Fasting is an Exercise in Freedom - Fr. Steve Mondiek

The other day I noticed while I was driving that some people still have their Christmas trees and lights on display. It reminds me that it seems the Christmas season is so short and now here we are with another season—Lent! Jesus grew up fast!

Well, whether we are ready or not, we need to ‘get it in gear.’ I like the Lenten season because the Church gives us a special time to draw close to God through the disciplines of the season. Traditionally, the three hallmarks of Lent are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Last Wednesday was Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fasting and abstinence, but it is also customary for Catholics to take up a personal fast and “give up” something during the Lenten season.

But fasting is not something that we simply suffer through until Easter. When I mention fasting to people, they admit that it is usually the hardest thing for them to put into practice. It certainly has a purpose and the culture we live in has no need of it.

Fasting is an exercise in freedom. The purpose of it is to train your will to do God’s will. To train your will to obey the Lord. Freedom is the absolute requirement for the Christian life. And most people think that freedom is getting what they want, and when they want it. In actuality, people crave many things, but most do not satisfy them. God knows what we need and what is truly satisfying. Most people, if they admit it, let their passions control them. They do not know how to control them either.

We all have a weakened nature and sometimes our self is not truly free. Try taking the tech device away from your children and you will find what is driving the passions. Fasting is about freedom.

There are two extremes that one can easily fall into when it comes to fasting. The first is thinking that it is not actually necessary to give up something, thinking they can make up for it by doing good deeds. But by doing this, they miss out on the discipline and freedom that comes from fasting. The other extreme, though, is excessive fasting. If your Lenten fast becomes about proving how strong, how holy, how detached you are then you are also missing out on the real spiritual benefits

We do not fast to prove a point. The Scribes and Pharisees did this. This is not a spiritual sporting event. It is not to show how resolute we are, it is an exercise in discipline. A disciple is a student. And when we think of discipline, we think of something arduous and difficult. No, discipline is a learning process. And it is a structure for learning.

So, this Lent, check-in with yourself to make sure your fasting is helping you learn, grow, and better hear what the Lord is calling you to. Practice giving up worldly pleasures and desires so that you can better choose what the Lord desires of you. Make an effort to fast from technology and things that take up your time by wasting time.

Our fasting should open us up to the Lord and to doing His will. You cannot do God’s will without hearing from Him. That is why we need to pray along with our fasting. Learn to say ‘no’ to yourself, and ‘yes’ to what Christ wants. Our Blessed Mother can help us to do this. She gave a complete ‘yes’ to God’s will always and placed herself last. This Lent become free! God bless!