February 22nd Fast

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JMJ

"You will begin most appropriately, and with hope of the greatest profit, to recall men to the observance of the holy law of fasting, if you teach the people this: penance for the Christian man is not satisfied by withdrawing from sin, by detesting a past life badly lived, or by the sacramental confession of these same sins. Rather, penance also demands that we satisfy divine justice with fasting, almsgiving, prayer, and other works of the spiritual life. Every wrongdoing--be it large or small--is fittingly punished, either by the penitent or by a vengeful God. . . Finally, those spurred on by penance do not seek escapes by which they might withdraw from fasting, nor do they seek various subtleties to break ecclesiastical law."

(Appetente Sacro, On the Spiritual Advantages of Fasting, Encyclical of Pope Clement XIII, 1759)

Perhaps the most difficult discipline in our Faith is that of fasting.  Especially in our culture, when every need is met so readily, every passion easily satiated, it can be quite arduous to form the vital practice of fasting.  The evil one convinces us that it is a medieval tradition; he points to Scripture passages which seem to say that God does not desire this penance.  Did not Christ himself say not to act like the Pharisees who go about performing public deeds?  Ah yes, but did not Christ also say,"do and observe all that they tell you"?  Did not Christ Himself begin His ministry by fasting in the desert?  In his Lenten Message of 2009, Pope Benedict XVI recalls the words of St. Basil, pointing to the fact that fasting was one of the original precepts:

"Fasting was ordained in Paradise.  The first injunction was delivered to Adam, 'Of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat.' 'You shall not eat' is a law of fasting and abstinence. . . Fasting. . . strengthens strong men. . .  is the soul's safeguard, the body's trusty comrade, the armor of the champion, the training of the athlete."

We may say that we are not strong enough, that our situation in life does not allow for such extreme penances.  But then we risk being like those that Pope Clement speaks of, those who "seek escapes by which they may withdraw from fasting. . ."  Perhaps we think we are not made of the stuff of saints, but then we should rid ourselves of the corrupt stuff that we are made of, and fill it up with some saintly substance.  Blessed John Paul II, in a weekly General Audience he gave in 1979, said the following:

"Renunciation of sensations, stimuli, pleasures and even food or drink, is not an end in itself. It must only, so to speak, prepare the way for deeper contents by which the interior man "is nourished". This renunciation, this mortification must serve to create in man the conditions to be able to live the superior values, for which he, in his own way, hungers."

When we learn to renounce our will as relates to our sensual passions (with regards to eating, drinking, sleeping, visual stimulation, etc.), it becomes more easy to obey God's will and live a virtuous life.  In his Lenten message of 2009, the Pope consistently returns to this theme of conforming ourselves to God's will:

"[Christ] Himself sets the example, answering Satan, at the end of the forty days spent in the desert that 'man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God' (Mt 4,4). The true fast is thus directed to eating the 'true food,' which is to do the Father’s will (cf. Jn 4,34). If, therefore, Adam disobeyed the Lord’s command “of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat,” the believer, through fasting, intends to submit himself humbly to God, trusting in His goodness and mercy."

 During this season of Lent, and in particular on Fridays during Lent (and year-round), let us be mindful that Christ did not look to suffer less, but to suffer more.  He did not allow Himself to die at the pillar where He was scourged; he did not allow Himself to die fallen under the weight of the Cross; He did not allow Himself to die after he was first nailed.  No, he suffered His whole Passion, accepting each humiliation, each horrific blow, each torturous wound with a heart completely renounced to the will of the Father, and a heart completely in love with each of us.

Remember, each little renunciation of our will, is an act of love to God.  We can say truly with Christ,". . . [Father] not as I will, but as you will."  For just as each step towards Calvary was an act of  love, so too, each mortification, each denial of our own desires (sensual, physical, and emotional) is a step with Christ on the road of the Cross.  Let us slowly climb to the heights of Calvary, and so ascend to the heights of Love.

"If you are able to fast, you will do well to observe some days beyond what are ordered by the Church, for besides the ordinary effect of fasting in raising the mind, subduing the flesh, confirming goodness, and obtaining a heavenly reward, it is also a great matter to be able to control greediness, and to keep the sensual appetites and the whole body subject to the law of the Spirit; and although we may be able to do but little, the enemy nevertheless stands more in awe of those whom he knows can fast." (St. Francis deSales)

February 15th Fast

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JMJ

"Faith in God, sustained by divine grace, is thus a very important element for living mutual dedication and conjugal fidelity. . . In saying this, there is no intention to affirm that fidelity and likewise the other properties are not possible in natural marriage, contracted between people who have not been baptized. Indeed, natural marriage does not lack the goods that “come from God the Creator and are included in a certain [rudimentary] way in the marital love that unites Christ with his Church” . . . Yet, closure to God or the rejection of the sacred dimension of the conjugal union and of its value in the order of grace certainly makes arduous the practical embodiment of the most lofty model of marriage conceived by the Church according to God’s plan and can even undermine the actual validity of the pact, should it be expressed . . . in a rejection of the principle of the conjugal obligation of fidelity itself, that is, of the other essential elements or properties of matrimony."

