The Lord Jesus give you his peace. We have the strong teaching from our Lord and from the first
reading from Isaiah this morning on fasting. What is an appropriate fast and what is not an
appropriate fast? And has everything to do with how we begin. Certainly there are scheduled times
within the liturgical year in which we're in now that we are called to fast and it is good and it's
just. Those times that we're not called to fast when we take fast upon ourselves it's very important
to examine the motives. So we look at the first reading with great attention because do you call
this a fast? A day acceptable to the Lord? A man bow his head like a reed and lie in sackcloth and
ashes. This rather is the fasting that I wish. Releasing those bound unjustly. Untying the thongs
of the yoke. Setting free the oppressed. Breaking every yoke. Sharing your bread with the hungry.
Sheltering the oppressed and the homeless. Clothing the naked when you see them and not
turning your back on your own. This is both in the concrete sense of doing corporal works of mercy
and even more fundamentally is in the spiritual sense of the sharing of spiritual goods and the
clearing away of sin.
Because basically when we enter into fasting we're entering into some sacred ground whereby
righteousness or lack thereof will be magnified. And so we want to make sure that it's a very very
good start and those things that we look for example untying the yoke being free of any serious
sin even venial sin trying to militate against any attachments to them. So you might have noticed
that this is a very important point to highlight now. And the method of temptation of the enemy which
the Lord allows in times of testing often times will be the kind of the afflicting the soul with some
kind of sorrow as a preliminary or prelude and then the suggestion of the temptation of some
concupiscible satisfaction to alleviate that. In other words a medicinal remedy for whatever
sorrows the soul. So to be aware of that because that's a dynamic that is
prevalent with most all temptations. It can be in the opposite direction as well in terms of
the pleasure and then the sorrow and but nevertheless the more common temptation is with
that. So we pay attention to our affections our emotions and our sentiments and see how that we
stay affixed to the cross of Christ. That is to say whatever we're sent in terms to endure of
sorrow of soul that we do so. And we don't look to leave the cross which is to pray for the soul.
It's a part of descend from the cross. John Cashion was at the basically the end of the period of the
Desert Fathers in Egypt and he I think following along the coattails of St. Pacomius was really a
forerunner of St. Benedict in terms of communal consecrated life. And he has written quite a bit
on the principal vices and he's written a chapter on gluttony which is a chapter on the
which pertains to fasting. And so just this morning going over some of the aspects what he's
written because what he's doing is calling information is calling the wisdom of the Desert
Fathers who he says we must again recur to the traditions and customs of the Egyptians. That
means those that were in the desert like St. Anthony the Great, Macarius the Great, and you go
down the line just really giants of the ascetical mystical life. As everybody knows that they
contain a more advanced discipline of the desert life. And so he says we must again recur to the
discipline in the matter of self-control and a perfect method of discrimination. He's saying well
we're going to but he spent some time with them. In fact he might spend several years I kind of
forget. But the first thing that he mentions and this is in his work called The Institutes. And so
on the manner of fasting a uniform rule cannot be easily observed. In other words people are
different and we have different constitutions different bodily constitutions. And he says so
fasting as a virtue is a virtue. And so he says so fasting as a virtue is a virtue. And so he says so
fasting as a virtue is not the same as other virtues that we pursue which basically adhere or
revolve around to a firmness of mind, a steadiness of purpose. Because this one is very much attached
to the body. And therefore he writes because it does not depend only on mental firmness since it
has to do with the possibilities of the body. We have received this explanation concerning it which
has been handed down to us. Again the desert fathers. That there is a difference of time,
manner, and quality.
Of the refreshment in proportion to the difference of condition of the body, the age, and the sex.
But that there is one and the same rule of restraint to all as regards continents of mind and the
virtue of the spirit. So he's looking underneath because the virtue of fasting is something that
pertains to the body. But more fundamental to that is the rightness of the conscience in terms of
both its approach and its conduct. How we affect the fast. He continues.
With the reality in consecrated life we should be very very aware of it. He says that the wine is not
intoxicated by the mind is not intoxicated by wine alone. I didn't have any drinks this morning. The
mind is not intoxicated by wine alone. He says the belly when filled with all kinds of food gives
birth to seeds of wantonness. Nor can the mind when choked with the weight of food keep the
guidance of government of the thoughts. So that's the reality of being sated. And he points out that
it's true. It's in Ezekiel the prophet looking back convicting Jerusalem of her sin in light of the
sin of Sodom. For how did your sister. It's not a good thing to be called the sister of Sodom. How
did your sister Sodom sin except in that she ate her bread in fullness and of abundance. And this
satiate. If I'm saying it right. Being satiated. We have to militate against that because that
places us in a very very dangerous.
