Traditional Catholic Teaching - TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Render to God the things that are God's. St. Matthew 22: 21.

God requires us to give Him our whole hearts, because they belong to Him; if we keep anything back, we are deceiving ourselves and forfeiting many graces. How much vexation and sorrow should we avoid if we centred all our wishes and inclinations upon God, neither loving nor aiming at anything but what He ordains, and making it our delight to do His will! The secret recesses of our hearts that we reserve for ourselves are the lurking-places of discontent, which embitters our whole existence.

Let us put ourselves absolutely in God's hands, and then we shall find true happiness. Christian self-denial is the first step toward this complete surrender to the will of God, and one of the commonest forms of mortification is fasting, of which I propose to speak to-day.

How can and must we practise fasting so as to make it pleasing to God? It is very important to answer this question correctly. We know that many of the saints fasted very strictly, and although we are not required to follow precisely the same rules and to act exactly as they did, we ought nevertheless to imitate them as far as our circumstances allow, and to be animated by the same spirit. What then is the spirit in which Christians should fast?

They must have the intention of strengthening themselves, so as to conquer their animal appetites. If the spirit cannot subdue the passions, how can it remain free from sins?
They must aim at enabling the spirit to soar more readily to the supernatural. St. John Chrysostom says: "Ships that are light sail quickly across the sea, but those that are overladen are apt to sink; and in the same way fasting, by making the spirit lighter, enables it to traverse the sea of life with greater ease, since it considers only what is of heaven, and pays but little attention to the things of this present life."
Fasting is an excellent form of penance, by means of which we can punish ourselves for sin, which generally is committed through yielding to our passions.

The spirit, therefore, in which fasting is practised, should be one of penance, self-conquest and a desire of true perfection. To strengthen the mind rather than to weaken the body is the object of fasting, and to fast in a manner likely to undermine our health would result in defeating our own purpose. St. Francis of Sales warns us against making any mistake in this respect and says: "Two reasons deprive stags of their power of running; if their pasture is rich, they grow too fat, and if it is scanty they are too thin to run." The saint goes on to explain that we are exposed to temptations chiefly when our bodies are too well nourished and when they are excessively exhausted; too much food makes us arrogant and self-indulgent, whilst too little renders us gloomy and cowardly.

We may say of fasting, as of all kinds of exterior mortification, if practised in a wilful and imprudent manner, that, when it is carried to excess, it causes precisely what it aims at averting, viz., temptation. The degree in which each individual should fast must necessarily be decided by his position and circumstances. If a person cannot fast much, let him fast little, but with the right intention; he will accomplish more and earn more merit in this way than he would do by fasting a great deal without the proper intention.

St. Jerome, eminent both by his teaching and his example, says: "What is the use of reducing the body by fasting, if the soul is puffed up with pride? Shall we deserve praise for having cheeks pale with fasting, if meanwhile the pallor of envy disfigures our souls? Can there be any virtue in never drinking wine, whilst our souls are intoxicated with anger and hatred?"

Let us try to acquire the spirit that guided the saints in their practices of exterior mortification and in their efforts to refrain from sin. It is God's will that their extraordinary forms of exterior mortification should clearly reveal this spirit to us; this is the lesson He desires us to learn from them. We cannot and must not fast as many of the saints did, but we can follow their example, in accordance with the rules of holy Church, by conscientiously observing the fasts of the Church, unless prevented by some just cause. In this respect the world is far from conscientious, and this fact gives us an opportunity to practise a little humility and to endure a little ridicule for the sake of Christ. People are enthusiastic in their admiration of the steadfastness with which the martyrs of old bore the mocking taunts of His enemies, and yet a single word of ridicule is enough sometimes to make us transgress the commandments of the Church! How weak we are! How would such cowards be likely to behave in face of more violent temptations?

It is an absolute duty to observe the fasts of the Church, but everyone can voluntarily accustom himself to fasting, if he is careful at all times to be strictly moderate in eating, and limits himself to what is necessary. He will not be able to accomplish this without many a struggle regarding food and drink, things apparently trifling, but really of great importance. Let him, for instance, eat only at mealtimes, and take nothing between meals; let him not hanker after choice and dainty dishes. A taste for such things is often regarded as a mark of refinement, whereas it is really a proof of coarseness and self-indulgence. The true spirit of fasting forbids our ever eating greedily; we should partake with the right intention of what is set before us, and this intention is to strengthen the body to work and perform its various functions, not merely to satisfy our greedy appetite. Therefore St. Bernard advises us, when more abundant food is offered us, to take somewhat less than we should like (if we can do so without attracting notice), and thus to make a sacrifice to God.

Voluntarily to refuse some little dainty, especially if it is very much to our taste, is a form of fasting that is always possible and profitable; because others will probably not see what we are doing, we run no risk of vanity or needless display, and at the same time it often requires great strength of mind to conquer oneself in things apparently so insignificant.

Finally, in everyday life opportunities often occur unsought of practising the spirit of fasting. It may happen that we are prevented from having our meals at the usual hour, or that some dish is distasteful to us. What would be the use of imposing voluntary fasts upon ourselves if in such circumstances we give way to irritability or bad temper?

It is quite certain that a man, who observes no self-imposed fasts, but is easily satisfied, and neither gluttonous nor dainty, displays far more real piety and self-control than one who fasts on certain days of his own accord, but at other times insists upon having everything to suit his own taste, and cannot dispense with anything without showing bad temper and falling into sin.

Let us always follow the advice given on this subject by St. Francis of Sales, for as we have seen, he tells us exactly how we can best practise the spirit of fasting in everyday life.

I think we ought to be guided by the words which our Divine Redeemer addressed to His disciples: "Eat such things as are set before you" (Luke 10: 8). Let us carry out this precept by regarding it as a matter of indifference what we eat and drink. Amen.

Return to: Readings