This chapter reminded me of the importance of fasting. It reminded me that genuine fasting involves turning away from evil and turning back to God. When I was a kid there was great emphasis on fasting, but over the years it seems that the only time fasting has been emphasized is during the season of Lent. Why has that changed so drastically? I realize that if I want to be the best version of myself, by fasting I will be able to turn away from the lesser version of myself, turn away from sin, and will be able to turn to God. I need to ask God to lead me in the right direction by helping me turn away from sin.
This chapter reminded me about the efforts needed to be discipline. . It talked about our acts of nourishing our bodies and our soul and which should be the most important part of our lives. It is important to remember that our body is for us while we are here on Earth but our soul is everlasting. This chapter mentioned practices of fasting and how fasting is like prayer of the body. I liked that quote and hope to be able to include fasting in my life at other times besides during Lent. Afterall as the chapter mentioned, fasting helps us turn our backs on the lesser version of ourselves and turn to the best version of ourselves. I ask the Lord to continue to help me on this journey.
I was feeling a little guilty as I read this chapter title. I've never really understood fasting as such a positive thing, outside of Lent. After reading this I see how fasting in different ways is a discipline practice that can be very beneficial to all. I learned a lot this chapter!
This chapter really had me thinking about fasting and like Abby I also learned a lot from this chapter. During Lent we are to refrain from eating meat, but to me this was not much of a sacrifice as we liked fish. How do you fast on Fridays during Lent when there are so many fish fries around where you can go and stuff yourself with a great meal. To me this is not fasting nor is it a sacrifice for most of us. In reading about fasting I learned that fasting is not merely a physical practice or just another personal accomplishment, but rather a spiritual exercise that can be done throughout the year.
I agree with Patty. To me, going out to eat on a Friday night during Lent is not fasting and not a sacrifice! It's just another excuse for us to indulge in our own selfish behaviors and pleasures. Giving up meat for me is not a big deal since there isn't much of it that I like to eat anyway and I don't like fish. But take away my Pepsi......now that would truly be a sacrifice! It's also a double-edged sword. The parishes are promoting their "all you can eat" fish fries in order to make some desperately needed money. Doesn't this go against everything Matthew Kelly said in this chapter about fasting?
This chapters discussion about fasting was very thought provoking. Like Abby, I feel that I really had no clue about fasting, I just knew it was something that I was encouraged to do during Lent. Now that I know a little more about it, I will have a different view about it. At the end of the chapter the following statements gave me hope. "The spiritual journey is not made a mile at a time. More often than not, the advances in the spiritual journey are too small even to measure." As I was reading this it gave me hope that the small stuff I am doing will continue to lead me on my spiritual journey.
When I read the sixteenth chapter about fasting, I thought about Lent. I usually associate fasting with giving up meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays. These days do bring awareness of having God in my life and all of the things he has done for us. Like Abby and Stephanie, I learned a new insight to the concept of fasting. Besides abstaining from food (and/or bad habits), it is a spiritual exercise. I agreed with Matthew Kelly when he said, “Growing complexities tended to transform the practice of fasting into more of a legal matter than a spiritual practice, and they tended to move the focus from inner transformation toward display. The motive for fasting began to shift toward obligation and away from conversion and penance.” We should also emphasize the importance of conversion and penance in our lives.
I agree that fasting is important to have in our everyday lives, not only during Lent. We should fast and practice some self-discipline to help us to better ourselves. I agree that we need to “learn to assert the dominance of the spirit over the body, of the eternal over the temporal.” This will help us on with our spiritual journey to reach eternal salvation.
I found it interesting to that by saying "no" to the body, you are strengthening your soul. It can be the small things that we give up in our daily lives that can make this difference. "Come humbly to God in prayer"...this quote stuck out to me.
I think I also forget to recognize that another form of fasting is to abstain from judging or criticizing others or myself.
I always think of fasting as not eating. I have never thought of it any other way or thought of it as giving up any other things in our lives such as judging others or myself as Natalie said. I feel like that sort of fasting would be beneficial to everyone and I think for me, it would make me feel like a much better person if I fasted from judging myself and others. I have a whole new perspective on fasting now.
Here I felt like a hypocrite as I have never truly practiced fasting as seeing no relevance what so ever. I never even talked about it as a second grade religious education teacher because I did not believe in the practice. Believing this "man-made" law was not intended the way our elders interpreted it. Giving up meat on Fridays and eating fish or shrimp or crab legs for Lent is not a sacrifice. Attending all you can eat fish fry is not a sacrifice. So upon reading the chapter, the word discipline took on a whole new meaning for me and feeding my soul more than my body. Gossiping and complaining is a habitual sin and it is an ugly one that does make me be the best version of myself. I need to walk away and not get sucked into conversations and I need to be a better role model for my family, friends and cohorts. I am sorry and I will work on this. I really want to be a better version, want to be more like Christ!
Like Abby and Patty, I felt like I learned a lot more about what fasting truly is by reading this chapter. Reading that fasting is about discipline and "releasing us from our attachments to things in this world" made a lot of sense and made me realize that fasting is more than the 40 days of Lent. There were two lines from this chapter that I really took pause to think about: "Fasting is the prayer of the body" and "The purpose of fasting is to assist the soul in turning back to God." Thinking about these two lines helps me to see that fasting is a worthy exercise each day to help be the best-version of myself.
I must not have enough discipline because how on Earth did Jesus find the strength to fast for 40 days and nights? This seems like such a long time. I suppose this is one of the reasons why he is our savior. Maybe I will begin thinking of fasting as a celebration!