Position of inflaming the passions. You can see the utter folly and really a recipe for disaster of the
standard American dating scene. Right. What is it. Dinner and a movie. OK. Great restaurant. Lots of
food. High quality food. On the precipice already and then go into the movie with suggestive scenes
and then falling over. There goes the sixth and ninth commandments. And so. Contrarily and
consequently.
We can make reparation for such folly at the table and keeping these things in mind. It's also a very good thing to keep in mind a good start. We'll always have the why for the fast in terms of a terminus. A person or a situation of intercession fasting we should know can stop wars. Very very powerful St. James right. The prayer of fervent prayer of adjustment is powerful indeed.
And so. Full on St. John Cashin goes on and talks about when we have bodily weakness it does not prevent purity of heart. In other words I'm not that strong getting older or I have a cold or some serious sickness and therefore my fasting is compromised to whatever degree bodily weakness he writes is no hindrance to purity of heart. If only so much food is taken as the bodily weakness requires.
And not what pleasures ask for.
It's important distinction. I need so much to get through the day. But then brother body is going to ask and desire in excess. Right. You have an inch. Take a mile. And so we have to be very on top of distinguishing what's necessary and then what is over the top. Sometimes as you're coming out of a fast you'll notice the walls cave in. Thanks be to God.
And it all comes in. Congratulations. There goes all the merit. So to be aware of that. If there's a lot of back and forth and back and forth up and down a real unequilibrium then we have to look at the purity of heart. And also adjust according to the needs of the body. He continues. It is easier to find men who altogether abstain from the more fattening kinds of foods than men who make a moderate use of what is allowed to our necessities. And men who deny themselves everything.
And men who deny themselves everything. And men who deny themselves everything. And men who deny themselves everything. And men who deny themselves everything. And men who deny themselves everything.
Out of love of continence than men who taking food on the plea of weakness preserve the due measure of what is sufficient. So you might make the parallel with chastity. It's just a lot easier to shut down. Shut it down. And for example a married couple. Then a little here a little there and then trying to shut down. And but the higher virtue here and what we're called to is to be able to take at all times whether we're deliberately fasting or just
what we're called to is to be able to take at all times whether we're deliberately fasting or just living the life is in moderation. What I need. What I need. Because we're not going just for the paragon of skinniness. That's ridiculous. If we have that in mind at the beginning of the fast people will notice that I fasted. Well then you read Matthew 6 and congratulations you'll receive your reward. Wow you look so much thinner. That's it. Congratulations. That's it. During the fast
we should realize that the consolations and the real divine presence that Jesus wants to give us are tremendous are tremendous and so not to be afraid of being generous because when it comes down to it food is highly overrated in terms of in the suffering is that behind the fast things the food is necessary of course but what we're saying is that the delight in it
it's nothing compared to what Jesus wants to invite us within the next 40 days. Okay so that's important to realize that at whatever stage we might be in terms of our physical health we can achieve perfection of continence or perfection of purity of heart. Okay other important teachings too and just two more and then we're done. It lies in the measure the right method of fasting and abstinence lies in the measure of moderation and bodily chastity.
That this is the aim of perfect virtue for all alike that though we are still forced to desire it yet we should exercise self-restraint in the matter of the food while we are obliged to take which we are obliged to take owing to the necessity of supporting the body. The points already made being able to distinguish what we need and what we want.
Last point is this is that the perfection that of abstinence John Cashin writes is not to be gathered from calculations of time alone nor only for the sake of the body.
He says the canonical observance of fast is indeed valuable and by all means to be kept but unless that this is followed by a temperate partaking of food one will not be able to arrive at the goal of perfection. So we can check off a lot of nice boxes during Lent but then if we fall into thanks be to God that's over and I'm just kind of exempt from the natural law well we haven't achieved what the goal that Jesus wanted to bring us to which is this great purity of heart.
So may all the saints intercede for us as we embark on this time of fasting that we may with great courage but also with great discernment at the outset it's not too late if things haven't shaped up in terms of exactly what's going on what I will undertake to do but today let's make it most concrete and with great generosity and great resoluteness of heart.
So may all the saints intercede for us as we embark on this time of fast.