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 FASTING
IN THE HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
- By Fr. KJ Veeger, MSC
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Fasting is total or partial abstinence from food for
religious motives. Its motives are manifold and vary depending on the
purpose or goal that a person wants to achieve. For one, it is moral in
nature, so that he sees fastin
 g
as self-punishment, oppression of passions, expiation of sins etc., while
for the other, it is the creation of a bodily disposition, which is
conducive to meeting God.
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In the Old Testament, God’s chosen people knew of certain
days, for example, the Day of Reconciliation, or certain occasions, like
disaster or its commemoration, on which fasting was mandatory. Besides
that, every devout Jew could on his own initiative impose fast upon
himself. The practice seems to have become one of the most important
manifestations of religiosity. Its basic meaning was self-humiliation
before God, lowering oneself before Him in acknowledgement of His
transcendence. The awareness that, compared to God, man occupies only a
subordinate place, encouraged the Israelites to fast on various
occasions. For example, when called by God to be entrusted with a message
or mission, the person concerned would prepare himself by fasting; or when
sudden vivid awareness of sinfulness held somebody in its grip, he would
express his feelings of repentance, by preference, in the form of
fasting. Fast was the outspoken form of penance. Repeatedly, the
prophets have warned against a merely outward show of fasting without a
proper inner disposition. Only when fasting coincides with prayer,
exercise of justice and love of fellowmen, is fasting seen as sincere.
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The New Testament deals with fast very rarely. In His
sermon on the mount, Jesus mentions the subject of direct connection with
prayer to the Father and love of fellowman (Matthew
6:16-18). Continuing
the tradition of the prophets, He, too, warns against mere external
performance, or fasting with the intention to be seen by others (Matthew
6:1).
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Unlike the canonic writings, in which this particular
practice of penance is seldom presented, the first following centuries
show an ever richer and more varied picture of it. Gradually, a
completely elaborated spirituality of fasting arose among the faithful.
However, although it flourished in the ancient Church, apparently, the
initiative came rather from the individual believers, and not from the
leaders of the Church. Anyhow, Church authorities of the first three
centuries were not, or only for a little, concerned with this matter. Only
in the case that exaggerations emerged, especially as the fruit of heretic
teachings regarding the body or earthly goods, the official Church took
measures and established her own discipline about fasting, and it became
something that involved the whole Church.
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First, each Wednesday and Friday were declared days of
fast, on which the faithful had to abstain from food until
three o’clock in the
afternoon. Somewhat later, Rome made Saturday instead of Wednesday a day
of fast. Second, fasting was prescribed on days of initiation before
receiving the sacraments. Well known is the Eucharistic fast. Third, the
fast, which is originally set on Good Friday and the Saturday before
Easter, became in force for all the days of the Holy Week. Finally, in
the fourth century, the forty-day long Season of Lent was introduced with
the main purpose to prepare better for Easter categories of people like
catechumens, sinners and converts. Afterwards, the Season of Lent was
obligatory for the entire faithful.
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Over the last centuries, the Church has alleviated the
requirements of fast. On
February 17, 1966, Pope
Paul VI, in his Apostolic Constitution: “Paenitemini,” announced new
regulations. In principle, only Ash Wednesday and Good Friday remain days
of fast while all Fridays are days of abstinence of meat. On days of
fast, only one meal is permitted. However, taking some little food in the
morning and in the evening is not prohibited. It is said also in the
aforementioned Constitution that the Bishops’ Conferences are authorized
to replace for good reasons the days of penance and substitute abstinence
of food or meat by other forms of penance.
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IN THIS ISSUE:
HIS Servant
by Bro. Pete Lapid
The Father Speaks
By Fr. S. Binzler, SJ
Our Faith
By Fr. KJ Veeger, MSC
Place of Refuge
By Philip Yuson
Reflection
By Fr. Agustinus Tupen Belo, PR
Community Life
By Tintin Magbitang
Straight from the Heart
By Carolle Bautist
God Answers Prayers
By Beth Manibog
On Focus
By Sansu Garin
Saint for the Month
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