I had wondered why fasting and abstinence is required of Catholics during Lent. What does not eating meat (abstinence) or eating less food (fasting) do for our faith as Catholics? I always drew blanks and had to admit that I was only leaning on the wisdom of the Catholic hierarchy. Simply translated, I followed this practice through blind faith.
It didn't bother me so I didn't bother to question the practice. To outsiders, however, it is an odd practice. So after listening to the homily of the priest during Ash Wednesday, I came to a realization about the practice of fasting and abstinence. I'm sure there exists a more theologically grounded reason for these practices but as I'm not well versed in theology, I'll go by my own reasons.
Put simply, fasting and abstinence stresses to us the importance of the Creator above the creation. I've heard it said that sin (any sin) is when we put creation above the Creator. Adultery is when we put sex (creation) above the Creator. With theft, money is put first. When Catholics purposefully choose not to attend Sunday mass, they value their time (creation) above God. Time and time again, with any sin, it's always man putting more value onto a creation rather than God.
When we deny ourselves things that we like, it's a physical manifestation of us saying that our desires are only secondary or even tertiary to God who should be first in our lives. That said, simply abstaining for meat does very little to further the word of God. As a matter of personal practice, I only abstain if I'm able to save money from doing so. Said saved money then goes into the collection box or some other charity. So while I try to avoid meat on Fridays, I also try to avoid more expensive seafood dishes like sashimi, or lobsters, or shrimps as I believe these things defeat the idea of abstaining from eating meat.
When we fast and when we abstain this Lent, let's remember why we do it. It's us reminding ourselves that our desires do not rule over us. Our needs and wants do not control us. We are above these things and thus can choose to say no to these things. But we must always say yes to God, the Creator.
This is my short reflection on the matter and I hope to encourage more people to enjoy the fasting and the abstinence this Lenten season.
When we deny ourselves things that we like, it's a physical manifestation of us saying that our desires are only secondary or even tertiary to God who should be first in our lives. That said, simply abstaining for meat does very little to further the word of God. As a matter of personal practice, I only abstain if I'm able to save money from doing so. Said saved money then goes into the collection box or some other charity. So while I try to avoid meat on Fridays, I also try to avoid more expensive seafood dishes like sashimi, or lobsters, or shrimps as I believe these things defeat the idea of abstaining from eating meat.
When we fast and when we abstain this Lent, let's remember why we do it. It's us reminding ourselves that our desires do not rule over us. Our needs and wants do not control us. We are above these things and thus can choose to say no to these things. But we must always say yes to God, the Creator.
This is my short reflection on the matter and I hope to encourage more people to enjoy the fasting and the abstinence this Lenten season.
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