Why do Catholics Practice Fast and Abstinence?

Why do Catholics Practice Fast and

Abstinence?
March 2, 2014 | By Deacon Mike Bickerstaff | 1 Reply

Christ in the Desert by Kramskoy
Would you like to know the secret to a better, deeper, more joyful life in Christ?
Of course you would. We all would.
Our bookstores are filled with books written to help us advance in prayer and the spiritual life.
The secret we all look for is really no secret at all. At its heart, the gospel message is one of
self-denial and detachment from all things that are obstacles to our growth. Jesus tells us that if
we are to be his disciples, we must deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow him (cf.
Matthew 16:24). That is why Catholics practice fast and abstinence as a form of self-denial
intended to lead us to perfection. So stick with me here and learn how self-denial will satisfy
your deepest hunger.
The Catholic Disciplinary Laws of Fast and Abstinence
In these modern times, we dont seem to hear much about fasting and abstinence
anymore. Thats a shame because the doctrine of self-denial is crucial to our becoming fully
satisfied. Many of todays Catholics associate fasting and abstinence only with the season of
Lent and thats a shame too. Lets review the Churchs disciplinary law regarding Fasting and
Abstinence:
Fasting During Lent The Church requires its members to fast on two days each year
Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. The Bishops in the United States have defined the
minimum requirement of the fast for U.S. Catholics to be one full (but not excessive)
meal plus other food not to exceed the full meal which may be taken in part at breakfast,
noon or evening, depending on when one decides to take the one full meal. This law
applies to Catholics between the age of 18 and 59.
Abstinence From Meat on Fridays The Church requires its members to abstain from
eating meat on Fridays as an act of penitence. In the United States, Catholics are
permitted to substitute another form of penance on Fridays outside the season of Lent.
This law applies to all Catholics who are over the age of 14.
The Holy Communion Fast Catholics must also fast for a minimum of one hour
before receiving Holy Communion.
The entire season of Lent is a penitential time and our attitude and behavior during this season
should be marked by some sort of self-denial. The season of Advent is also a penitential season,
but of less severity, and we should also mark this season with some form of self-denial, even if it
is less than that practiced during Lent.
Thats it! And so many of us complain and wait for the clock to tick down to midnight so we
can have a ham sandwich. We need to turn our thinking around because uncontrolled appetites
only become hungrier and more insatiable. That is why there is a myriad of miracle diets and
weight loss programs on the market that promise results without effort. Well, there is only one
source of miracles and that is God. He has already provided us the ultimate diet program if we
will but listen to him.
Although we often only hear about fast and abstinence associated with Lent, it is really a practice
that is important all through the year.
So Lets Broaden Our Understanding
As you can see, to fast generally means to significantly reduce the consumption of food or to
forego it altogether for short durations. Abstinence is generally seen as avoiding the eating of
meat. But both acts are forms of self-denial. More broadly speaking, self-denial is the act of
giving up something that is good, be it food or some other good for the purpose of deepening
our spiritual life and making acts of reparation for our sin or the sin of others. There is a long-
history of the Catholic practice of fast and abstinence dating all the way back to the time of
Christ. Our culture often incorporates these practices into our everyday language. For example,
the word breakfast is formed from two words, break and fast meaning simply that the first
meal of the day breaks the fast from our last meal of the previous day. Another example,
although this has nothing to do with fasting, is our word for the celebration of Christs birth
which is formed by two words, Christs and Mass or Christmas.
Why? How Do Acts of Self-denial Strengthen Our Spiritual Life?
The Church speaks of the three pillars of Lent Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving because
there is a strong connection, or there should be, between the three. Fasting and other forms of
self-denial, as spiritual practices of materially subduing and controlling the physical appetites of
the body, helps us, by Gods grace, to enable the soul to more perfectly and freely pray. This
leads to a deeper union with God and thus we become better stewards of the gifts God has given
to us, freeing us to more effectively care for our neighbor, especially those in greater than we.
When I was a small boy, my mother would encourage me (its probably more accurate to say she
required me) during Lent to give up things I would normally buy with my allowance. The
money I saved could and would be used to assist those less fortunate we were.
God gave our first parents, Adam and Eve many gifts and blessings that were in a sense before
their nature and, therefore, before ours too. We know that Adam and Eve possessed Sanctifying
Grace, infused with the supernatural virtues of faith, hope and charity. This is what is meant
when you hear the phrase, Adam and Eve were created in a state of original justice. They were
created for a supernatural end or purpose to attain heaven and an everlasting communion with
God. They were also given certain gifts, called preternatural gifts, that would enable them to
continue their walk with God (1) bodily immortality, (2) integrity, and (3) infused
knowledge.
But they were also allowed by God to be tempted by the devil, not so that they would sin, but so
that they could freely choose to love God who created them freely and in freedom. Their free
