The Lenten season, which culminates in the passion, death, and Resurrection of Our Lord, is meant to be the holiest and most disciplined period in the life of an average Christian. But is it really so? For many, lent has become an annual ritual carried out perfunctorily during the stipulated period as a break from the regular sinful life which resumes fully once it is over.

If, at the end of the season, your load of iniquities has not reduced by at least one sin, then you have simply wasted the period. A life without reflection is not worth living, and the Lenten season affords the individual the opportunity of applying the brakes to reckless living, and turning for the better. By participating in lent, we are also celebrating with Christ, His most painful and glorious moments of His earthly career which He perpetually remembers up there in Heaven.

 

Let us briefly examine some of the basic principles of fasting during the season of lent.

       Fasting, simply defined, is a voluntary rejection of food for a stipulated period to gain spiritual benefit. The body is always demanding for more and more food at the expense of the spirit which feeds only on the Eucharist and the Word of God. The physical and spiritual powers are diametrically opposed: The more you have of one, the less the other. Hence, to gain a higher spiritual power, one must reduce the intake of food to discipline the body and keep it under control. The longer a person goes without food, the greater the prospect of seeing vision or receiving intuition. You can never see vision over a heavy plate of rice with fried plantain plus roasted chicken and a chilled bottle of drink to wash it down! Your heart and body will get stronger while your soul and spirit get weaker. Just as the heart sustains the body, so the soul sustains the spirit which has a life of its own. Most of the sins we commit are sins of the flesh which the over-indulged body lures us into with little or no spiritual resistance. Hence, a person who eats too much is a glutton who is vulnerable to sin, while overfeeding itself is sinful because it deprives others of their fair share of food. Moderation is key.

       Ostentation negates the spiritual value of fasting which is meant to be an exclusively private affair. “When you fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance; for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, they have had their reward” (Matthew 6:16). As much as possible, take good care of yourself and do not show any sign of distress, because you are fasting for God and not for man.

 

Furthermore, while fasting is highly desirable, it is not an absolutely compulsory requirement to gain the Kingdom without other complementary virtues. A virtuous person who does not fast stands a better chance of being saved than a vicious person who fasts forty days and forty nights but continues to perpetrate evil. Fasting does not absolve a sinner from the consequences of sin. When people openly complained to Jesus that His disciples were not fasting, while those of John and the Pharisees fasted, Jesus responded as follows:  “Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days” (Mark 2:18-20).  This is similar to the regular complaints against Jesus and His disciples that they sometimes violated the rule about keeping the Sabbath Holy. Jesus had a ready answer for them: “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27-28).

Thus, taking a cue from that statement, it is equally logical to conclude that fasting is made for man, and not man for fasting. Apart from those who are exempted from fasting on account of age, there are several other reasons for which one can be excused from fasting. Health factor is one: An ulcer patient, or anyone who is ill, is not expected to fast. One who is marking a major celebration should be allowed to skip lent for that day and enjoy himself or herself. In all such circumstances, moderate consumption of food is still advisable, as too much of everything, even of water, is bad.

       Fasting also must take into account the individual capacity. Why must you fast for forty days if you are only capable of making twenty? Or, why not break it at 12 noon if staying till 6 pm will make you feel irritable and hostile to those around you? Like the computer, fasting can be customised to cater for individual ability to stay the course.

For instance, lent prescribes one full meal a day. But the full meal can be split into two and taken at convenient intervals.  There are no hard and fast rules to it; all that matters is sincerity to oneself as God sees the heart and knows our individual strengths and weaknesses. There is nothing more atrocious than self-deception; hence, fast within your ability, but refrain from all luxuries and excesses.

Fast from all sins, especially those you are fond of committing, with a view to dropping them altogether at the end of it all. Lent is meant to make you a better person; but if you can become a better person without fasting, so be it.

       Fasting is recommended both on and off the Lenten season. An individual can embark on fasting to facilitate their prayers in an emergency, as long as it is understood that God’s will is paramount. God answers prayers at His own time and in His own way, regardless of the volume and persistence of the prayer. Even Jesus prayed for the bitter cup to pass over Him but submitted ultimately to His Father’s will.

Fasting and praying are twin actions capable of making things happen. On one occasion, for example, the disciples were unable to cure the violent epilepsy of a man brought to them by his father, until Jesus Himself intervened, lamenting at this “faithless generation” and wondering how much longer they expected Him to remain with them (Mark 9:19). And when the disciples wondered why they had failed to cast out the evil spirit, Jesus clarified that “this kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting” (Mark 9:28-29). That is to say, certain categories of miracles can only be performed through prayer and fasting.

       Fasting, praying, and helping the poor by giving alms are the three related components of the Lenten season which must be duly observed. Your food bill is meant to reduce substantially, and the excess money passed on to the poor. The practice of spending more money on food during lent by indulging in expensive fast-breaking is an act in self-deception. It is like taking breakfast, lunch, and dinner at a sitting. So, where is the sacrifice? With the principles enunciated above, every good Christian should observe the Lenten season effectively in their individual ways. Happy Easter in advance to all.