Fasting

Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving

Fasting

But this has a lot of spiritual value added to the experience. 

Fasting is about curbing down our desires in our appetite that appetite could be for anything. 

This in turn creates a hunger for God, which is key to living our lives in Jesus. 

If many of our pleasures are fulfilled with food, we will have much less desire for God. 

To me fasting is a spiritual experience. 

I fast as an offering to all those who hunger and starve around the world. 

I do that so that I feel the hunger pangs. 

I want to feel their pain and suffering, so that I can offer the reality of the pain of starvation. 

No I don't starve myself, but I have done very long fasts for that sole purpose. 

I have found that when you are "starving - very very hungry" 

you tend to draw so much closer to Jesus spiritually, that it can't really do justice trying to explain it in words. 

Don't do these things if your health requires medication and food intake. 

“Penance without fasting is useless and vain; 

by fasting [we] satisfy God.” 

St Basil

“Fasting is the soul of prayer, 

mercy is the lifeblood of fasting. 

So if you pray, fast; 

if you fast, show mercy; 

if you want your petition to be heard, hear the petition of others. 

If you do not close your ear to others, you open God’s ear to yourself.” 

St. Peter Chrysologus

“Fasting is a way of making room in your life for Jesus; 

replace your hunger pangs for food, with hunger pangs for Jesus, His Word and His Mother.” 

Jim Dacey Jr OFS

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