The Beauty and Necessity of Fasting

(and the tragic loss of tradition in the Church)

2024/05/11

"When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to others to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you."

Matthew 6:16-18

I was raised as a Low Church Anglican, so for a lot of my life never encountered the idea of fasting. When I finally did, I was about fourteen, and it was in relation to nutrition, not religion. I found out about intermittent fasting and OMAD diets, studied the potential benefits of these things, and thought that was as far as it went.

Eventually, whenever I began to start studying Catholic theology and reading more from the saints, I discovered the idea of fasting as a religious practice.

Fasting is beautiful. For me, it has been incredibly healing spiritually, as it serves as a reminder to myself that I am humbling myself before God daily and choosing to live for Him actively and purposefully, even in relation to my most rudimentary (otherwise everyday) functions. Fasting is a method through which we may explicitly subject our flesh, our earthly bodies, to the will of the divine. In this sense, it is reminiscent of the act of prostration or kneeling during prayer.

As my favourite author, C.S. Lewis, once wrote, "We must accept and embrace the body, in all its glory and buffoonery, remembering that whatever our bodies do affects our souls." Humans often build up this idea that because the soul is 'transcendent' that we may neglect the role of our flesh, assuming the two have nothing to do with one another. This couldn't be more wrong. God gave us matter for a reason: if it had no purpose, the Eucharist would not serve the purpose it does, and the fact that Christ cloaked Himself in human flesh would not be worthy of the magnitude with which we claim it most certainly holds. Jesus would also not have commanded us to fast, for what would be the purpose?

What we do to the body affects the soul. This is why we kneel during prayer, for, as Lewis states, "The body ought to pray as well as the soul. Body and soul are both better for it." In the case of fasting, we are aiming to achieve something very similar. We cannot escape our bodies, even if we may wish to; God gave us them for a purpose. They serve a function. They are not meaningless within our spiritual lives, nor can they be wholly detached from them. Instead, we must learn and practice the methods through which we can subject our bodies to God, as well as our minds.

Fasting is an incredibly powerful practice, which Augustine claimed 'cleanses the soul, raises the mind, subjects one's flesh to the spirit, renders the heart contrite and humble, scatters the clouds of concupiscence, quenches the fire of lust, and kindles the true light of chastity'. I wish we would see a revival of this practice, especially considering how little emphasis is often placed on it within Protestant denominations.

I regularly see the same loss and diminishment of tradition in regards to veiling and headcovering, singing hymns and psalms, or even kneeling during prayer. Most of the Christians I meet claim that these things are antiquated and unnecessary, or that they are oppressive. What a wasted opportunity. These are tried and tested, beautiful methods of subjecting our bodies and our minds to God outwardly, and their value does not diminish with time. Time does not change the role our bodies play in our faith. They are as important as they always have been, and this is why we must learn how God intends us to direct them according to His will.

I am not catechised, and I am unsure about many of the official teachings of the Church on fasting and when it is required (quite simply, because this information is often presented in a very convoluted way — where is my 'Catholicism for Dummies' book?) — but, insofar as fasting may be interpreted merely as 'subjecting the body or mind through abstinence', I have been trying to implement a few different forms into my life lately. After all, as shown in the excerpt from Matthew above, Jesus says 'when' you fast, not 'if'.

Conventionally, fasting usually refers to abstinence from food altogether, or else from specific kinds of food. I have various deficiencies and disorders that make it difficult for me to do long-term fasts in a way that seems advisable, but I have found sustainable and reliable alternatives to settle on:

