You Need to Fast More, by Suzan Sammons

BREAKING: Pope Francis Issues New Document Limiting the Powers of Bishops to Allow the Latin Mass in Their Diocese

February 22, 2023

Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin: Look at the West, ‘It’s All About Destruction of the Family … Perversion and Abuse of Children’, by Michael W. Chapman

February 22, 2023

Photo by Kamil Szumotalski on Unsplash

Is modern man not cut out to fast? Should we only strive to achieve the Church’s very minimal standard of fasting?

By Suzan Sammons, Crisis Magazine, Feb. 22, 2033

Suzan Sammons homeschools her children and is studying for a masters degree in nutrition. She is a writer and editor in southwest Ohio.

Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving: the three calls of Lent.

If I exhort you to spend more time in prayer during Lent, you probably won’t argue with me. If I encourage you to increase your charitable giving, most readers will admit they could be more generous. But if I ask you to fast more?

I’ll hear that fasting makes you tired and grouchy, gives you a headache, and renders it impossible to complete your day’s work. St. Anthony of the Desert lived to be 105 fasting daily til dark and then only eating bread, salt, and oil. The early Christians fasted regularly, led by their bishops. Our (fully human) Lord fasted for 40 days. But somehow forgoing food for a day has become a severe trial for the modern Catholic.

Can it be that modern man is just not cut out to fast? You may be surprised to learn that 1,000 years ago many monasteries answered that question “Yes.” …

Continue reading >>>>