Meditation on Fasting

Dear Creator Family:

I pray as we approach the midpoint in Lent, that you have been blessed by your offerings to God. I pray that you have experienced this time of reflection and introspection, not as a time of drudgery and depression, but as a joyful—if challenging—time of drawing closer to God.

I am also prayerful that those of you who have experienced the spiritual rewards along with the physical ones. As I said in my Ash Wednesday sermon, the practice of fasting has been much misunderstood in our Christian history, especially in our “modern” day.

What should rightly be called a gift to God has often been referred to as “fasting” because it falls within the category of giving something up. I have been as guilty as anyone, in the past, of using the term in this way.

I’d like to include this beautiful poster from Pope Francis, printed below, which expresses the wonderful intention to offer to God the fruit of introspection and reflection. Offering to God those things in our lives that we can readily identify and, through some effort and vigilance, act on throughout the day. I commend to you this meditation, as a means of combining a reminder of God’s command for physical fasting with the inspiration to make joyful offerings to God.

Offering and fasting to God,
Fr. Bill+
DO YOU WANT TO FAST THIS LENT?
​In the words of Pope Francis

• Fast from hurting words and say kind words.
• Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude.
• Fast from anger and be filled with patience.
• Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope.
• Fast from worries and have trust in God.
• Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity.
• Fast from pressures and be prayerful.
• Fast from bitterness and fill your hearts with joy.
• Fast from selfishness and be compassionate to others.
• Fast from grudges and be reconciled.
• Fast from words and be silent so you can listen.

source: pietrafitness.com