Fasting and the Unseen (Lent, 2012-02-27)

“This kind can only come out by prayer [and fasting].” (Mark 9:29)

[_01_] The 40 Days of Lent start with a profession of faith … a profession which requires no words, appearing on our foreheads. Visible, public.

The 40 Days of Lent also invite us to certain other visible practices, almsgiving (charity), to prayer, and to fasting/abstaining from meat on Fridays, for example.

[_02_] The very first Lenten season, for our Lord and Savior in the desert, was not so public. And, his fasting was unseen, invisible. Yet, his fasting is a preparation… as are all fasts for what is coming next. Also, the fast – can have the effect of changing our attitude – toward a visible object, something tangible.

A fast from a certain form of nourishment may help us to appreciate it more, a fast or a reduction of our consumption of some other good - a reduction of some electronic medium or media, or of our television – also will help us to develop a particular habit.

By fasting, I may be better able to discern what I need and when and why. All of these are benefits of fasting, visible, both to ourselves and to others.

[_03_] John Henry Newman writes in a sermon that fasting and prayer are spiritual practices which give us power .. “which give the soul power over the unseen world” , over what we cannot see.

(Reference: Newman, John Henry, “Fasting A Source of Trial” Book 6, Sermon 1, Parochial & Plain Sermons 1891, San Francisco: Ignatius, 1997, pp. 1192-1193.)

In the Gospel, Jesus goes to the desert and is tempted by the evil spirit. We have heard these 3 temptations, which we might reflect just on the first one.
Nourishment – if you are the Son of God, turn these stones into bread (Matthew 4:3)

[_04_] Jesus withstands these 3 temptations, declining, just saying no.

Cardinal Newman suggests we, in a fast, do not simply say No to the visible thing, to the …. attributes of the “nourishment”, “recognition”, “wealth.” Rather, we also understand better that which is not seen. And, fasting … helps to see what might otherwise be hidden.

[_05_] The Lord is first invited to nourish himself, turn stones into bread.
Nourishment is something good. But, sometimes our desire for nourishment comes from true hunger but also from insecurity, from pride … from boredom.

And, sometimes, we nourish ourselves not only on purely packaged food, but also on purely packaged information, entertainment, images … all with empty calories.

And, we desire these things sometimes out of our own occasional – or more than occasional – despair, jealousy, pride. These are unseen spirits … fasting helps us to be aware of their presence.

[__06] We do not live by bread alone.

But, Jesus also cautions us – in the Gospel of Ash Wednesday – that fasting is not simply about what we can see, touch, or purchase.

Jesus says, “when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden.” (cf. Matthew 6:16-18)

Fasting is not simply about what we see … nor is it about being seen.

Fasting helps us to grow stronger to make our YES mean YES and, at times, our No mean No.

We can say Yes to those who truly love us, and, when necessary No to those who do not.

And, fasting helps us to know the Lord and know ourselves, to know what we need, not only based on a set of product features which we can see …but also based on our own true (or false) desires which may be obscure or out of sight. [_fin_]