jesus.

In the Living Prayer of my life

 

[Starfish]

I know that I cannot stop taking my medication, I have severe and disabling asthma, in addition to aFib and other problems. I don’t have to give up shopping, the only shopping I do is for groceries. I hate malls. Ugh.

Thanks for the help and suggestions!

 

[puzzleannie]

I adhere rigidly to my diabetic diet and control my blood sugar, which includes avoiding completely some favorite foods, and eating others only in tiny quantities, infrequently. however I do this intentionally, offering it up as part of my morning offering prayer. since you ask what I recommend, I replay as I always do, that you should follow the classic advice of the great spiritual directors in the Catholic tradition, and follow the normal fast and abstinence traditions of the Church, and ask permission of your confessor or spiritual director before adopting anything more severe, and that you fast in a spirit of repentence, humility and obedience, along with prayer and acts of charity.

 

[Andruschak]

Matthew 6:16, Christ says, “And when you fast…” not ***if ***you fast, but when you fast. I feel that I need to develop a more regular practice of fasting beyond the yearly Ash Wednesday and Good Friday requirement. I’m healthy enough for regular fasts right now, but someday I may not be (like next time I’m pregnant or nursing), so I shouldn’t be wasting the opportunity to show this form of praise.

I’m not quite sure how to go about developing the practice of regular fasting though. I hoped some of my fellow CAF members would share here how they started, and how their spiritual life has benefited from the practice. How long did it take you to develop a regular practice? What forms of fasting do you practice, and how often? Most importantly, how are you different because of your practice of fasting, and how were you led to do so?

Any resources will also be appreciated.

At age 62, I am not REQUIRED to fast, but I do so as a committment to my being a member of CFP and BSP.

Suggestion One: Talk to a Spiritual Director about your plans.

Suggestion Two: Have a physical checkup and inform your Physician of your plan. I did, and she gave me some guidelines to follow for my health.

Opinion One: Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, and fasting should not cause physical damage. It is OK to be hungry at times. It is not OK to be weak, dibilitated, or mentally impaired.

Opinion Two: Start slow, and build up as your body adjusts.

For example, just fast on Friday, as well as abstain, and do it moderately at that. Do as the Church requires and NOTHING MORE. One full meal, and two lesser meals. Do that for a few months and see if this is OK with your body.

As always, these suggestions and opinions have not been endorsed by my cats

 

[avonlise]

just recently i fasted from tv for 40 days. that was hard! but NOW i turn it on and all i see is the sex and the violence coming from it. NOW i don’t want it even on!
i fasted for my husbands conversion, and it happened!
pray and fast or die to self and watch the miracles happen!
if i can do it with this large family, you can too

 

[Godlovestrength]

HI all since it is to God that we relate when fasting there is no right or wrong when thinking of God and our inability of doing anything Godly unless led by the spirit.
However it is not for one person to judge over another as to how much or how little suffering or offering we should do. God is love and His response to any good dead is based on His mercy and in His pure ability to judge through pure Love.
Godbless

 

[stove]

well now if I start saying ‘I know someone who’ everyone will presume it is me!!!

Anyway I know someone whom …

…started to fast as they felt compelled to do. The first fast they decided to undertake was a fast of sleep staying up all the night in prayer once a week united to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. This fast continues, but less than once a week.

The second fast they undertook was a fast of food. They began to fast once a week and did not take any food until evening meal when the fast broke. This fast for the most part increased to everyday as they felt compelled to do. I believe this person eats on occassion at breakfast and sometimes at midday if others are present and it is sociable to do or if someone offers them food. For the most part this person fasts daily of food until the evening meal.

The third fast they undertook was to fast from company, that is to be alone and be with God at least two days a week. This fast continues.

I believe this person has permission to conduct these fasts and is in good health in all aspects, physically and mentally and is certainly not thin. This person is careful not to let fasts interfere with the duties as befitting to their life that are required of them and duties and responsibilities take precedence over the fasts. The person concerned has found the fasts beneficial to their spiritual life and their prayer life.

In the Living Prayer of my life

Good Ideas. maybe I have a friend who would like to try some of those ideas

 

[Woodstock]

This might interest you: Fasting and Abstinence in the eastern churches

I typically keep the prescribed fasts throughout the church year according to the Byzantine tradition, meaning about half the year is fasting if I recall correctly. The fasts are typically broken into three categories depending on the day of the week and the feast of the day.

1. no meat (including broth and by-products), no milk, no eggs
2. the above plus no fish or other sea creatures (invertebrates are allowed)
3. the above plus no wine or other alcohol and no oil

Since denying myself is not something I struggle with, fasts are relatively easy for me if food intake is the only criterion for gaging success. They challenge me in other ways, helping me to focus on simplicity, humility, charity, and other virtues. People in my position (healthy and thinking fasting doesn’t challenge them) often look to other things they can fast from instead of food. I have found that sticking to the traditions of the Church and not allowing myself to customize a package deal as if I am so much better off than the masses has helped me to focus on areas which were in great need of review and correction but which I would have otherwise overlooked.