Fast from hurting words and say kind words.
Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude.
Fast from anger and be filled with patience.
Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope.
Fast from worries and have trust in God.
Fast from complaints; contemplate simplicity.
Fast from pressures and be prayerful.
Fast from bitterness; fill your hearts with joy.
Fast from selfishness and be compassionate.
Fast from grudges and be reconciled.
Fast from words be silent and listen.
These are words that have been attributed to Pope Francis, although the source for these words has yet to be fully established. Nevertheless, Pope Francis has made similar or equivalent comments.
He says first of all that: ‘We must be careful not to practice a formal fast, or one which in truth “satisfies” us because it makes us feel good about ourselves. Fasting makes sense if it questions our security, and if it also leads to some benefit for others, if it helps us to cultivate the style of the Good Samaritan, who bends down to his brother in need and takes care of him. Fasting involves choosing a sober lifestyle; a way of life that does not waste, a way of life that does not “throw away”. Fasting helps us to attune our hearts to the essential and to sharing. It is a sign of awareness and responsibility in the face of injustice, abuse, especially to the poor and the little ones, and it is a sign of the trust we place in God and in his providence.’
In saying this he was following the teaching of his predecessors, Paul VI, in his 1973 Message for Lent, said that Lent is a time of renunciation and penance but is also “a time of communion and solidarity”. As a result, invited us to listen to the exhortations of the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 58: 1-12): “This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: … sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own.” Such exhortations, noted Pope Paul, “echo the anxieties of the people of today,” and thus, “each individual truly shares in the sufferings and misery of all.”
Pope Francis also says that we fast and do penance: ‘in order to free ourselves from dependencies regarding what is passing, and to train ourselves to be more sensitive and merciful. It is an invitation to simplicity and to sharing: to take something from our table and from our assets in order to once again find the true benefit of freedom.’ As a result, ‘Fasting reunites us to ourselves. Lent invites us to look inside our heart, with fasting, which frees us from attachment to things and from the worldliness that numbs the heart.’
‘Fasting is not a diet. Indeed, it sets us free from the self-centred and obsessive quest of physical fitness, in order to help us to keep in shape not only our bodies but our spirit as well. Fasting makes us appreciate things for their true worth. It reminds us in a concrete way that life must not be made dependent upon the fleeting landscape of the present world. Nor should fasting be restricted to food alone. Especially in Lent, we should fast from anything that can create in us any kind of addiction. This is something each of us should reflect on, so as to fast in a way that will have an effect on our actual lives.’
These arguments and the words with which we began are sometimes criticised as we should not simply abstain from sinful behaviour for a period such as Lent, but should always seek to lay aside our sinfulness. However, that is to misunderstand what Pope Francis is advocating. His argument is that we begin to abstain from sin in Lent in order to continue throughout our lives.
Finally, Pope Francis argues that ‘Prayer, charity and fasting need to grow “in secret” (Matthew 6: 1-21), but that is not true of their effects. Prayer, charity and fasting are not medicines meant only for ourselves but for everyone: they can change history. First, because those who experience their effects almost unconsciously pass them on to others; but above all, because prayer, charity and fasting are the principal ways for God to intervene in our lives and in the world. They are weapons of the spirit and, with them, we implore from God that peace which men and women are incapable of building by themselves.’
So: Fast from hurting words and say kind words.
Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude.
Fast from anger and be filled with patience.
Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope.
Fast from worries and have trust in God.
Fast from complaints; contemplate simplicity.
Fast from pressures and be prayerful.
Fast from bitterness; fill your hearts with joy.
Fast from selfishness and be compassionate.
Fast from grudges and be reconciled.
Fast from words be silent and listen.
This sermon uses material from: https://sites.google.com/view/popefrancishomilies/fasting and https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/the-popes-and-the-lenten-fast-training-the-will-in-good.html#:~:text=There%20are%20three%20key%20elements,example%20of%20the%20Good%20Samaritan.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment