Fasting isn’t only a change of food. There has to be a change in quality, certainly, but also in quantity. The saints of our Church say: ‘Fasting is not only abstaining from food, but also eating less and with less variety’. Food should be limited. And above all, should not consist of expensive items which fall within the term ‘food for a fast’. That’s a parody and a mockery of fasting.
There’s also the social dimension of fasting, which we often forget today. The Fathers of the Church insist that fasting must be accompanied by almsgiving. The faithful should cut out something and offer that to somebody who is in need. In other words, it’s an act of love. We forget this dimension today and fasting becomes just a change of eating habits. And an expensive one, at that.
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