by Chase Hawkins
I love food.
So, naturally it is sometimes difficult for me on days during Lent when Catholics fast and abstain from meat. Fasting is when we eat one regular meal accompanied by up to two smaller meals throughout the day without snacking. Abstinence is when we don’t eat meat (fish does not count because it is not a “flesh meat”). Why do we practice abstinence? We don’t eat meat because at His Crucifixion, Jesus sacrificed His flesh for us. In return, we not only learn to discipline ourselves by not eating meat, but we also sacrifice flesh in our own way. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, we are called to practice both fasting and abstinence. On Fridays in Lent, we practice abstinence (hence parish Fish Fry’s).
During these days of fasting and abstinence, I often find myself tempted by the available foods around me. I tend to think, ‘No one would get hurt if I just ate this cookie between meals’ or ‘What damage could be done if I get a chicken burrito at Chipotle on a Friday in Lent?’ The reality here is that we do not fast and abstain to help others. We do it to help ourselves. Well, wait, doesn’t that seem selfish? And how in the world does starving yourself help you? To find the answers, we can look back on the first Gospel reading of the Lenten season.
Every Ash Wednesday we hear the same Gospel, reminding us of the three pillars of the Lenten season: almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. In that Gospel passage (Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18), Jesus tells His disciples how to give alms, pray, and fast.
When we give alms, we are loving others. But as we do this, Jesus warns, “When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you” (Matthew 6:3-4). When we pray, we are loving God. In a similar way, Jesus tells us not to boast loudly when we pray but to “go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you” (Matthew 6:6). When we fast, we are loving ourselves. By fasting, we discipline ourselves to fight temptation and to look to God to sustain us. But even so, when we fast, Jesus says, we should “anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you” (Matthew 6:17-18).
Lent can often be a tense or difficult season for us, as we struggle to avoid anger and to keep our Lenten promise. Because, as we know, Lent is a season of suffering. As we remember Jesus’ passion and death, we partake in our own little sufferings. But we have to go further than simply suffering. We must not just suffer for our own sake, but also for the sake of others and for the sake of God. Thus, suffering is what ties the three pillars of Lent together. Our Lenten suffering should be a way in which we grow in our love for ourselves, our relationships with others, and our relationship with God.
Despite this, God reassures us by saying He will be with us through our suffering. In today’s first reading from Deuteronomy, Moses speaks to the Israelites. In his speech, he says,
So, naturally it is sometimes difficult for me on days during Lent when Catholics fast and abstain from meat. Fasting is when we eat one regular meal accompanied by up to two smaller meals throughout the day without snacking. Abstinence is when we don’t eat meat (fish does not count because it is not a “flesh meat”). Why do we practice abstinence? We don’t eat meat because at His Crucifixion, Jesus sacrificed His flesh for us. In return, we not only learn to discipline ourselves by not eating meat, but we also sacrifice flesh in our own way. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, we are called to practice both fasting and abstinence. On Fridays in Lent, we practice abstinence (hence parish Fish Fry’s).
During these days of fasting and abstinence, I often find myself tempted by the available foods around me. I tend to think, ‘No one would get hurt if I just ate this cookie between meals’ or ‘What damage could be done if I get a chicken burrito at Chipotle on a Friday in Lent?’ The reality here is that we do not fast and abstain to help others. We do it to help ourselves. Well, wait, doesn’t that seem selfish? And how in the world does starving yourself help you? To find the answers, we can look back on the first Gospel reading of the Lenten season.
Every Ash Wednesday we hear the same Gospel, reminding us of the three pillars of the Lenten season: almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. In that Gospel passage (Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18), Jesus tells His disciples how to give alms, pray, and fast.
When we give alms, we are loving others. But as we do this, Jesus warns, “When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you” (Matthew 6:3-4). When we pray, we are loving God. In a similar way, Jesus tells us not to boast loudly when we pray but to “go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you” (Matthew 6:6). When we fast, we are loving ourselves. By fasting, we discipline ourselves to fight temptation and to look to God to sustain us. But even so, when we fast, Jesus says, we should “anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you” (Matthew 6:17-18).
Lent can often be a tense or difficult season for us, as we struggle to avoid anger and to keep our Lenten promise. Because, as we know, Lent is a season of suffering. As we remember Jesus’ passion and death, we partake in our own little sufferings. But we have to go further than simply suffering. We must not just suffer for our own sake, but also for the sake of others and for the sake of God. Thus, suffering is what ties the three pillars of Lent together. Our Lenten suffering should be a way in which we grow in our love for ourselves, our relationships with others, and our relationship with God.
Despite this, God reassures us by saying He will be with us through our suffering. In today’s first reading from Deuteronomy, Moses speaks to the Israelites. In his speech, he says,
“’…When the Egyptians maltreated and oppressed us, imposing hard labor upon us, we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and he heard our cry and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. He brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand and outstretched arm with terrifying power, with signs and wonders; and bringing us into this country, he gave us this land flowing with milk and honey. Therefore, I have now brought you the first fruits of the products of the soil which you, O Lord, have given me.’ And having set them before the Lord, your God, you shall bow down in his presence” (Deuteronomy 26:6-11).
Not only did God see and feel the oppression that the Israelites went through in Egypt, but He also delivered them from their suffering. In the same way, God sees and feels the suffering that we go through in Lent and in our lives and He delivers us from them. This is why it is important to do more in Lent than just give up chocolate or soda. If this is all we do in Lent, then we know that God looks down upon us as we suffer from … not eating chocolate or drinking soda. Yes, these little things that we give up teach us discipline and moderation, but we should stretch ourselves. Lent is a spiritual workout. And like any workout, we should go further than we think we can. We cannot limit ourselves.
It’s not too late to give up something more substantial like anger, objectification, gossip, or teasing. At the same time, it is not too late to enhance yourself to make Lent a time in which you can feel God’s presence. Read Scripture every day or every week, spend time in Adoration once or twice a week, pray every day, give to the poor through your Rice Bowl, and love those around you by the way you live your life. Bring yourself to suffer by giving something up, but remember to replenish yourself by doing extra things that can help yourself, your relationship with others, and your relationship with God. Go the distance this Lent and know that God will look upon your suffering and whisper to you, “I am with you. I will deliver you from your suffering, my beloved child.”
St. Valentine, ora pro nobis!
St. Margaret Clitherow, ora pro nobis!
St. Francis of Assisi, ora pro nobis!
Dominus vobiscum!
Chawkins.
"How He Loves" by Crowder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5t7Uoanryg
It’s not too late to give up something more substantial like anger, objectification, gossip, or teasing. At the same time, it is not too late to enhance yourself to make Lent a time in which you can feel God’s presence. Read Scripture every day or every week, spend time in Adoration once or twice a week, pray every day, give to the poor through your Rice Bowl, and love those around you by the way you live your life. Bring yourself to suffer by giving something up, but remember to replenish yourself by doing extra things that can help yourself, your relationship with others, and your relationship with God. Go the distance this Lent and know that God will look upon your suffering and whisper to you, “I am with you. I will deliver you from your suffering, my beloved child.”
St. Valentine, ora pro nobis!
St. Margaret Clitherow, ora pro nobis!
St. Francis of Assisi, ora pro nobis!
Dominus vobiscum!
Chawkins.
"How He Loves" by Crowder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5t7Uoanryg