Tag Archives: fasting

I’m trying my best to cast a more “spiritual” and prayerful glow on these pages during the 40 days. This one is short and if it seems like a repetition of several previous posts; that’s because it is.

The Collect for Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent:

Hear us, almighty and merciful God, and in Thy kindness grant us the graces of self-denial that lead to salvation.
Through Jesus Christ…

First of all, can you believe it’s already the third week?! Second, there it is again. The Church prayers in Holy Mass during these days that Almighty God, in His kindness, grant us the graces of self-denial. This self-denial leads to salvation. Get on board the fasting train if you haven’t already done so. Brothers and sisters, it is our Catholic duty.

I was looking for a topic to post tonight when I came across the following video.

I do not know these monks but I like what I’m hearing. I hate to beat a dead horse but I am convinced this is a missing key to growth in personal holiness. I’ve been paying careful attention to the orations at daily Mass and they bear witness to this.

We must be fasting during Lent. It isn’t easy. But it is not only worth it but also a command. The spiritual benefits I have already seen have caused me to wonder why I haven’t done this before. Also, I have a tendency to look to the early Church and see what they were doing and how I could imitate these our forefathers. They fasted every day of Lent. Many were also martyred.

The new crowd? Well, my mother-in-law and I had a conversation a few days ago about all the craziness in the world and in the Church. At one point she said, “They don’t want any remnants of the past.” Boy is she right. They hate tradition. We already know that. But they have to destroy every vestige of the past because the past is our heritage and our pillar. It is our foundation.

Why would anyone fast today? Seriously. I have heard people tell me, “The Church doesn’t really want us to fast anymore,” or “You’re overdoing it. Don’t you know we’re supposed to do something positive instead of just giving stuff up,” or “Hey man, it’s Sunday. That’s not part of Lent.” On that last point the implication is that Sundays are apparently for gluttony.

Let me issue a challenge. Since there is no prohibition of fasting; why not give it a shot. Men among this readership – be men. Go hard. Make it hurt. Do it for your sins. Do it for your wives and children. Unite the pain to the cross. It’s only for a short while. If you don’t notice the same things I’m noticing in my fast, then go back to your Ash Wednesday/Good Friday-one big and two small meal thing. What have you got to lose?

St. Bernadette, pray for us!

I have avoided sharing my particular Lenten “disciplines” for a number of reasons. I have a feeling in my gut that the second I start posting about what I am doing, giving up, adding in, etc., I will become victim to the sin of pride or the sin or judging others rashly or unjustly, or any number of sins. There are a few close family and friends with whom I have shared the plan. This is inevitable. For instance, I wouldn’t attempt to make any major change to my daily life without at least informing my wife and our children. And in that regard, it is my responsibility to teach all of them and to form them in the faith – including in the practice of the faith.

Suffice it to say that this Lent is a little different than in the past. For all of the evil afforded by the internet, there are some very good things too. I have seen such incredible writing and heard such beautiful sermons and talks on what a traditional Lenten observance looks like that it has inspired me this year to do more than I ever have. I won’t link to them here because there are truly many of them. I’m guessing we’re all visiting the same handful of sites every day anyway. But I know I am not alone in this as many of my friends and relatives (especially the men) have all mentioned similar things to me about fasting in particular. I believe this is a grace of God that we all appear to be converging on the same things around this time of year.

All that being said, I got a text this afternoon from a friend that said:

“Musings of a Trad Dad without a blog… Our Blessed Lord took upon Himself all the sins of the world… and my fat ass wants to curl up in a ball in the corner and whimper because I haven’t eaten for 24 hours. I suck. That’s all.”

After I laughed and asked his permission to use that text, he followed up with:

“I have to get to heaven because I am such a wuss, I won’t be able to deal with hell.”

So you see, the Lord goes out of His way to help us stay humble. Speaking of humility, Fr. Ripperger, in one of his talks, suggests that for a Lenten practice we ask our guardian angels to “interiorly humiliate us”. Thank you, Father, and NO. I want to live. My angel could do some serious damage with the things about me he could flash into my mind.

Only 39 more days to go.

St. John the Baptist, pray for us!