(Papal Address to the Roman Rota, January 26 2013)

Since the beginning of time marriage has existed as a natural institution, a foundational block for society.  The natural law argument for permanence and fidelity in marriage can convince many of the necessity of maintaining the traditional requirements for the institution.  As the Holy Father stated in his address:

"The indissoluble pact between a man and a woman does not, for the purposes of the sacrament, require of those engaged to be married, their personal faith. .  ."

And yet, as Christians we cannot ignore the difficulties that arise from ignoring the relationship between faith in God and fidelity in marriage.  The Pope points out even the linguistic relationship between these two words:

"We can take as a starting point the linguistic root that the Latin terms fides and foedus have in common. Foedus is a word with which the Code of Canon Law designates the natural reality of matrimony as an irrevocable covenant between a man and a woman (cf. can. 1055 § 1). Mutual entrustment is in fact the indispensable basis for any pact or covenant."

We would be remiss in our call to evangelize as Christians if we simply adhered to explaining and living the marital vocation as something that can be done naturally, without the divine aid of supernatural grace.  "Indeed, although the spousal bond is a natural reality, it has been raised by Christ to the dignity of a sacrament between the baptized."  Abundant graces constantly flow from this sacramental union, and though success in marriage is possible without these graces, it makes it all the more difficult to persevere against adversity when they are not present.  Consequently, when personal faith is void, dissolubility is more easily accepted because one does not fully comprehend or believe in the vital importance of fidelity in a covenantal  relationship. Moreover, the salvation of the other does not rank higher than the gratification of oneself and so it is easier to dissolve the bond.

But where faith is present, there is a greater opportunity for growth and strengthening of the marital bond. Quoting St. Clement, the Pope says:

"For if the God of both is one, the Instructor — Christ — of both is also one, one Church, one wisdom, one modesty; their food is common, marriage an equal yoke.... And those whose life is common have common graces and a common salvation; common to them are love and training.”

There are natural and practical means to save and strengthen marriages, but faith in God must be promoted and advocated as a sure foundation to build the health of souls and spouses.

“He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5)

February 8th Fast

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JMJ

"The purpose of marriage is to help married people sanctify themselves and others. For this reason they receive a special grace in the sacrament which Jesus Christ instituted. Those who are called to the married state will, with the grace of God, find within their state everything they need to be holy, to identify themselves each day more with Jesus Christ, and to lead those with whom they live to God.

That is why I always look upon Christian homes with hope and affection, upon all the families which are the fruit of the Sacrament of Matrimony. They are a shining witness of the great divine mystery of Christ’s loving union with His Church which St. Paul calls sacramentum magnum, a great sacrament (Eph 5:32). We must strive so that these cells of Christianity may be born and may develop with a desire for holiness, conscious of the fact that the Sacrament of Initiation – Baptism – confers on all Christians a divine mission that each must fulfill in his own walk of life.”

(Saint Josemaría Escrivá )

 In the vocation to marriage (as with our simultaneous vocation to holiness), it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking,"if only I had more of such and such a virtue, I could be a much better spouse and parent." Well, why is it that we cannot acquire this virtue?  Why is it that we allow ourselves to despair of attaining perfection, and settle for mediocrity?  At the root of this problem is a distrust in God's grace.  We do not trust that He has given us sufficient grace to not only perform our daily tasks, but to do so with a generous and patient heart. 

When we lament our lack of virtue, we forget that God has already given us the necessary graces to become a saint in our vocation.  His graces abound in the life-giving waters of the Sacraments, but He cannot and will not force us to drink these waters.  His grace is there, but our free will must cooperate with it.  Patience, humility, generosity, self-sacrifice, fortitude, etc. can all be attained and practiced if we truly believe we have been given "within [our state of life] everything [we] need to be holy".  And when we embrace this call, we make firmer the foundations of our marriages, our families, and consequently, our society.  

