Liberal Fasting rules

[OraLabora]

Why do people apply earthly rules to this stuff? If you break or bend a fasting rule who is the one that is really going to suffer? On Ash Wednesday I chose not to put anything in my body except water. I do this for my own reasons. I get a kick out of people who try to bend the rules of the Church.

The “rules of the Church” for fasting are explicit: one full meal, and two light snacks/meals the sum of which does not add up to a normal meal. You are not breaking a rule by doing this.

The “rules of the Church”, BTW, exempt those with certain medical conditions from fasting. Fasting like you do, for an insulin-dependent diabetic, for instance, could land him or her in the hospital, or the morgue. The same for those obliged to carry out heavy manual labour during the day, or traveling. God does not require the impossible.

You may chose to take only water on Ash Wednesday, but the Church does not impose that on anybody. For many that would be dangerous. For you it is a personal choice, stressing the word “personal”.

 

[skyman1972]

Ah, the beauty of posting in a forum begins. This is why I have not posted in the last 5 years or so. My point was not to mock the “rules of the Church” in anyway. I was asking why people would try to work around the rules just to make their lives a little easier. You know who you are! What is the point in that? Either follow the rules or don’t. In the end will there be a jury of Catholic’s decideing if you followed the letter of the law? I don’t think so. Probably still didn’t make my point. Maybe I need “more quotes”.

 

[Deo_Gratias42]

Thanks .

Problem solved .

I looked up abstinence in “A Catholic Dictionary” 15th edition published in 1952 .

It says : " The abstinence days of the Universal Church are all Fridays , except those on which Holidays of Obligation may fall ( unless a Holiday of Obligation fall in Lent ) , Ash Wedenesday , the Saturdays in Lent , the Ember days , and the Vigils of Pentecost , the Assumption , All Saints , and Christmas .By special dispensation in England (1) Boxing Day is never a day of abstinence ; (2) The Lenten abstinence is transferred from Saturday to Wednesday ; (3) when two days of abstinence immediately follow each other , the abstinence is dispensed on the second of them except in Lent . "

So the problem I had in your saying that Saturdays in Lent were days of abstinence is because that here in England they were not because it had been transferred to Wednesday .

Still I have a problem , and that is because I cannot recall Wednesdays in Lent being days of abstinence .

Again " A Catholic Dictionary " comes to the rescue . It quotes Louis Thomassin , a French theologian . Thomassin illustrates the custom of the West , by quoting a number of statutes , etc. , prescribing sometimes abstinence from flesh , sometimes fasting and abstinence on Friday . His earliest authority is Nicolas I ( 858-867 ) , and he concludes , " even after the year 1400 , the Saturday abstinence was rather voluntary than of obligation among the laity ; but the Friday abstinence had long since passed into a law . "

So the Saturday abstinence , which would be Wednesday in England , was voluntary and did not become an established practice .

They’re days of partial abstinence meaning meat may be served during the principal meal only.

 

[J_Peterson]

I tried a total fast for the first time today. I had 2 tortilla chips and a pickle. I think for Fridays I’ll have a piece of bread or a biscuit for lunch, I’m not feeling so hot. I’m about an hour away from eating sushi though

 

[pnewton]

If you suffer from diabetes (either I or II) or some other medical issue that makes fasting inadvisable you’re automatically exempt. Some diabetics, especially insulin-dependent, need to control blood sugar very closely.

I do not have diabetes, but my attempts at fasting these last few weeks has me concerned enough I am going to talk to my doc about it next month when I go in. It runs in my family, and I am not getting any younger.

 

[Sonic]

I do not do heavy work, unless I am off work and at home. However, I have difficulty fasting. If I go too long on too little, my blood sugar gets all out of whack, I start to get jittery, light-headed and unbearably irritable. I have been fasting these last few weeks (on Fridays) in accordance to the rule of one meal and I just don’t know that I can do it. At some point I am going to discuss this with my priest and see if there might be some other allowable penance. I do not mind being hungry (okay, I do mind, but its bearable), but I do not want to do anything stupid.