This chapter reminded me of the importance of fasting. It reminded me that genuine fasting involves turning away from evil and turning back to God. When I was a kid there was great emphasis on fasting, but over the years it seems that the only time fasting has been emphasized is during the season of Lent. Why has that changed so drastically?
ReplyDeleteI realize that if I want to be the best version of myself, by fasting I will be able to turn away from the lesser version of myself, turn away from sin, and will be able to turn to God. I need to ask God to lead me in the right direction by helping me turn away from sin.
This chapter reminded me about the efforts needed to be discipline. . It talked about our acts of nourishing our bodies and our soul and which should be the most important part of our lives. It is important to remember that our body is for us while we are here on Earth but our soul is everlasting. This chapter mentioned practices of fasting and how fasting is like prayer of the body. I liked that quote and hope to be able to include fasting in my life at other times besides during Lent. Afterall as the chapter mentioned, fasting helps us turn our backs on the lesser version of ourselves and turn to the best version of ourselves.
ReplyDeleteI ask the Lord to continue to help me on this journey.
I was feeling a little guilty as I read this chapter title. I've never really understood fasting as such a positive thing, outside of Lent. After reading this I see how fasting in different ways is a discipline practice that can be very beneficial to all. I learned a lot this chapter!
ReplyDeleteThis chapter really had me thinking about fasting and like Abby I also learned a lot from this chapter. During Lent we are to refrain from eating meat, but to me this was not much of a sacrifice as we liked fish. How do you fast on Fridays during Lent when there are so many fish fries around where you can go and stuff yourself with a great meal. To me this is not fasting nor is it a sacrifice for most of us. In reading about fasting I learned that fasting is not merely a physical practice or just another personal accomplishment, but rather a spiritual exercise that can be done throughout the year.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Patty. To me, going out to eat on a Friday night during Lent is not fasting and not a sacrifice! It's just another excuse for us to indulge in our own selfish behaviors and pleasures. Giving up meat for me is not a big deal since there isn't much of it that I like to eat anyway and I don't like fish. But take away my Pepsi......now that would truly be a sacrifice! It's also a double-edged sword. The parishes are promoting their "all you can eat" fish fries in order to make some desperately needed money. Doesn't this go against everything Matthew Kelly said in this chapter about fasting?
ReplyDeleteThis chapters discussion about fasting was very thought provoking. Like Abby, I feel that I really had no clue about fasting, I just knew it was something that I was encouraged to do during Lent. Now that I know a little more about it, I will have a different view about it. At the end of the chapter the following statements gave me hope. "The spiritual journey is not made a mile at a time. More often than not, the advances in the spiritual journey are too small even to measure." As I was reading this it gave me hope that the small stuff I am doing will continue to lead me on my spiritual journey.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read the sixteenth chapter about fasting, I thought about Lent. I usually associate fasting with giving up meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays. These days do bring awareness of having God in my life and all of the things he has done for us. Like Abby and Stephanie, I learned a new insight to the concept of fasting. Besides abstaining from food (and/or bad habits), it is a spiritual exercise. I agreed with Matthew Kelly when he said, “Growing complexities tended to transform the practice of fasting into more of a legal matter than a spiritual practice, and they tended to move the focus from inner transformation toward display. The motive for fasting began to shift toward obligation and away from conversion and penance.” We should also emphasize the importance of conversion and penance in our lives.
ReplyDeleteI agree that fasting is important to have in our everyday lives, not only during Lent. We should fast and practice some self-discipline to help us to better ourselves. I agree that we need to “learn to assert the dominance of the spirit over the body, of the eternal over the temporal.” This will help us on with our spiritual journey to reach eternal salvation.
I found it interesting to that by saying "no" to the body, you are strengthening your soul. It can be the small things that we give up in our daily lives that can make this difference. "Come humbly to God in prayer"...this quote stuck out to me.
ReplyDeleteI think I also forget to recognize that another form of fasting is to abstain from judging or criticizing others or myself.
I always think of fasting as not eating. I have never thought of it any other way or thought of it as giving up any other things in our lives such as judging others or myself as Natalie said. I feel like that sort of fasting would be beneficial to everyone and I think for me, it would make me feel like a much better person if I fasted from judging myself and others. I have a whole new perspective on fasting now.
ReplyDeleteHere I felt like a hypocrite as I have never truly practiced fasting as seeing no relevance what so ever. I never even talked about it as a second grade religious education teacher because I did not believe in the practice. Believing this "man-made" law was not intended the way our elders interpreted it.
ReplyDeleteGiving up meat on Fridays and eating fish or shrimp or crab legs for Lent is not a sacrifice. Attending all you can eat fish fry is not a sacrifice.
So upon reading the chapter, the word discipline took on a whole new meaning for me and feeding my soul more than my body. Gossiping and complaining is a habitual sin and it is an ugly one that does make me be the best version of myself. I need to walk away and not get sucked into conversations and I need to be a better role model for my family, friends and cohorts. I am sorry and I will work on this.
I really want to be a better version, want to be more like Christ!
Like Abby and Patty, I felt like I learned a lot more about what fasting truly is by reading this chapter. Reading that fasting is about discipline and "releasing us from our attachments to things in this world" made a lot of sense and made me realize that fasting is more than the 40 days of Lent. There were two lines from this chapter that I really took pause to think about: "Fasting is the prayer of the body" and "The purpose of fasting is to assist the soul in turning back to God." Thinking about these two lines helps me to see that fasting is a worthy exercise each day to help be the best-version of myself.
ReplyDeleteI must not have enough discipline because how on Earth did Jesus find the strength to fast for 40 days and nights? This seems like such a long time. I suppose this is one of the reasons why he is our savior. Maybe I will begin thinking of fasting as a celebration!
ReplyDelete