• Abstinence from artificially sweetened foods, 'junk' foods, and alcohol, unless for special celebratory purposes or on a specific set day: I started out by telling myself I would abstain from these things unless it was a Saturday. What I found, ultimately, even after only a week, was that whenever it reached Saturday and I had the option to indulge in these things again, I had largely lost interest in them. This form of fasting also has the benefit of encouraging the maintenance of the health of your body.
• Water-only fasting before receiving Communion: On days when I go to church to receive Communion, I like to fast for about eighteen hours beforehand. This serves as a reminder of the significance of what I am about to consume and reminds me of the sacrifices that Christ made for me, and how these are exemplified in the Eucharist. The hunger I feel is a reminder of the fact that Jesus is the one true living bread, and the fact that earthly sustenance will never sustain us eternally like He will.
• In cases of more severe sin, have a water-only fast for at least twenty-four hours to show penance and humility: If ever I do something that I believe requires a more severe form of penance (considering I am not catechised currently and have never been able to go to Confession), I practice fasting as a way of reminding myself, body and soul, of the severity of my sin and my necessity for forgiveness. It is a reiteration to God of my willingness to submit to Him and my desire to humble myself before Him, despite my continual mistakes.
• Eating a clean, simple diet: Eating a simple diet reminds me to live humbly and to remember that there are many in the world less fortunate than myself, so I should be grateful for what I am privileged to have, and is for the benefit of my physical health as well as my soul. Eating clean foods allows me to respect my duty of stewardship towards the Earth and animals, by ensuring my local environment and local farmers are respected during food production, and by ensuring the animals I consume are raised ethically and in a healthy manner. Eating this way teaches me self-discipline and reminds me that I am called to serve others as well as myself, and that what I consume (not just through my diet) has a greater impact on the world around me than I may initially think it does.

There are other important forms of abstinence and self-mortification that do not directly relate to food but which may be considered and are of similar benefit to the soul and the body, such as:

• The pursuit of digital minimalism: This allows us to keep our minds focused on God, and many other valuable things, such as family, friends, our hobbies, our careers, our mental health, 'living in the moment', and much more. Smartphones and many other aspects of life within our modern technological age seek to distract us and numb or sedate our minds and bodies, lulling us into a dangerous state of complacency that is of detriment to us in the long-term in every single way, be it mental, physical, or spiritual.
• Chastity and the avoidance of sexual immorality: Technology doesn't help with this, because we are bombarded with sexualised media in many aspects of our lives, against our own volition. As a result, abstaining from entering into situations in which one may be subject to this kind of influence may be seen as a form of fasting. Pornography is an incredibly harmful evil that destroys minds, souls, and bodies, and the statistics that support this may be accessed very readily. Following God's design for sexuality is a choice we must make actively and deliberately, and is an endeavour we must place a great deal of effort into if it is so required.
• Detachment from sinful company and negative social influences: For me, this looks like not accepting invitations from classmates and friends to visit bars or clubs, along with never smoking, not doing drugs of any kind, avoiding drunkenness, and not entertaining the company of people who make jokes at other people's expenses. It may look different for you, but what matters most is that we do not 'cast our pearls before swine' and that we instead devote our energy to Godly things, for these are what we will inherit and what will continue with us after death, so that we may be a positive influence on those around us. If this means missing out on social engagements, it may feel lonely at first, but this is nothing compared to the closeness we may feel with God as a result. There are plenty of meaningful ways we can spend time with others that do not involve putting ourselves in situations where we may be encouraged to sin.
• Dressing modestly: This is a more subjective point, because customs of modesty differ by country and context in most people's eyes. I do think there are clear guidelines in the Bible regarding certain aspects of modesty, but in other areas, it us up to our individual discernment. Personally, I pursue this by wearing long skirts and dresses, headcovering, not wearing makeup, not cutting my hair, and never piercing my flesh or getting tattoos. However, modesty might look different for different people, and what matters most is that how we dress outwardly reflects an inward humility of spirit and position of reverence towards God. Our clothing should reflect God's will, not conform to the world. I am no stranger to receiving rude remarks or to being teased for my decisions, so I see this as a form of fasting, in some ways, because it causes me to face small-scale social persecution and bullying at times, and because it may be seen as a form of 'missing out'. Ultimately, though, what matters most is not missing out on earthly acceptance or company. It is finding our value and fulfilment in God, and not the (often fickle) approval of other people here on earth.