Why do We Fast?

During the season of Lent, Holy Mother Church asks us to devote ourselves to seeking the Lord in prayer, to practicing self-control through fasting, and to serving by giving alms. Traditionally, we seek the Lord in prayer during this time of year in a special way through the Stations of the Cross weekly and by praying the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary daily. In addition, we have days of fasting and abstinence throughout the entire year, but most especially during Lent (Code of Canon Law 1249-1253). And finally, the giving of alms is one way we share God's gifts, not only through the distribution of money, but through the sharing of our time and talents to help those in need.

The key to fruitful observance of these traditions is to recognize their link to true conversion of our hearts and minds as followers of Christ. Every day through prayer, fasting, and charity we begin again. We become more like Christ. “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold fast to the traditions, just as I handed them on to you.” (1 Cor. 11:1-2)

So, for the next three weeks we will focus on prayer, fasting, and charity. And today we will begin with fasting….

In the early Church and, to an extent still today, there were two fasts. First, there was the "total fast" that preceded all major feasts or sacramental events. The ancient name for this fast was "statio" from the verb "sto, stare" which means to stand watch, on guard or in vigil. The second fast was a fast of abstinence from certain foods, e.g., meats or fats. This was more an act of self-discipline and self-control. The statio fast was total and a means of watching and waiting, that is, watching and waiting for something, whereas, the fast of abstinence was more general and personal, to help oneself be more disciplined or self-controlled. The total fast is still kept today prior to reception of Holy Communion. Following Holy Communion, the total fast ends for the day because the wait is over. We have received what we were fasting for: the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ present in Holy Communion.

These observations, then, teach us that Holy Communion is always the end of a preparation. It is always the fulfillment of an expectation. Fasting is always preparatory.

But how did fasting become such an important means of preparing for Holy Communion and of learning virtue through self-discipline? Catholic fasting is revealed in an interdependence between two events in the Bible: the "breaking of the fast" by Adam and Eve; and the "keeping of the fast" by Christ at the beginning of his ministry.

Humanity's "Fall" away from God and into sin began with eating. God had proclaimed a fast from the fruit of only one tree, the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:17), and Adam and Eve broke it. Fasting is here connected with the very mystery of life and death, of salvation and damnation. Food perpetuates life in this physical world, which is subject to decay and death. Humanity, in Adam and Eve, rejected a life dependent on God alone for one that was dependent rather on "bread alone." (Dt. 8:3; Mt. 4:4; Lk. 4:4) The whole world was given to man as a kind of food, as a means to life, but "life" is meant as communion with God, not as food. The tragedy is not so much that Adam ate food, but that he ate the food for its own sake, "apart" from God and to be independent of Him. He believed that food had life in itself and thus he could be "like God." And he put his faith in food.

Christ, however, is the new Adam. At the beginning of his ministry in the Gospel of Matthew, we read, "When He had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, He became hungry." Hunger is that state in which we realize our dependence on something else, when we face the ultimate question: "on what does my life depend?" Satan tempted both Adam and Christ, saying: Eat, for your hunger is proof that you depend entirely on food, that your life is in food. Adam believed and ate. Christ said, "Man does not live by bread alone." (Mt. 4:4; Lk. 4:4) This liberates us from total dependence on food, on matter, on the world. Thus, for the Catholic, fasting is the only means by which man recovers his true spiritual nature. In order for fasting to be effective, then, the spirit must be a part of it. Catholic fasting is not concerned with losing weight. It is a matter of prayer and the spirit. And because of that, because it is truly a place of the spirit, true fasting may well lead to temptation, and weakness and doubt and irritation. In other words, it will be a real fight between good and evil, and very likely we shall fail many times in these battles. But the very discovery of the Catholic life as "fight" and "effort" is an essential aspect of fasting.

Catholic tradition can name at least seven reasons for fasting:

1.  From the beginning, God commanded some fasting, and sin entered into the world because Adam and Eve broke the fast.

2.  For the Catholic, fasting is ultimately about fasting from sin.

3.  Fasting reveals our dependence on God and not the resources of this world.

4.  Fasting is a way of preparing for Holy Communion—the true bread (John 6:32).

5.  Fasting is preparation for all of the other sacraments (Confession and Marriage to name two).

6.  Fasting is a means of saving resources to give to the poor.

7.  Fasting is a means of self-discipline, chastity, and the restraining of the appetites.

So this year for Lent, invite someone you know to join you in the Friday abstinence of meat. This person could be a non-practicing Catholic, a Protestant family member or friend, or even someone who practices no religion at all. Then, bring them to the fish fry at our parish and even pay for their meal!

This article was adapted from Rev. Daniel Merz, a former Associate Director of the USCCB Divine Worship office.