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JMJ
" We find some people who think that to fast well during the holy season of Lent it is enough to abstain from eating some prohibited food. But this thought is too gross to enter into the hearts of religious, for it is to you I speak, as well as persons dedicated to Our Lord. We know very well that it is not enough to fast exteriorly if we do not also fast interiorly and if we do not accompany the fast of the body with that of the spirit. . . Since sin entered the world through the mouth, the mouth must do penance by being deprived of foods prohibited and forbidden by the Church, abstaining from them for the space of forty days. But this glorious saint [Bernard] adds that, as it is not our mouth alone which has sinned, but also our other senses, our fast must be general and entire, that is, all the members of our body must fast. For if we have offended God through the eyes, through the ears, through the tongue, and through our other senses, why should we not make them fast as well?"
(St. Francis de Sales)
One of the unfortunate consequences of modern technology is the absence of natural pauses in communication, whether spoken (as in a conversation) or written (as in the wait of a letter). Silence has become awkward rather than welcome, and rapidity of response valued rather than eschewed. Lent offers an opportunity to reclaim a silent space by exhorting the faithful to perform penance for the ravenous senses that constantly yearn for attention and satisfaction.
Silencing the senses not only acts as a penance for past offenses, but can hopefully serve as a natural bridle to curb the appetites that so often assuage one's passionate nature. Impulsiveness can be transformed into patience but only if one willfully commits to quelling the corrosive cravings of his heart: serving silently rather than complaining loudly; abasing (rather than defending) himself in the face of criticism; welcoming an interruption, rather than exploding at one; mortifying his curiosity rather than indulging it. A selfish soul destroys peace for the sake of self-preservation, but a thoughtful heart humiliates itself for the sake of peace.
"To treat of fasting and of what is required to fast well, we must, at the start, understand that of itself fasting is not a virtue. The good and the bad, as well as Christians and pagans, observe it. The ancient philosophers observed it and recommended it. They were not virtuous for that reason, nor did they practice virtue in fasting. Oh, no, fasting is a virtue only when it is accompanied by conditions which render it pleasing to God."
(St. Francis de Sales)
