In last week’s Bulletin I presented some ideas about our ascetical practice of fasting as a means of preparing us to celebrate the major winter feasts. We should never fast because we believe that it is some sort of obligation. Ascetical practices should be freely chosen.

St. Philip the Apostle

Fasting, as I know my readers probably already know, was passed on in the early Church from Jewish practice. In Matthew, Christ says, When you fast do not be like the hypocrites, which indicates that the Jews fasted. It also indicates that Christ assumed that one fasts, for He says when you fast not if you fast. Fasting is not something that only developed within Christianity. Rather, it is a practice that had been followed by the Jews and even Scripture mentions that Christ fasted. It seems that all religions, even very Eastern religions, have integrated fasting into their religious/ascetical practices.

As I shared with you last time, the purpose of fasting is not to give up things or do something sacrificial, it is to learn discipline – to gain control of those things that are indeed within our control but that we so often allow to control us.

In our culture especially, food dominates the lives of many people. Just think about the problem of obesity that is rampant in our nation. There is even a television program that celebrates the person who loses the most weight. Further, we collect cookbooks and even have an entire television network devoted to food [the Food Channel]. We have eating disorders, diets galore, weight loss pills, liposuction treatments – all sorts of things that proceed out of the fact that we often allow food, which in and of itself cannot possible control us, to control us. Therefore we fast in order to gain control, to discipline ourselves, to gain control of those things that we have allowed to get out of control. Fasting helps us to develop the discipline that is needed to live the Jesus Way of Living. If we can control our food intake, we will be more prepared to control our other behaviors.

It is critical that we do not fast with the false notion that we must suffer for our sins. We fast in order to get a grip on our lives and to regain control of those things that have gotten out of control.

I realize that much of this will seem to be a repetition of what I have already shared with you. I repeat it in a slightly different form since I believe that it is difficult for most of us to embrace the true nature of fasting which is the cornerstone of the spiritual life in the Eastern Church. I believe the misguided notion of fasting has come from our Western society. People fast in order to lose weight or have been led to believe that if they fast it is to suffer for their sins. This notion is completely contrary to the Eastern Church’s way of thinking and her ascetic practices.