fasting

We give alms, pray, and fast to grow in our relationship with God and one another.

The teachings of the Beatitudes as well as the six antitheses are powerful lessons that can transform our lives when we put them into action. As we continue to hear or read Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount today, Jesus presents not only common practices of living a devout life of faith. As before, Jesus raised the standard practice of these three pillars to a higher level. The key point he is making though has again to do with our end goal. Jesus continued to show his disciples how to be “perfect just as [our] heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48). The perfection to be attained is oneness with God. Jesus disciple’s then and we today are to strive to become holy, to be saints, for the purpose of deepening our bond and relationship with God and each other.

Our being perfected in Jesus is a process whereby we become less and Jesus becomes more. What decreases is our focus on self, especially the ego-self, our sense of self-centeredness. Jesus provides for us three ways in which we can practice drawing closer into communion with God and one another. We are to give alms, pray, and fast. We may remember that these practices are the three pillars of Lent that we put extra emphasis on during that penitential season.

When we give alms, pray, and fast, our intent must be properly ordered. If we give alms with the intention to “win the praise of others” (Mt 6:2), pray in a public display “so that others may see” us (Mt 6:5), and in our fasting “look gloomy” and “neglect [our] appearance, so [we] may appear to others to be fasting” (Mt 6:16), then we are seeking to do so in such a way that the focal point is on us. We think to ourselves, how holy and pious we are. In fact, if we act in this way, how hypocritical we are because, in each of these actions, we are not seeking to improve our relationship with God, build up his kingdom, or give glory to God but to build up our own pride and ego by seeking affirmation and adulation for ourselves.

Jesus calls us to give and serve out of love for others, so that others may be healed, have their basic needs met, become empowered, and strengthened in their relationship with God. We seek Jesus in prayer not to conform his will to ours, but to surrender to his will and allow the purifying fire of the Holy Spirit to purge us from the dross of our accumulated sin, selfishness, and that which we are attached. In our time of prayer and examination of conscience, Jesus will reveal to us those apparent goods and disordered affections that lead us astray. From these areas we can fast from, turn back to God, and in doing so, we will find rest for our souls.

In our prayer today, let us ask Jesus to reveal to us one way that we are putting ourselves before God, one habitual vice that keeps us bound, and/or something that we are attached to that we can fast from. What is one way we can reach out and give ourselves to someone else? Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are not only for Lent. Following Jesus’ guidance in each of these three practices will help us to grow closer to God and recognize the needs of others. We become the hands and feet of Jesus when we are willing to allow him to lead us to serve others with the love of the Holy Spirit.

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“Do you wish your prayer to fly toward God? Make for it two wings: fasting and almsgiving.” St. Augustine Painting by Fra Angelico, “The Conversion of St. Augustine”

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Let us take up our cross and repent this Lent.

Jesus said to his disciples and all who could hear him: “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Lk 9:23). We can best take up our cross daily by putting into practice the three pillars of Lent offered yesterday, which are almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. These disciplines aid us in resisting the temptations from those substitutes that we can place before God, seeking our fulfillment, stability, and security in power, pleasure, honor, and wealth apart from or instead of God. We can also allow ourselves to be tempted to stray from the guidance of the 10 Commandments as well as succumb to the root causes of all our sins found in the six capital or deadly sins: Avarice or greed, and some would include sorrow as another capital sin, envy, pride, wrath or anger, lust, gluttony, and sloth.

Giving ourselves some time to be still and to breathe deeply is a good action to begin Lent. It is important to make the simple practice of recollection a daily and often daily routine. From this place of letting go and just stopping from everything else, of making intentional time to spend with God alone, we can then pray about how we can put these pillars of Lent into practice for these next forty days. If forty days are too much, think about the next week, or even just how we can put one, two, or all three into practice today.

As we make steps to slow down and be still, we will also need to be aware of our own resistance that may crop up. We also need to be more aware of our sinful inclination to be indifferent or fearful of being present to those in need in our realm of influence. Praying and seeking the help of God to give us the discernment and the eyes to see who among us are in need, the courage to act and to give of ourselves to others can also be a good start. This is how we will be moved to acts of almsgiving with our time, talent, and treasure.

Returning to prayer throughout the day will help to establish a habit of prayer. This often is accomplished best when we schedule set times to read, meditate, pray, and contemplate on the readings of Lent, to be still and rest in the Lord before the Eucharist in adoration or present in the tabernacle, pray the rosary, walk or sit among the beauty of God’s creation, and/or spend some quiet time reading a spiritual book, or the life of a saint. It is also good to just be silent and still. While at work, it can be as simple as stopping for a few moments at set times, say every three hours, to take a breath, and repeat a verse or short prayer, such as, “God come to my assistance, Lord make haste to help me.” When we are feeling tired, instead of calling to mind that fact, ask God for strength and the guidance to be sure to get the proper rest.

