F
asting is an ancient form of
mortification commonly ac-
cepted as a powerful means
of self-discipline, not only in
Christianity but also in such other
great religions of the world as Islam
and Judaism. For Christians, fasting
has a supernatural value because it is
one of the recognized forms of pen-
ance whereby one atones for one’s
sins and humiliates oneself before
God in response to the advice of St.
Peter the Apostle who said, “Humble
yourselves before the mighty hand of
God that He may lift you up in sea-
son” (1 Pt. 3:6). Fasting as a form of
mortification raises the soul to God.
St. Francis de Sales says: “The soul
can never ascend to God unless the
body is brought into subjection by
penance”.
Fasting was in the Old Dispen-
sation, one of the great means of
making atonement; it was called “to
afflict the soul” (Lv. 16:29) but to be
acceptable it had to be accompanied
by sentiments of sorrow for sin and
mercy towards others (Is. 58:3-7).
Under the New Law, fasting is an ear-
nest expression of grief and penance.
Our Lord wishing to expiate our sins,
fasted forty days and forty nights, and
taught his Apostles that certain evil
spirits cannot be cast out except by
prayer and fasting. We might wonder
what value and meaning there is for
us Christians in depriving ourselves
of something that in itself is good and
useful for our bodily sustenance. As
stated by Pope Benedict XVI in his
2009 Lenten message, “The Sacred
Scriptures and the entire Christian
tradition teach that fasting is a great
help to avoid sin and all that leads to
it”. True to his teachings, the Church
has established the Lenten fast to of-
fer her children the opportunity of
making expiation for their faults.
Many sins take their rise directly or
indirectly in the craving for pleas-
ure, in excess in eating and drinking,
and nothing is so effective in making
atonement as mortification in eating,
reaching, as it does, the very root of
the evil by mortifying the craving for
sensual pleasure. Since all of us are
weighed down by sin and its conse-
quences, fasting is proposed to us as
an instrument to restore friendship
with God. Such was the case with
Ezra, who, in preparation for the
journey from exile back to the Prom-
ised Land, calls upon the assembled
people to fast so that “we might hum-
ble ourselves before our God” (8, 21).
The Almighty heard their prayer and
assured them of His favour and pro-
tection. In the same way, the people
of Nineveh, responding to Jonah’s call
to repentance, proclaimed a fast, as a
sign of their sincerity, saying: “Who
knows, God may yet repent and turn
from his fierce anger, so that we per-
ish not?” (3, 9). In this instance, too,
God saw their works and spared
them.
The practice of fasting is very pres-
ent in the first Christian community
(cf. Acts 13:3; 14:22; 27:21; 2 Cor 6:5).
The Church Fathers, too, speak of the
force of fasting to bridle sin, especial-
ly the lust of the “old Adam”, and open
in the heart of the believer a path to
God. Moreover, fasting is a practice
that is encountered frequently and
recommended by the saints of every
age, as pointed out by Pope Benedict
XVI. Saint Peter Chrysologus writes:
“Fasting is the soul of prayer, mercy
is the lifeblood of fasting. So if you
pray, fast; if you fast, show mercy; if
you want your petition to be heard,
hear the petition of others. If you do
not close your ear to others, you open
God’s ear to yourself ” (Sermo 43: PL
52, 320. 322).
“In our own day”, says the Pope,
“fasting seems to have lost something
of its spiritual meaning, and has tak-
en on, in a culture characterized by
the search for material well-being, a
therapeutic value for the care of one’s
body. Fasting certainly brings benefits
to physical well-being, but for believ-
ers, it is, in the first place, a “therapy”
to heal all that prevents them from
conformity to the will of God”.
The gratifying of our sensual appe-
tite betrays us both to the flesh and
to the devil; we overcome them both
by fasting by which God restrains
our vices and passions, elevating the
soul to Himself, and bestows upon us
His heavenly gifts and graces. Fasting
drives away all our evils, heals both
soul and body and brings us to our
Sovereign God. Penitential fasting
appeases the wrath of God provoked
by our sins. By fasting, we are enabled
to overcome our passions and con-
cupiscences. This is why the saints
have made a practice of fasting even
outside the seasons appointed by the
Church. Generous Christian souls im-
itate them and if they cannot keep the
strict fast, forego some food at each
meal in order thus to curb their sen-
suality.
St. Peter Chrysologus urges us to
“immolate our soul by fasting because
we can offer nothing better to God;”
but he also reminds us that the seed
of fasting does not germinate unless
it is watered by mercy. To produce the
desired fruit, our fasting must be ac-
companied and nourished by works of
charity, that is, by spiritual and corpo-
ral works of mercy. According to him,
“He who prays should also fast and he
who fasts should be merciful”. Fasting,
prayers and almsgiving form the triple
remedy which work together to purge
away sins, cleanse man’s soul, and rec-
oncile him to God. Hence Pope In-
nocent III in soliciting prayers for the
success of the Fourth Lateran Council
admonished the entire Catholic faith-
ful as follows:
“To your praying add fasting and
almsgiving. It is on these wings that
our prayers fly the more swiftly and ef-
fortlessly to the holy ears of God, that
He may mercifully hear us in the time
of need”.
The faithful practice of fasting con-
tributes, moreover, to conferring unity
to the whole person, body and soul,
helping to avoid sin and grow with in-
timacy with the Lord (Benedict XVI).
Saint Augustine, who knew all too well
his own negative impulses, defining
them as “twisted and tangled knotti-
ness” (Confessions, II, 10.18), writes:
“I will certainly impose privation, but
it is so that he will forgive me, to be
pleasing in his eyes, that I may enjoy
delightfulness” (Sermo 400, 3, 3: PL 40,
708). Denying material food, which
nourishes our body, nurtures an inte-
rior disposition to listen to Christ and
be fed by His saving word. Through
fasting and praying, we allow Him to
come and satisfy the deepest hunger
that we experience in the depths of our
being: the hunger and thirst for God.
“Fasting with prayer”, says a Christian
writer, “is the most powerful armour
that God has given to each member of
the body of Christ to overrule, break,
surmount, annihilate, destroy and
neutralize all power of darkness of this
world and the forces of wickedness of
all kinds and categories”.
Fasting exposes us to the glory of
God and gives us the opportunity to
experience His presence and glory. It
tempers loquacity and is an outlet for
compassion and a guide upon obedi-
ence. Fasting destroys evil thoughts
and roots out the insensibility of the
heart. It is a gate to paradise; when
the stomach is constricted, the heart
is humbled. He who fasts prays with
a sober mind, but the mind of the in-
temperate person is filled with impure
fancies and thoughts. Louis of Grena-
da O.P says that “Fasting, abstinence
and sobriety are meritorious of grace
and glory if they are done for the love
of God. They also serve a means of rep-
aration and atonement for sin whereby
we can remit a portion of the debt for
which we ask pardon each time we re-
cite the Our Father”. Another benefit
to be obtained from abstinence and
fasting, says the spiritual writer, is that
they help us to acquire wisdom and
prudence. It is the common doctrine
of the saints that gluttony deadens the
intellect and senses while, as St. Basil
teaches us, “fasting is the guardian of
the soul, the weapon of the strong, the
preserver of chastity, strength in bat-
tle and a garrison of peace”. “Fasting
sanctifies priests…, it is the ornament
of women and the source of restraint
for men”.
If the Christian faithfully practices
fasting and other forms of penance, he
will discover that these are practices in
which he most resembles Christ. St.
Peter tells us that as Christ suffered in
the flesh, we should also suffer with
him, for if we are partakers in His
pain, we shall also share in His glory.