Pnewton,

Try getting yourself some Tahini (check youtube on how to make it if you can’t find it) and eat it with crackers. It’s very good for you, and it may supplement your diet without you having to eat much. Peanuts are another good source of energy. Simple things like beans and rice last a long time for energy purposes.

You can also try spreading out your meal throughout the day, by eating it in small portions at more frequent intervals. Instead of one meal and two smaller, stretch it out into six or more snacks.

 

[pnewton]

Pnewton,

You can also try spreading out your meal throughout the day, by eating it in small portions at more frequent intervals. Instead of one meal and two smaller, stretch it out into six or more snacks.

Sounds good, but that is no good on Ash Wednesday. I actually like that. And rice and beans? Hey, this is Texas. I could live on rice and beans, TexMex, that is. Thank you for your concern.

 

[Sonic]

Sounds good, but that is no good on Ash Wednesday. I actually like that. And rice and beans? Hey, this is Texas. I could live on rice and beans, TexMex, that is. Thank you for your concern.

Is this why it won’t work for you?

Fasting - The law of fasting requires a Catholic from the 18th Birthday [Canon 97] to the 59th Birthday * to reduce the amount of food eaten from normal. The Church defines this as one meal a day, and two smaller meals which if added together would not exceed the main meal in quantity. Such fasting is obligatory on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. The fast is broken by eating between meals and by drinks which could be considered food (milk shakes, but not milk). Alcoholic beverages do not break the fast; however, they seem contrary to the spirit of doing penance.

source: ewtn.com/faith/lent/fast.htm*

If you spread the required amounts for meals out to small portions, then essentially you are not having a meal during the day at all.

Edit: The reduced amount is the same. You’re just making sure you don’t pass out from hunger.

 

[TimothyH]

The way I see it, the point of fasting is to bring us closer to God. Everything else is besides the point for me.

To me, focusing on how to avoid the physical effects of fasting.by substituting certain foods or eating on different schedules completely misses the point, which for me is to draw close to God in prayer. That’s the point of fasting for me - prayer.

We come closer to God primarily through prayer. When I get irritable, when I can barely stand it any longer, when I feel like I am going to die if I don’t eat something - that is when I pray to God, to help me through it. And the day grinds on… and it passes… and I’m still alive the next day… and I learn to trust God.

For me, that’s the whole point.

-Tim-

 

[odile53]

I had a talk with my parish priest because I’m still healing up from back surgery. The priest told me that I’m dispensed from fasting because of my medical condition, but should still abstain.

Here’s what I had to eat today:

Breakfast: A couple of tablespoonsful of cottage cheese and a banana

Lunch: Lentil soup (vegetable stock base,) and a cheese filled bread stick.

Dinner: Salmon, artichoke, and pasta casserole (one serving, it’ll keep till Friday.)

Coffee (black) intermittently through the day.

I calculated out the cost of meals by using the IRS per diem meal allowance formula and put that amount of money in the poor box at Mass this morning. I had heard or read someplace or another that one of the points of fasting is to give alms from the resources saved by not eating big meals. It sounded like a good idea to me, so I did it. It did clearly say in our church bulletin that one should observe the spirit of fasting instead of becoming overly scrupulous about it.

The funny thing is, I usually eat this lightly. Some protein and fruit in the morning, a salad for lunch, and protein, vegetable, and carb for dinner. The lentil soup and bread stick were very filling, as a matter of fact. I’m actually not certain if I fasted or merely abstained! I found myself wondering what the big fuss was all about, and wondering how much some people must eat on a regular basis if something this light would really bother them, assuming they are both healthy and sedentary.

Maybe I’m missing something, but it didn’t seem like that big a deal to me!

Maybe for Fridays this Lent I should abstain from coffee as well as meat.

 

[Sonic]

The way I see it, the point of fasting is to bring us closer to God. Everything else is besides the point for me.