February 1st Fast

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JMJ

"Lay not Thy heart open to every one; but treat of thy affairs with the wise, and such as fear God.  Converse not much with young people and strangers.  Flatter not the rich: neither do thou appear willingly before great personages.  Keep company with humble and plain ones, with the devout and virtuous; and confer with them of those things that may edify.  Be not familiar with any woman; but in general commend all good women to God.  Desire to be familiar to God alone and His angels, and avoid the acquaintance of men.  We must have charity towards all, but familiarity with all is not expedient. . .  "   

(Imitation of Christ, Thomas à Kempis, Ch. VIII) 

At first glance, this excerpt from the Imitation of Christ may appear to only apply to monks living in a monastery.  Yet, as with every chapter in this famous devotional, it provides wise advice for all religious and laymen.  Men are, by nature, social beings and as such desire to be with and around others.  The natural instinct for communion is what draws men to be married and have a family, or to enter into a spiritual marriage (with Christ or the Church).  Ultimately, it is what draws all men to final communion with God in heaven.  But, as with all naturally good inclinations that God has written on our hearts, the devil can pervert this desire by proposing a superficial union with others that does nothing to aid our attempts at holiness, and can only deteriorate the foundations of our family life.

Our age of technology has only worsened this temptation that the devil lays before us.  It induces us to be more open with others about our personal lives than perhaps in the past.  We form superficial attachments, and familiar bonds with others while weakening marital, and familial bonds, and the supernatural bond that is meant to draw us to closer union with God.  But we would be foolish to believe that the internet is the only threat, though a large one nonetheless.  We must be careful not to seek emotional intimacy outside our vocation, to "lay not thy heart open to every one; but to treat of thy affairs with the wise. . ."  Spiritual direction is necessary, and vocational guidance or mentoring is needed at times in our lives, but when we foster a familiarity with others that is unwarranted it can do much to damage our primary relationships, and future ones as well if we have not already entered into a permanent state of life.

"We must have charity towards all, but familiarity with all is not expedient. . ."

January 25th Fast

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JMJ

"Like the Psalmist, we too, in our daily prayer as individuals and as a community, praise and bless God our Father, who knitted us together in our mother's womb, and saw and loved us while we were still without form (cf. Ps 139:13, 15-16). We exclaim with overwhelming joy: "I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made; wonderful are your works. You know me through and through" (Ps 139:14). Indeed, "despite its hardships, its hidden mysteries, its suffering and its inevitable frailty, this mortal life is a most beautiful thing, a marvel ever new and moving, an event worthy of being exalted in joy and glory". Moreover, man and his life appear to us not only as one of the greatest marvels of creation: for God has granted to man a dignity which is near to divine (Ps 8:5-6). In every child which is born and in every person who lives or dies we see the image of God's glory. We celebrate this glory in every human being, a sign of the living God, an icon of Jesus Christ."   

(Evangelium Vitae, No. 84, 1994, Blessed Pope John Paul II)

It is a sad discovery when we realize that the fight for preserving life is not about when it begins or ends.  The anti-life crowd acknowledges that it is indeed a life that is being smothered out in abortion, yet they are unmoved because they choose to live in a world where life is not worth living.  Of course,  some may falsely think that they believe their own lives are worth living but it could not truly be the case if they did not think any and all mortal life was worth living.  Deep down in their hearts, people who treat other human beings without their due reverence and dignity will not recognize the dignity God has given them in their own created beings.

How can we touch a culture, how can we touch others who live in such an alternate reality?  We must show them, as Fulton Sheen said, that life is worth living.  Our lives must be full of joy!  Even in the midst of sorrow we can recall that our souls are immortal, and are yearning for the happiness that will be found in our heavenly home.  People who do not believe that each life has a purpose, also do not believe that each life is meant for eternal beatitude.  What a sad and miserable state so many wallow in because they have deprived themselves of this vision, of this reality of hope!  We must be a people of hope, ever pointing our hearts to the consolation that awaits us.  The joyful and loving witness of this hope will do much to lift up others, and our culture.  We should not forget that Christendom was not built upon the foundation of laws but upon the witness and great love of the martyrs and early Christians.

"As part of the spiritual worship acceptable to God (cf. Rom 12:1), the Gospel of life is to be celebrated above all in daily living, which should be filled with self-giving love for others. In this way, our lives will become a genuine and responsible acceptance of the gift of life and a heartfelt song of praise and gratitude to God who has given us this gift. This is already happening in the many different acts of selfless generosity, often humble and hidden, carried out by men and women, children and adults, the young and the old, the healthy and the sick." (Evangelium Vitae, No. 86)

Let us embrace life and praise God each day for the gifts He has given us in it!