Each day it is helpful to evaluate what we consume, what time and energy we expend, and discern what we can fast from. We can identify what foods aren’t healthy for us, what activities that we can let go of so we can devote more time to practices that empower, encourage, and lift up others as well as ourselves. We can fast from thinking, speaking, or acting in any way that is unkind, belittling, or demeaning.

When we put something in place that will help build a foundation for a closer walk with Jesus like reading the Bible, spending time in prayer, walking outside, taking a course online or in person, spending time in silence, we have to take something out of our lives. May we take something away that would lead us astray. Jesus guides us to take up his cross and follow him. Doing so helps us to discipline ourselves so that we will be free from that which seeks to enslaves us.

We take up our cross when we make time to pray, to be still, and follow God’s lead. We take up our cross when we fast from any negative, demeaning, or derogatory thoughts, words, and actions and replace them with thinking, speaking, and acting in ways that bring hope, encouragement, and life. We take up our cross when we embrace opportunities to give of our time, talent, and treasure to build up and serve others in our realm of influence. Let us take up our cross today and each day during this season of Lent and repent, to turn away from sin and turn back to God, so to know better the One who died on the cross for us, the One who gave his life for us that we might restore our relationship with our God and Father and experience the love of the Holy Spirit!

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Photo: One way to take up our cross is to turn away from our phone, getting lost in anxious thoughts, or looking down at the ground, and instead look up to the glory happening above! Doing so yesterday on the way to Mass! “Repent and believe in the Gospel.”

Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, March 6, 2025

Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving takes the attention of ourselves and places it back on God and neighbor.

In our Gospel reading from Matthew today, Jesus presents us with the three pillars of Lent: almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. With each pillar, he cautions his disciples to resist the temptation of engaging in these spiritual practices such that the focus is placed on us and that we believe we ought to receive accolades for our efforts. The purpose of almsgiving, prayer, and fasting is to grow in humility the virtue that is the antidote to the capital sins of all capital sins, pride.

“Pride is undue self-esteem or self-love, which seeks attention and honor and sets oneself in competition with God” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, p. 895). We are to have a healthy sense of self that rests in the truth that we are God’s children and loved by him. Pride is disordered when we seek to put ourself first before God and stand opposed to God, saying we know better than he does. When we set ourselves apart from God and seek determine our own course we remove ourself from the protection and guidance of God and open ourselves up to the other capital sins such as anger/wrath, sloth, gluttony, lust, greed, and envy.

Each of these sins are considered capital sins in the tradition of the church because they are at the root of all sin, all disordered affections that can lead us away from the true, the good, and the beautiful that God wants to share with us in our lives. The three pillars of Lent that Jesus shares with us helps us to identify and root out these sins from our lives because all three help us to repent by taking the focus off of ourselves and returning it back to God where it belongs.

When we make the time to pray, to slow down and allow ourselves to be loved by God, we will experience his peace and rest. We may also then get in touch with any unresolved issues or reactions that may be the source of our anger and outbursts. Prayer helps us to grow in the virtue of patience which counters the sin of anger. Putting into action each of these pillars will help us to counter sloth which is more than physical laziness although our spiritual apathy can grow from physical laziness. Making a firm resolve to put into practice prayer, fasting, and almsgiving this Lent will help us to shake off the wet blanket of sloth. Fasting is the surest way to counter the sins of gluttony and lust which are both a disordering of our appetites for sensual pleasures. As we fast we will grow in the virtues of temperance and chastity. The practice of giving alms and willing the good of our neighbors counters the selfish grasping of greed and envy. When we practice being generous and kind and trust that God will truly provide for our every need, we will find less temptation to grasp and hold on and seek the downfall of others.

Jesus’ words help us to check in as we begin this Lent. Even if each Lent we have put into practice prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we need to take a deeper look at our motives. We give to others not “to win the praise of others”, not even to receive thanks, but specifically because another is in need. We pray, not “that others may see” us, to puff ourselves up, but to empty ourselves into the arms of our Father, recognizing how dependent on him we really are. We fast not “to look gloomy like the hypocrites”, so to draw attention to ourselves, but we fast to discipline ourselves from any unbridled passions and pleasures. We recognize that our discipline comes from acknowledging that apart from God we can do nothing and only with God that all things are possible.

Today as we receive our ashes, and even if there are those reading who do not, we are reminded that from dust we have come and to dust, we will return. We are created, finite beings, that are given a limited time to live our life on this earth. This is important to acknowledge so that we resist the temptation of taking our life, the gift of our time on this earth, for granted. We will also enjoy our lives more if we don’t take ourselves too seriously.

