A Reflection from “40 Days, 40 Ways to Pray” by Jonah Soucy

Why We Fast

The reason that followers of Jesus fast has several layers. As we begin to peel them back, we find that, at its core, fasting is first and foremost meant to be an experience of prayer. Fasting is meant to draw us out of worldly concerns and into deeper awareness of the presence of God in our life. There are other aspects and benefits as well—for example, it helps us both to grow in self-discipline and to orient our will (the part of our soul that desires things) toward God instead of worldliness. Also, when we fast we are imitating Jesus, who spent much of His time on earth in prayer and fasting. Fasting is not a diet. It is as much a spiritual experience as a bodily one, maybe even more so. If we focus purely on what we are giving up, without taking time to fill ourselves with God through prayer, we are not fasting.

A certain spiritual power is also present in fasting. In Matthew’s Gospel, after the Transfiguration, we find Jesus with Peter, James, and John coming down from the mountain to find a young boy possessed with a stubborn demon that had refused to be cast out—even by some of Jesus’ own disciples who had experience in that area. With a few words, Jesus commands the demon to leave, and in an instant He cures the boy. When the disciples come to Him asking why they could not cast out the demon, Jesus mentions both their lack of faith and that this particular kind of spirit can only come out by prayer and fasting (Mark 9:14–29).

When referring to the spiritual power of fasting, St. Augustine wrote, “Fasting cleanses the soul, raises the mind, subjects one’s flesh to the spirit, renders the heart contrite and humble, scatters the clouds of concupiscence, quenches the fire of lust, and kindles the true light of chastity. Enter again into yourself.”19 Pay special attention to the last line of this quotation. When we fast, we grow in temperance and self-control. When we grow in this way, we experience the freedom to be our authentic selves, a task that is difficult when we are wrestling with concupiscence. When we are fully in control of ourselves, we are in a very real sense experiencing the deep spiritual freedom that we reflected on a couple days ago. Fasting is a tool we can use to subdue our passions and sinful inclinations. In fact, whenever we find ourselves struggling with a particular habitual sin or vice that we can’t seem to kick, incorporating some kind of fasting into our prayer and the daily routine of our lives may be exactly what we need to finally break free.

And so we must remember that at the heart of our fast is the call to self-gift, especially regarding our relationship with God, but also other human relationships. If we want to give ourselves fully to another, such as our spouse or family or simply to authentic service in charity, we need to be fully in control of our desires. Conversion begins in the heart or mind, but at some point it needs to make its way into the will as well. Not only should we strive to know and love God more, we should also strive to want what He wants for us. There is no greater tool for self-surrender to God’s will than through the prayerful incorporation of fasting.

Finally, because fasting is a form of sacrifice it also can become a participation in Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross. “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church” (Col. 1:24, RSVCE). What St. Paul is speaking about here is the idea of redemptive suffering. In other words, because we are members of Christ’s Body, we have the opportunity to participate in His self-offering on the Cross. We can unite our sufferings (and sacrifices) to His own for building up the Church, even participating in some mysterious way in His redemptive plan for humanity. This doesn’t take away from Jesus’ sacrifice or role as the one mediator between God and mankind. Rather, it shows the wonderful mercy and love of a Creator who allows His creation to participate in His work. Though we won’t know exactly how until the day we see God face-to-face, we can be assured that our sacrifices and fasts make a difference in God’s plan of redemption.