To me, focusing on how to avoid the physical effects of fasting.by substituting certain foods or eating on different schedules completely misses the point, which for me is to draw close to God in prayer. That’s the point of fasting for me - prayer.

We come closer to God primarily through prayer. When I get irritable, when I can barely stand it any longer, when I feel like I am going to die if I don’t eat something - that is when I pray to God, to help me through it. And the day grinds on… and it passes… and I’m still alive the next day… and I learn to trust God.

For me, that’s the whole point.

I see your point.

I’m on a special diet, and so it’s kind of required for me to watch my food intake throughout the day to maintain my health. I can’t eat certain foods. I have to eat a low-iron diet, which means I can’t have foods from all food groups. It’s very hard to have fish, when most fish is high in iron. I can’t eat certain vegetables, and eating out is a terrible chore because of menu choices.

Hence, I’m just approaching the topic from my own experience… I guess. How can one fast as required (by letter or spirit), when many foods (including those allowed) are off limits already? I thought fasting was penance, which accompanies prayer.

I try to offer up the inconvenience and logistics of planning out meals as a permanent fast. I eat sparingly and pray daily. I usually give up things I like (I was told it doesn’t necessarily have to be food).

Am I doing something wrong?

 

[Usige]

The way I see it, the point of fasting is to bring us closer to God. Everything else is besides the point for me.

To me, focusing on how to avoid the physical effects of fasting.by substituting certain foods or eating on different schedules completely misses the point, which for me is to draw close to God in prayer. That’s the point of fasting for me - prayer.

We come closer to God primarily through prayer. When I get irritable, when I can barely stand it any longer, when I feel like I am going to die if I don’t eat something - that is when I pray to God, to help me through it. And the day grinds on… and it passes… and I’m still alive the next day… and I learn to trust God.

For me, that’s the whole point.

-Tim-

That’s pretty much what I was taught about fasting. It opens us to a hunger for God. As I went through the day when I’d start to feel hungry I’d say a little prayer of thanks giving to carry me through for an hour or so. I’ve only had water for the past 26 hours, but I have prayed more throughout the day then I have in several years. I actually barely notice the hunger at this point. I see the hunger pangs as a little bell calling me to prayer.

A slight headache is worth more than the cost to draw closer to God. I look at it as not giving something up but gaining precious time to pray.

 

[mellowcalico]

Well, I tried to adhere by the old rules yesterday, but I gave in and had a protein shake (a Slim Fast shake) around 3pm because I was getting light headed and I had to drive (in freezing rain no less). but I still obeyed the newer rules.

The hard part for me with the new rules is the “Two small meals” part. I really don’t eat “meals” other than dinner. In the morning when I get up I might have a glass of milk, a few hours later a banana, then a few hours later another glass of milk or a yogurt, then an hour or so later something like 3-4 carrots and hummus, then later an apple with peanut butter. I do eat a meal at dinner though since I sit down with my daughter at that time and it’s a family event.

But I never know what to do the rest of the day when fasting–should I add all that stuff up and consider it two meals and then eat half? Just not eat at all?

Pretty much I was hungry most of the day yesterday regardless… and slightly “tortured” as my office had a pizza party hosted by the boss and I also had to sit in a meeting with a piece of cake under my nose for two hours.

I get what another poster said. It’s kind of weird how we are supposed to fast, but then we try to do everything we can to elevate the discomfort of it. I did that myself by drinking a lot of hot tea yesterday to “fill up.” But overall, I was still uncomfortable and it make me think about Lent all day. I guess it all depends on the purpose behind the fasting. Is it just to be hungry? Is it to make you reflect? Etc.

 

[RedSparklyShoes]

I spread mine out a bit yesterday. I knew that I just wouldn’t be able to function through my work day if I had less than what I did at lunch (my breakfast is always light, so not hard to keep it as 1/4 or less of my daily intake). I also did not want it to be obvious at the lunch table that I was fasting. So I had a quite simple, but not uncommon meal at lunch with my collegues.

I did to modify was dinner was very very simple, boring and less than I normally would have had.