Romans,
Chapter 8, Verse 18-25
18I
consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with
the glory to be revealed for us. 19For
creation awaits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God; 20for
creation was made subject to futility, not of its own accord but because of the
one who subjected it, in hope 21that
creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the
glorious freedom of the children of God. 22We know that all creation is groaning
in labor pains even until now; 23and
not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, we
also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our
bodies. 24For in hope we were saved.
Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes
for what one see’s 25But
if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.
The glory that believers are destined to
share with Christ far exceeds the sufferings of the present life. Paul
considers the destiny of the created world to be linked with the future that
belongs to the believers. As it shares in the penalty of corruption brought
about by sin, so also will it share in the benefits of redemption and future
glory that comprise the ultimate liberation of God’s people. After patient
endurance in steadfast expectation, the full harvest of the Spirit’s presence
will be realized. On earth believers enjoy the firstfruits, i.e., the Spirit,
as a guarantee of the total liberation of their bodies from the influence of
the rebellious old self.[1]
Spiritual
Weapon-Fasting[2]
Fasting gives birth to prophets and
strengthens the powerful; fasting makes lawgivers wise. Fasting is a good safeguard
for the soul, a steadfast companion for the body, a weapon for the valiant, and
a gymnasium for athletes. Fasting repels temptations, anoints unto piety; it is
the comrade of watchfulness and the artificer of chastity. In war it fights
bravely, in peace it teaches stillness. – St. Basil the Great
Are
you struggling with a sin? I mean a sin
that you just can’t seem to get rid of; a sin that is keeps you in a constant
state of guilt and despair. You’ve prayed, you’ve frequented the sacraments,
but you just can’t seem to break its hold. We’ve all been there at one point or
another, and such struggles are part and parcel of the spiritual life. But it
doesn’t have to be that way. Today, I want to introduce you to a very powerful,
but much neglected weapon in the spiritual arsenal: Fasting. If you want to put
to energize your spiritual life, if you want to slay a sin that has you in
bondage, if you want to grow in union with God, take up the holy weapon of
fasting. For as Jesus said, there are some demons that “cannot be driven
out by anything but prayer and fasting.” Let’s examine this powerful weapon and
its use in the spiritual life.
1. Start with the basics – The first step in fasting is obeying the law of the
Church—fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, abstaining from meat on
Fridays, and observing the Eucharistic fast (do not eat or drink one hour
before communion).
Regarding abstaining from meat on
Friday, it’s true that it is technically is not required in the U.S., but some
sort of food-based penance or sacrifice is still required. But instead
of trying to invent some new penance, why not just stick with what Catholics
have always done? Abstain from meat on Fridays. There’s a good reason for it. Men, fasting two days a year and abstaining from meat
on Fridays is incredibly easy. In the “old days”, fasting was required
every weekday in Lent. And there was once even a time when that fasting
required abstinence from all dairy products. There were a ton of other fasts
and days of abstinence throughout the liturgical year as well. I would say
that we have it easier than any other period in Catholic history. So let’s
start with the basics and obey the law of the Church without grumbling or
complaining.
2. Add more – As Catholic men, we should never be satisfied with the bare
minimum. We should seek to constantly pursue a deeper conversion. St. Francis
de Sales gives some good advice in this regard: If you are able to fast,
you will do well to observe some days beyond what are ordered by the Church,
for besides the ordinary effect of fasting in raising the mind, subduing the
flesh, confirming goodness, and obtaining a heavenly reward, it is also a great
matter to be able to control greediness, and to keep the sensual appetites and
the whole body subject to the law of the Spirit; and although we may be able to
do but little, the enemy nevertheless stands more in awe of those whom he knows
can fast.
Accordingly, once you’ve begun to follow the law of the Church,
build on that foundation to include fasting in other ways. Here are
some ideas:
·
Skip one meal extra a week, like
breakfast or lunch. In addition to Fridays, Wednesdays are traditional days of
fasting, so that might be a good day to start with.
·
Deny yourself dessert on set days. Most
of us eat too much sugar anyway.
·
Skip salt on your food.
·
Fast from soda. It’s terrible for you!
·
Skip the beer or other alcoholic drinks
when going out to eat.
·
Don’t eat between meals. This sounds
easy but try it. You’ll find it’s quite hard since most of us snack frequently
and don’t even realize it.
·
Include things besides food. For
example, fast from all technology one day a week.
·
Fast (one main meal with two small
snacks) one day a week.
·
Drink only water.
·
Now, you don’t have to fast from
all of these things all of the time. It is best to choose set days
for fasting, like the Wednesdays or Fridays mentioned above. Doing so helps
keep our fasting consistent.
3. Fast from sin – Bodily fasting is meaningless
unless it is joined with a spiritual fast from sin. St. Basil gives the
following exhortation regarding fasting: Let us fast an acceptable and very
pleasing fast to the Lord. True fast is the estrangement from evil, temperance
of tongue, abstinence from anger, separation from desires, slander, falsehood
and perjury. Privation of these is true fasting.
4. Pray – Fasting is not simply a matter of will power. Grace is absolutely
necessary. While fasting energies prayer, prayer energizes fasting. Both are
weak without the other.
As you fast to conquer your passions, pray constantly for the
grace of God to flood your soul, beg for the virtues in which you need to
mature, and ask for strength in the spiritual warfare.
5. Beware of Pride – With
any kind of self-discipline, penance, or fasting comes a temptation to pride.
We face the danger of believing that we are superior to others because we fast
or thinking that fasting is an end in itself. But fasting itself is never the
goal, nor does it make us perfect or more spiritual than others. Rather,
fasting is an aid, a training tool in our ascent toward perfection, which is
found in a pure, self-giving love of God and neighbor. “Be on your guard
when you begin to mortify your body by abstinence and fasting,” says St.
Jerome, “lest you imagine yourself to be perfect and a saint; for perfection
does not consist in this virtue. It is only a help; a disposition; a means
though a fitting one, for the attainment of true perfection.”
Conclusion: If we neglect fasting, our spiritual life will always be
mediocre. We will be weak in the combat against our passions, we will easily
succumb to temptation, and we will never truly overcome our inherent selfishness
and self-indulgence. As men, our desire should be to strengthen ourselves and
be the best that we can be. We should train ourselves to be strong in the
spiritual warfare, so we can resist the temptations of the evil one. There is no
better way to begin this spiritual training than through the practice of
fasting.
Daily Devotions
[1]
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/Romans/8:18
[2]https://www.catholicgentleman.net/2014/04/spiritual-weapons-fasting/
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