We are reminded to repent and believe in the Gospel. Jesus, can help us to recognize and be contrite for our sinful thoughts, words, and actions and reveal to us the empty promises of our distractions, diversions, and temptations. Through our participation in almsgiving, prayer, and fasting, we turn back to the source of our lives. We will experience and better identify our restlessness, and seek not satisfaction with the finite, material things that will not last, but come to recognize that our fulfillment comes only when we find our rest in the One who has made us for himself, our loving God and Father who awaits us with arms wide open.

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Photo: “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” Me we all do so this Lent and come out holier than we enter!

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, March 5, 2025

May our hearts beat in time with the heart of Jesus.

Today is February 16, 2024, A.D. The letters, AD, stand not for after death or analog to digital, but Anno Domini. This is a Latin phrase that means in the year of our Lord. We are living in the age of the Church, as well as in between the time when Jesus experienced his life, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven until he will come again.

In the Gospel of Matthew, we read today about the account of Jesus comparing himself to a bridegroom: “The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast” (Mt 9:15). In a sense, the bridegroom has been taken from us, in another sense, he is closer to us now than he was when he was with his disciples when he walked the earth. The fullness of his reign though will not be consummated until Jesus comes again. While we wait, when we are willing to set aside other distractions and be still, we can hear and feel the beating of his Sacred Heart.

We need food for our survival, but we don’t need as much as we think we do! Fasting from food is not the only focus of our Lenten fast. The discipline of fasting provides an opportunity to keep our passions in check. By resisting the impulse of instant gratification, we better discern between apparent goods and the actual Good in our lives. When we navigate through the maze of distractions, diversions, temptations, and allurements on a physical level, we can begin to go deeper into the spiritual reality to begin to expose some of the demons and unclean spirits that we may be feeding, such as “distrust, apathy, and resignation” that Pope Francis talked about in his 2018 Ash Wednesday homily.

Pope Francis mentioned that these three demons “deaden and paralyze the soul of a believing people.” He continued by stating that: “Lent is the ideal time to unmask these and other temptations, to allow our hearts to beat once more in tune with the vibrant heart of Jesus.”

When we are willing to discipline our impulsiveness, to slow down, to take a breath, to be more aware, we can begin to see more clearly our complacency, contempt, and indifference. We can then be more open to God’s invitation to enter into a relationship with him and each other. We can then better assume the posture of John the Apostle by resting our head on the chest of Jesus (cf John 13:25), such that our hearts will beat in the same rhythm as his Sacred Heart.

This is the gift of contemplation that drives us to service. This is the same rhythm that beat in the prophet Isaiah who reminds us in today’s first reading what true fasting is all about:  “releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own” (Isaiah 58:6-7).

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Photo: Mosaic of Sacred Heart of Jesus, Sacred Heart Hall, St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach, FL.

Link for Pope Francis homily:
https://aleteia.org/2018/02/14/pope-francis-offers-a-worksheet-for-lent-check-it-out/

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, February 16, 2024

The three pillars of Lent will lead us into the open arms of our Father.

In our Gospel reading from Matthew today, Jesus presents us with the three pillars of Lent: almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. With each pillar, he cautions his disciples to resist the temptation of engaging in these spiritual practices such that the focus is placed on ourselves, such that we believe we ought to receive accolades for our efforts. The purpose of almsgiving, prayer, and fasting is to grow in true humility by placing God and others before ourselves such that we can love as Jesus loves us, to will the good of the other as other for their own sake, not seeking anything in return.

We give to others not “to win the praise of others”, not even to receive thanks, but specifically because another is in need of our help. We pray, not “that others may see” us, to puff ourselves up, but to empty ourselves into the arms of our Father, recognizing how dependent on him we really are. We fast not “to look gloomy like the hypocrites”, so to draw attention to ourselves, but we fast to discipline ourselves such that we are not enslaved to our passions. We discipline ourselves, so to walk on the path of freedom for excellence and engage in the fullness of the life God made for us.

Today, as we receive our ashes, we are reminded that from dust we have come and to dust, we will return. We are created, finite beings, that are given a limited time to live our life on this earth. This is important to acknowledge so that we resist the temptation of taking our life, the gift of our time on this earth, and others in our lives for granted.

We are also reminded to repent and believe in the Gospel. Jesus, help us to recognize and to be contrite for our sinful thoughts, words, and actions and reveal to us the empty promises of our distractions and temptations. Through our participation in almsgiving, prayer, and fasting, help us to experience our restlessness, and seek not to appease it with finite, material things that will not last, but to come to recognize that our fulfillment will come only when we find our rest in the One who has made us for himself, our loving God and Father who awaits us with arms wide open.

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Photo credit: Some purple hues as we begin Lent from Rosary walk, St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach, FL.

Link for the Mass readings for Ash Wednesday, February 14, 2024