fasting

BY AMY EKEH Why do we fast — or give something up — during Lent? Is fasting a punishment? Does God want us to make ourselves miserable? Or is fasting just an old-fashioned thing we do that really has no meaning? Reflecting on what Scripture…

Fasting is most intimately connected with prayer. For the mind of one who is filled with food and drink is so borne down as not to be able to raise itself to the contemplation of God, or even to understand what prayer means. — Catechism of…

BY SR. ANNE FLANAGAN, FSP In response to repeated reported allegations of sexual misconduct, corruption, and cover-ups in the Church, many of us heard repeated exhortations for prayer, fasting, and penance, while from some quarters came a…

Intermittent fasting has become a popular way to lose weight, but for Catholics, fasting has much deeper meaning and larger goal. While we diet to have a healthier body and physical life, we fast to have a healthier soul and spiritual life.…

At its core, Christianity is a religion which revolves around suffering. From the beginning of the Scriptures we see how man’s own folly has condemned us to lives filled with suffering, and the long breadth of human history easily…

 “My father, if the prophet told you to do something extraordinary, would you not do it? All the more since he told you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” (2 Kings 5:13) For many years, my reaction to fasting was a lot like the indignation of Naaman…

Each year our family begins Lent in the kitchen. My wife rolls out three long and thick strands of salt dough that she then braids together. Next she attaches one extremity of the dough creation to the other to form a circle. Then the fun…

Feelings are raw with regard to the sex abuse crisis, and I am in no mood to fast for it. I will anyway. This week, as the U.S. bishops gather for their annual fall meeting, many Catholics are following Pope Francis’s suggestion for fasting…

In the Gospel today, Jesus poses an unusual challenge as we begin the season of Lent. We are called to consider why we pray, fast, and give our time and money to those in need. Addressing this demands a radical degree of honesty with…

Last year was the first year in my entire life that I took the time to understand that Lent is a time to change your life for God, not sacrifice things you like such as coffee or candy. It’s that simple. It’s about using your time and…