Today's Lenten reading comes from Pope Benedict XVI's 2009 Message for Lent, dedicated to the practice of fasting:

In our own day, fasting seems to have lost something of its spiritual meaning, and has taken on, in a culture characterized by the search for material well-being, a therapeutic value for the care of one's body. Fasting certainly bring ( Read more... )

Today's Lenten reading comes again from Thomas a Kempis' The Imitation of Christ. This chapter is addressed specifically to those in religious vows, but clearly it can be applied to all disciples of Christ:

Each day we ought to renew our resolutions and arouse ourselves to fervor as though it were the first day of our religious life. We ought to ( Read more... )

Sermon 205 - On the Beginning of Lent

The following is taken from New City Press’ Essential Sermons of St. Augustine, translated by Fr. Edmund Hill, O.P., with opening commentary by Fr. Daniel Doyle, O.S.A. (one of my professors).

This sermon was likely preached on the first Sunday of Lent in Hippo sometime after 415. Augustine gives an extended ( Read more... )

Pope's Lenten Message for 2009

"Fasting Is a Great Help to Avoid Sin and All That Leads to It"

VATICAN CITY, FEB. 3, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is Benedict XVI's Lenten message for 2009, dated Dec. 11 and released today. The theme of the letter is "He Fasted for Forty Days and Forty Nights, and Afterward He Was Hungry."

* * *

Dear Brothers and Sisters ( Read more... )

So, this may be a kind of stupid question, but just exactly how does the Christian fast? I have heard water only, bread and water only, reducing meals, and so on. Thanks.

CHAPTER 7

Fasting and the scapegoat

1 Understand therefore, children of gladness, that the good Lord made all things plain beforehand to us, that we should know him to whom we ought to give thanks and praise for everything.

2 If then the Son of God, though he was the Lord and was "destined to judge the living and the dead" suffered in order that ( Read more... )

( Under the cut )

I apologize if this is in any way off topic (if so, feel free to delete), but I tried posting on a dieting support community, and it didn't seem to be very well received...probably because many people automatically associate fasting with unhealthy weight loss (which is not what I'm going for). So I thought I'd give it a try here to get a better ( Read more... )