Traditional Fast
Ash Wednesday, the start of the season of Lent, Catholics promise to fast and abstain from eating meat. As a sacrifice, our class decided to keep this going for an additional six days. my week of fasting consisted of not snacking after dinner time. For me, eating is a "go-to" when I am just slightly hungry or even bored. It takes an extreme amount of effort and self-control to keep this up. What got me through this was thinking of those who cannot even eat one meal each day. The way that so many of us take advantage of our ability to purchase food in surplus is an injustice if we take into consideration the amount of people who die from starvation each day. By fasting, I was able to spend more time reflecting on these things, and I was also able to put the money not spent on food towards my college education which will prepare me to contribute to society the best way that I can.
Pope Francis offers some encouraging words in preparation for Lent by saying, "We can do this to the extent that we imitate Christ who became poor and enriched us by his poverty. lent is a fitting time for self-denial; we would do well to ask ourselves what we can give in order to help and enrich others by our own poverty. Let us not forget that real poverty hurts: no self denial is real without this dimension of penance. I distrust a charity that costs nothing and does not hurt." Here he points out another source of encouragement-the fact that Jesus fasted in the desert for forty days right before he was put to death for the sake of all humans. In order to show Him our love, we can take this time during Lent to sacrifice a little bit of the excess in our lives. It is a healthy way to live out the Gospel message. Never forget what Jesus did for us, and never forget what we can do for Him.
Ash Wednesday, the start of the season of Lent, Catholics promise to fast and abstain from eating meat. As a sacrifice, our class decided to keep this going for an additional six days. my week of fasting consisted of not snacking after dinner time. For me, eating is a "go-to" when I am just slightly hungry or even bored. It takes an extreme amount of effort and self-control to keep this up. What got me through this was thinking of those who cannot even eat one meal each day. The way that so many of us take advantage of our ability to purchase food in surplus is an injustice if we take into consideration the amount of people who die from starvation each day. By fasting, I was able to spend more time reflecting on these things, and I was also able to put the money not spent on food towards my college education which will prepare me to contribute to society the best way that I can.
Pope Francis offers some encouraging words in preparation for Lent by saying, "We can do this to the extent that we imitate Christ who became poor and enriched us by his poverty. lent is a fitting time for self-denial; we would do well to ask ourselves what we can give in order to help and enrich others by our own poverty. Let us not forget that real poverty hurts: no self denial is real without this dimension of penance. I distrust a charity that costs nothing and does not hurt." Here he points out another source of encouragement-the fact that Jesus fasted in the desert for forty days right before he was put to death for the sake of all humans. In order to show Him our love, we can take this time during Lent to sacrifice a little bit of the excess in our lives. It is a healthy way to live out the Gospel message. Never forget what Jesus did for us, and never forget what we can do for Him.
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