THE POWER OF FASTING

Today Bishop Zubik has asked the faithful of the Church of Pittsburgh to fast - a day of fasting - followed by a day of prayer tomorrow.   St. Jerome said that "fasting is not an absolute virtue but the foundation of other virtues."  Fasting is a way of detaching ourselves from the things of this world that we consume so readily and with little thought.  It is a discipline meant to free our minds and hearts so that we become less a slave to the pleasures of this world and more open to receive the grace that God desires to give us.  St. John Cassian said that "perfection of the mind and heart depends on the abstinence of the belly."  Fasting is aimed at helping us gain mastery and self-control over the worldly concerns and desires so that we can focus more deeply on God's voice, his will and the things that really matter for the salvation of our souls.  Fasting has always been deeply penitential. It is the reason that it is one of the three disciplines of Lent.  By fasting we not only become more aware of our sins but we are given the strength and resolve to overcome them. St. Basil the Great said that " 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." Fasting is a much neglected weapon in our spiritual arsenaL. If you want to energize your spiritual life, if you want to slay a sin that has you in bondage, if you want to grow in intimate union with God,if you want to deepen your awareness of the needs of others and grow in solidarity with those around you, 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.”  We fast today in penitence for our own sins and the sins of others.  We fast today so that we may be more in solidarity with others especially the poor, hungry, homeless and especially all those suffering the effects of the coronavirus.  We fast today so that we may be strengthened in our spiritual journey, in our faith, in our charity and in our resolve to put God first in our lives.

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