The Church’s Call to Fast
Back when I was attending college, I vividly remember the Ash Wednesday of my junior year. In a mixture of youthful zealousness and foolishness, I had decided to pull an all-nighter from Tuesday evening to Ash Wednesday, partly to study, but more accurately to spend the night in prayer as a way to prepare for Lent. At this point, you might be guessing what sort of Ash Wednesday I had. Let me expand it even further. I also decided to take on an ambitious fast, not eating more than one very simple meal at the end of the day and only drinking water. The tipping point of this Ash Wednesday experience, and the part I remember the most, was wandering with a friend through a grocery store in a daze as I stared hungrily (almost tearfully) at food items. Unfortunately for me, I don’t recall being very approachable, joyful, or present to any person or for any of my classes. If I took away anything from my experience that year, it was to never grocery shop while fasting.
More seriously though, I bring up this extreme example because fasting is an important part of our Lenten journey and the Church wisely gives us very specific guidance on how to fast. Unlike my ill-advised experience of fasting, the Church encourages us to enter into fasting in a healthy way. Fasting is meant to help us. Through the act of fasting, we unite ourselves to Jesus’ own fasting in the desert. We reflect upon the hunger Christ has for each one of us. The act of fasting becomes a recommitment of one’s heart to Jesus. By feeling a physical hunger, we can imagine the very hunger that Jesus feels for us at every moment.
Let’s take a look at the guidelines for fasting. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops outlines that anyone from the age of 18 until 59 should fast by eating one full meal as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal, as a person’s health allows. If you are desiring to take on a more restricted fast, it is greatly recommended that you only do so after discussing with your parish priest or a spiritual director. For some, fasting following these guidelines of the Church may feel challenging. It’s not fun feeling hungry. However, in the moments of longing for food, we can turn again to the image of Jesus longing for each one of us. Or perhaps think of those who suffer from hunger regularly. If we accidentally eat too much at a meal or give in to the workplace’s morning doughnut, we can find comfort in Jesus’ mercy for us. On the other hand, if you find yourself not at all inconvenienced by fasting, perhaps it is time to expand a little on how you fast.
Fasting can extend beyond simply food. In many cases, we can confuse fasting with abstinence, which is when we voluntarily don’t indulge in something, such as meat. The Church calls us to abstinence as well as fasting during Lent, yet the two are different. Fasting is more about moderation than completely excluding something. With that in mind, some ideas for fasting could be only taking one cookie, watching only one TV show episode once a week, only checking your social media or news once a day for a minute. When fasting becomes comfortable, oftentimes it is time to ask what more Jesus is calling me to?
This question leads us to experiencing Lent more as a time of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. All three are important ways that we grow deeper in relationship with Jesus. Prayer draws us into an intimate encounter with Christ that awakens our hearts to Jesus’ ways. Almsgiving in turn helps us recognize Christ’s presence in our neighbor and awakens our hearts to acts of charity. When we fast, we become more available to prayer and to almsgiving.
As you begin to prepare and think about your Lenten journey, I invite you to consider picking up and using the Lenten Reflection book, Not By Bread Alone, and to mark your calendars for March 13th-14th when the Co-Cathedral will host 24 hours of Confession and Eucharistic Adoration. More Lenten resources and information are available on our website at sj.org/reflect/lent.