A 4th Sunday of Lent Thought About Fasting
It's the 4th Sunday of Lent, aka "Laetare Sunday." The priest wears rose-colored vestments. We get a kind of break from Lent. Not that Sunday alone doesn't provide a respite. But traditionally Laetare Sunday was a time to look forward past the Passion to the Resurrection. From somber purple penance to joyful rose-colored relief.
Of course, we're back to purple tomorrow. With that purple backdrop, let's build on last week's focus on fasting. After all, there's still a chunk of Lent left for us to persist in our discipline of penance, fasting and almsgiving, right?
As a reminder, our recent Sunday posts have pressed the point that we ought to all keep Sunday holy - every Sunday, not just Sundays in Lent. Given that it's Sunday we should have sufficient time not to rush or skim Fr. Murphy's comments about fasting. They're quite practical. There's nothing complicated here; but it's quite meaty. So take your time, and, as we should always do when we eat, chew it well.
How to Practice Girth Control: Fasting (Part 1 of 2)
Fr. John F. Murphy
“St. Benedict was a practical man. His famous monastic rule which has endured for centuries proves as much. He knew that even though monks wear similar habits, they are not all cut from the same cloth. ‘Let the big eaters be humbled, but eat,’ he wrote, ‘and let the small eaters thank God.’ His statement reminds us that food as such as been more than a necessity; it has been a problem. It was for Adam, and it remains so for most of us. There is a special virtue, related to temperance, which moderates our use of food. It helps us eat when, where, how, and as much as we ought. We call it the virtue of abstinence. Abstinence allows us to take sufficient food and drink, not only to preserve life and health, but even to reach the peak of physical condition. It sometimes encourages us, however, for higher reasons than the physical, to take less food than might be most comfortable or pleasant. In practice it is a personal and individual thing. What is sauce for the goose may be sauce for the gander, but it may not be nearly enough. … Yet abstinence is not mainly a physical program. Its main purpose is spiritual and therefore, even though the manner in which some of us practice the virtue may differ considerably, why we practice it should be the same. St. Thomas summarizes the spiritual benefits of fasting in three statements. He reminds us that it subdues the desires of the flesh, it disposes the mind for the contemplation of spiritual truths and prayer, and it makes satisfaction for sin. These are the spiritual purposes of fasting. Beyond this, if while we grow spiritually we shrink a bit physically, for most of us it would be a case of virtue being its own reward.
We must remember that merely to reduce food consumption as such is a morally indifferent act. Circumstances and motives make it good or bad. If from vanity one drastically reduces his meals to the point of injuring his health, he is hardly practicing virtue. And even when we regulate our appetite wisely in regard to ourselves we must have a special regard for those with whom we live. It is not fair to lay down a menu for the whole household to suit our own penances, and it is certainly no virtue to push away the pudding only to be cantankerous until the next meal.”
With the emphasis on St. Benedict in our recent weekday posts, it's kind of cool that Fr. Murphy begins with our treasured saint. There's much about eating and fasting in the Rule of St. Benedict. But it's all quite moderate - just what the doctor ordered for most of us. And Fr. Murphy makes it clear that the degree of abstinence to which each of us commits ought to be a personal choice, one that fits our individual temperament and spiritual need. However, if we've made that choice, then it'll be best to stick to it. As long as our body isn't being pummeled in an immoderate manner, we can manage any hunger that our discipline might impose, right?
Of course, after weeks of Lent, some of us may have gotten in the groove of our fasting; others may be yearning for Easter and the chance to have a few hefty meals. Either way, if we focus on the spiritual purposes of fasting, it may help us carry on without undue stress. As Father notes, the mere reduction in food intake is a morally indifferent act. If we've decided to cut back on our bodily nourishment, that deficit should transfer over to nourishment of our soul. At least that's the way it should work.
Next week, we'll continue with Part 2 of Father Murphy's advice on fasting.
So enjoy Laetare Sunday. And Godspeed with the rest of Lent.
We adore Thee O Christ and we bless Thee,
Comments