Dear Fasting Friends,
Today we bring you some fasting tips the Holy Father shared two years ago. He reminds us of the true purpose for fasting, which I would say in a nutshell is conversion. Conversion to be more like Christ. He sites the First Reading for that day, Isaiah 58:5, that highlights how fasting that is acceptable to the Lord aims to:
“release those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke.”
Conferring with one of our team members about this subject this morning, she offered these comments which I thought would be good to share:
"Yes. We must fast with a goal in mind, a purpose. Will this fasting help me transform? Will it help me end my coldness and abruptness? Will it help me grow in gentleness and sweetness?"
Good points, don't you think?
So, I guess we can say that when fasting, our main thoughts shouldn't be centered on what we are and are not going to eat, but on what we will lose and what we are going to gain. We should be most concerned with fasting that is acceptable to the Lord, for then:
You shall call, and the Lord will answer,
you shall cry for help, and he will say: Her I am!
Click the Holy Father's picture below to read more, savor, and digest.
