I love food. Fasting means, in many cases, not eating as much of it. I don’t like this. Many other people also don’t like this. So, why do we do it? If you are Catholic, fasting is occasionally a requirement such as on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
In this post, I’ll outline some things I’ve learned about fasting. I am no expert, of course, but I’ve tried about everything and maybe some things here will be of use to those who are veteran fasters or for those just starting out.
A Brief History of Fasting in Catholicism
The practice of fasting is present in most religions. In Catholicism, fasting is often associated with the observance of Lent, the 40 days preceding Easter. But many early Catholics would fast on Wednesdays and Fridays year round. Many contemporary Catholics still fast, or at least abstain from meat, on all Fridays of the calendar year.
I have the impression that fasting in the early church was much more strict. From what I’ve read, fasting generally meant eating nothing for a period of time, generally from sunup to sundown or between other prescribed hours. Some vegetables were allowed and drink was limited generally to just water. Maybe some bread and a little salt for desert.
If that sounds hard, well, it was. And somewhere between then and now, it became standard practice to load up your plate on a Friday with fish, french fries, coleslaw, green beans, and wash it down with a Schlitz or whatever (it’s OK because we’re eating fish).
Sometimes non-Catholics ask me about this and I just either fake a seizure or try to change the subject.
The current fasting and abstinence guidance for Catholics in these U.S.A. are, from the USCCB:
Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.
For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards.
I’ve always thought that these criteria weren’t terribly demanding. But, if I’m honest, there have been times when it has been a struggle for me.
Benefits of Fasting
There are both physical and spiritual benefits to fasting. Here are a few:
- Spiritual growth: Fasting helps detach one’s self from material comforts and focus on spiritual matters. It helps create a mindset conducive to prayer, self-reflection, and a deeper awareness of God’s presence in their lives.
- Discipline and self-control: By practicing self-restraint in matters of food and desires, individuals develop discipline and self-control, which can positively impact other areas of life.
- Empathy and solidarity: Fasting can foster empathy for those who suffer from hunger or poverty, encouraging believers to reach out to those in need and promote social justice.
- Humility and surrender: Fasting humbles individuals, reminding them of their dependence on God and their need for His grace. It can foster a spirit of surrender and openness to His will.
- Physical benefits: While the primary focus of Catholic fasting is spiritual, it can also have physical benefits such as detoxification, improved digestion, and increased mindfulness of eating habits.
Experiments in Fasting
I’ve fasted for both religious and secular reasons.
The secular first.
I practiced intermittent fasting to help lose weight (which it did). I basically just skipped breakfast for a year and a half. That was fun.
I’ve done the warrior fast (or diet) in which you basically fast for 23 hours and only have one hour to consume your calories for the day (or a 22:2, 20:4, etc.). This was an odd one for me. I enjoyed being able to eat pretty much whatever I wanted for an hour but I got so tired of eating during that 60 minutes.
I did a 36 hour fast once and have completed several 24 hour fasts, generally from Thursday nights into Friday nights. These have been for partly religious and partly secular reasons.
Many of the extended fasts were done with an aim towards autophagy and many of the other health benefits claimed by many proponents.
I still regularly fast with an intent to hopefully gain some health benefit from it. I don’t think that there is anything intrinsically wrong with this but I do have to watch myself as I often favor this goal over the religious intent.
Now, the religious.
A few times over the years, I practiced Buddhism. Buddhism is a very broad phrase that encompasses many schools and practices but fasting and mindfulness, in some form, is generally common to all of them.
I think I first seriously practiced fasting when it was introduced to me in my Buddhist practices. After about 18 hours or so of fasting, I obtained a sharper mental clarity and felt much more calm and generally peaceful.
I discovered that feeling hunger was mainly a byproduct of habit. Our bodies don’t absolutely need food every four to six hours. The discipline and control I felt over my physiology was very rewarding.
Although I abandoned Buddhist practice a long while ago, the sense of peace and calm I obtained during fasting stayed with me into my Catholic practice.
The commonality of fasting practice among all religions I think is a good indication there is a valid spiritual component to it. If further confirmation is needed, see Mark 9:29. Self-control and self-discipline are greatly enhanced by regular fasting, I think. I also believe that it has spiritual benefit, although I can’t completely articulate why.
I attempt to unite my fasting with some intention which helps me focus and maintain resolve when I’m tempted to order a pizza or something.
What is Fasting?
To me, fasting means not eating anything at all. I do drink water and consume tea with a little milk. But when I fast, I won’t have any solid food.
I think the term “fasting” can be expanded though to include abstaining from other things or practices.
I can see benefit from giving up social media, devices, swearing, etc. These items are outside the norm of practice for Catholic observance, generally, but can easily be incorporated throughout the liturgical year for a particular intention or some other religious end.
Really, I think, fasting boils down to denying the body what it desires. It is very easy for the intellect to be persuaded by the appetites. This never ends well. Building up the practice of discipline and self-control helps keep this in check. And it gets better with regular practice. The hallmark of a reasoned human is the ability to maintain composure and temperance. Fasting helps with this.
Lessons Learned
Like most other areas of my life, I learned some things about fasting the hard way.
- Extreme fasting! I often try to do the toughest, most extreme thing that I can find when researching some new interest. Fasting was no exception. One Holy Week, I convinced myself that I would just eat one small meal of lentils or rice for the whole week. I think it lasted a day. My advice is to start small. Whatever you give up for the Lord, as long as it’s done with genuine intent, is enough.
- Losing focus. I know that much of my fasting is about the health angle. If I’m not careful, I find myself pushing aside what I declared was the true intent in favor of watching calories or losing some water weight or whatever. Am I in ketosis yet?
- Pride. It’s easy for me to complete a 24 hour or 36 hour fast and think to myself I’m a spiritual bad@$$! That is obviously a sign that I’ve lost my way. It is so easy to fall into this trap and pride is one of those sins who knows how to be extremely subtle and crafty.
There’s a whole host of other pitfalls associated with fasting that I’m sure I’ve fallen into but the above three were regular guests.
Conclusion
Fasting is an important part of Catholic life. I think that it can be easy to fall into complacency with this practice as it does take a bit of wherewithal to break away from the pack and really consciously practice not eating. After all, fish fries are delicious affairs.
If you want to know even more about fasting (or a host of other items) I’ll direct you to the Fisheater’s article on fasting and abstinence. This site is a wealth of information regarding traditional Catholic practices that I encourage you to explore.
If you haven’t considered fasting (not eating anything), I’d encourage you to prayerfully consider doing so, if your health will support it. The fasting rules outlined by the USCCB above are attainable for most and certainly have merit. However, if you can build upon that practice, I’ve found the benefits increase exponentially. Be safe in whatever you do though.
Thanks for reading.