will would not have been free at all if there was never an opportunity for them to choose
anything other than the Good which is God. If they had chosen God over the serpent, these gifts
would have been passed on to us an our inheritance, but we know they sinned and lost these
gifts, therefore, we, their descendants, could not receive what they no longer possessed to pass
on.
How Detachment is Connected to the Loss of the Gift of Integrity
To understand what all of this has to do with our practice of self-denial, we have to understand
what we lost when we lost the preternatural gift of integrity. Do you ever feel like you just
cannot do what you want, or rather know you should want to do, but instead find yourself doing
that which you do not want to do? St. Paul speaks of this in his Epistle to the Romans, We
know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold into slavery to sin. What I do, I do not
understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate. (Romans 7:14-15) Each of us can
relate to St. Pauls words.
The Church teaches that one of the effects on us of the Fall of Adam and Eve is that we suffer
from concupiscence the inclination of man to sin. There are two types of concupiscence. In
simple terms they are: bodily concupiscence and concupiscence of the soul. Bodily
concupiscence is the tendency of our will to choose to indiscriminately satisfy bodily appetites,
to choose things which appear to bring pleasure, even if reason would tell us not
to. Concupiscence of the soul is an unreasonable self-absorption that disregards right and wrong
in apparent favor of self.
So, how does voluntary self-denial help us fight concupiscence?
Integrity helped us make acts of will in our freedom that were reasonable and sound in governing
the appetites of the body and lower reaches of the soul. Integrity helped us balance body and soul
to our good. In our fallen state, even once redeemed, practicing the virtues, particularly
moderation (the virtue of temperance), helps us to replace bad habits with good habits (replace
vices with virtues). Going further, voluntarily denying the body even good things is a form of
spiritual training for that same end, much like a musician becomes a better musician by giving up
good things in order to practice his instrument or like an athlete giving up food and time in order
to train his body to excel and endure under physical and mental strain. This is pure Gospel
teaching, the giving up of those things, including good things, that tend to be obstacles to our
sanctification and deepening relationship with the Lord giving up things that hinder and
obstruct our supernatural end; life everlasting in heaven. We can become so attached to even the
beauty of the world God created that these attachments become our gods. And this is where
Fasting and Abstinence in their broader meaning help us to become truly and fully satisfied. For
God alone, not the things of this world, can satisfy the deepest hunger of mans soul.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Next Sunday we will look at the significance of self-denial more deeply and practically. Many of
us have friends and family that are not Catholics who simply do not understand how we
Catholics can think that giving up good things will help us attain heaven. In fact, some non-
Catholic Christians view the Catholic form of self-denial as a rejection of the free gift of
salvation. So come back next week for extensive biblical support and explanations for why these
are not only good practices, but necessary ones.
Into the deep
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I nto the Deep by Deacon Mike Bickerstaff is a regular feature of the The Integrated Catholic
Life and usually appears on Sundays.
Deacon Mike Bickerstaff is the Editor in chief and co-founder of the The Integrated Catholic
Life. A Catholic Deacon of the Roman Rite for the Archdiocese of Atlanta, Deacon Bickerstaff
is assigned to St. Peter Chanel Catholic Church where he is the Director of Adult Education and
Evangelization. He is a co-founder of the successful annual Atlanta Catholic Business
Conference; the Chaplain of the Atlanta Chapter of the Woodstock Theological Centers
Business Conference; and Chaplains to the St. Peter Chanel Business Association and co-founder
of the Marriages Are Covenants Ministry, both of which serve as models for similar parish-based
ministries.
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Tags: abstinence, detachment, fasting, featured, Gospel, Jesus Christ, love, sacrifice, Saints,
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Category: Apologetics Corner, Into the Deep, The Catholic Faith Explained
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Comments (1)
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1. Elaine T. Cole says:
March 2, 2014 at 9:49 am
The teachings of God and the Buddhist Philosophy are essentially identical when it
comes to this lesson. In leading a purpose-driven life, the goals seem clearer through the
practice of fasting and abstinence.
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About the author

Deacon Mike Bickerstaff is the Director, Editor in chief and co-founder of the Integrated
Catholic Life eMagazine. A Catholic Deacon of the Roman Rite for the Archdiocese of Atlanta,
Deacon Mike is assigned to St. Peter Chanel Catholic Church where he is the Director of Adult
Education and Evangelization.

He is a co-founder of the successful annual Atlanta Catholic Business Conference; the Chaplain
of the Atlanta Chapter of the Woodstock Theological Centers Business Conference; and
Chaplains to the St. Peter Chanel Business Association and co-founder of the Marriages Are
Covenants Ministry, both of which serve as models for similar parish-based ministries.

He and his wife have two adult children, one daughter-in-law and two grandsons.

NB: The views I express on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of
my archdiocese or parish. (end of disclaimer)
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