The 7 Pillars of Catholic Spirituality by Matthew Kelley: Fasting

No.5: Fasting

Everyone’s on a diet, but no one wants to fast. 

I sometimes wonder about the judgment on a nation that wastes so much food & spends so much money on diets, cosmetic surgery, tanning beds, Hummers, & other vanities while western society implodes from lack of Faith & the world’s destitute quietly starve to death.  Let’s look at a few things from which we should consider fasting, shall we?

Vanity & Self-indulgence.  Tertullian upbraided the women of his day for dying their hair, trying to look younger than they were, as if they would remain young forever (though he also screeched that their blue gowns were from the devil, unnatural as they were, because God had never made a blue sheep).  I’m pretty vain myself, especially now that I’m old(er) & something new isn’t working right nearly every day I wake up.  I’m not sure St. Francis worried too much about hair loss or maintaining his manly physique.  As far as self-indulgence, well, you’ll have to figure that out for yourself according to your station in life.  Keep in mind that a Lexus is just a nice Toyota + another $20,000 dollars.  What good could be done with $20,000?  Let’s consider how we could redirect the gifts we’ve been given to more positive ends.

Gossip & Scandal.  We all need to fast from about 97% of the $#!t on TV.  If you really are keeping up with the Kardashians, well, that’s just pathetic.  I know a lot of people that walk into a room & immediately turn on the TV; not to watch anything in particular, but just to have background noise & distraction.  Now, television has amazing potential for good.  I mean, Abp. Sheen was a TV star!  Also, think all the good stuff EWTN has put forth.  Aside from these rare exceptions, it’s almost sickening how fast & far most TV programming has sunk.  I read a Psalm commentary from St. Augustine recently where he mentions curiosity as a dangerous path.  I think he means our disordered fascination with evil.  We become the things with which we fill ourselves, so if you don’t want that stuff to become a part of you, then turn it off.  It really is in our power to do so - I know that’s a radical notion, but it’s true.  Also, we must be careful to avoid spreading gossip, making detractions, or giving ear to either in our own interactions with others.

Food.  Regard the proper object of fasting, we ought, on occasion, to greatly reduce our intake or forego it all together, either to meet the requirements of the Church or as a free offering.  Fasting is praying with our whole being, body & soul.  It humbles us & puts us in touch with those who do without food from necessity rather than choice.  Of what we do eat, we should make healthy choices & proceed moderately.  Our bodies are a gift from God to be used for our own good, our neighbors benefit, & God’s glory.  I admit that I’m not very good at either fasting or eating healthy myself, but I do know that a little bodily mortification goes a long ways.  It frees us up from focusing on ourselves & fosters the discipline to make our bodies a living sacrifice for God in charitable service to others.  

But aside from these, there’s a whole litany of things to fast from.  Think about the things we continuously indulge in that spring from & feed the seven deadly sins: pride, anger, envy, lust, covetousness, gluttony, sloth.  If you dare, take an inventory of your life & note things that consume your time, your energy, or your money.  Honestly assess whether these things are more about indulging yourself or building up the kingdom of God.  Be prepared to make corrections.  That’s called conversion.

Fasting always sounds like a downer, but it’s actually a pathway to God through union with the poor man of Nazareth, who was born in a barn & had nowhere to rest his head.  I’ve been told that the abstinence aspect of fasting in the Eastern Christian tradition is about a return to man’s original state of grace, when our first parents were given to eat of all the fruits of the trees in the garden.  Jesus said prayer, fasting, & almsgiving would be the way of his disciples.  Sounds like a good enough reason to give it a go. 

Maybe we could all start by offering up a breakfast once a week or giving up meat on Fridays again.  How about turning off the idiot box for a while - or forever.  Whatever it is, figure it out, & fast!

The 7 Pillars of Catholic Spirituality by Matthew Kelley: The Scriptures

No.4: The Scriptures – There are 27 books of the New Testament & 46 books of the Old Testament.  This is the story of God revealing himself to his chosen people, to whom you belong through your baptism.  You need to know this story, because it is your story.  Mr. West is right that the readings from Mass are not enough – you have to do your homework away from Mass to get much out of the readings during Mass.  His first suggestion is good: start by reading the Gospels over & over (I recommend Mark or Matthew first, save John for last!), because you do need to “work out who Jesus was.” But I would say next read Genesis & Exodus, because you need to know the set up of the story to understand the ending.  From there you will be well enough equipped to go where you like. 

You will need to know about Abraham & the patriarchs, because this is God’s first calling together of a people in whom all the nations of earth will be blessed.  You need to know about Moses & the events of the Exodus.  You need to know the stories of King David because Jesus is his promised heir.  You need to know the prophecies & events surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem & the Jews’ exile in Babylon, because from this destruction & restoration, God would promise to achieve a definite victory & restoration.  You need to know the stories of the apostles & the early Church, because the Church is the New Jerusalem, the promised kingdom of God on earth.  Pray the Psalms continuously throughout.  Memorize Psalm 1.  The Scriptures are powerful, even God’s word to man, so be very familiar with them, at least in their major parts & themes. 

But you don’t have to go it alone. I would say that going it alone is a sure way to end in error.  The Church gave the world the Scriptures (yes, it inherited the Jewish Scriptures), & through its living memory of Jesus Christ, it is authorized to interpret them correctly.  So you have a trustworthy guide.  The Church has given us a great number of tools to understand the Scriptures; these are found in the Vatican II Constitution Dei Verbum (The Word of God), as well as in the Catechism (esp. paragraphs 50-141).  Armed with these tools, humility, & prayer,  Christians can connect to their living history in a profound way & can grow in unity with Christ Jesus, the Word made flesh, who speaks to his people anew in every age through the proclamation of his word.