Lenten reflections Fr. Marinko Sakota: Spiritual and soulful dimensions of fasting

date: 02.03.2021.

Lenten reflections will take place each Wednesday during the Lent, after the evening prayer programme. They are organised by parish of Medjugorje and Information Centre Mir Medjugorje and you can follow these through live streaming service, and will be available on YouTube channels and Facebook pages, but also live in our radio programme.

These reflections would be half an hour long and other Franciscans like Fr. Stanko Mabić, OFM and Fr. Ante Vučković, OFM and themes would include fasting, prayer, temptations, desert, the Word of God and forgiveness.

The second reflection was given by Fr. Marinko Sakota, Medjugorje parish priest on the theme of fasting, and you can see it HERE.

 

One of the participants of fasting retreat in Domus Pacis asked Fr. Slavko: «Fr. Slavko, you tell us that fasting helps us find peace, but when I fast I am not peaceful, I am nervous, angry at other family members, at my wife and my children. Isn’t it better not to fast, rather than to fast and be nervous?» Fr. Slavko told him: «The best is to fast and not be angry.» Then he added: If only those people who fast would be nervous, there would be few nervous people in the world.»

So, what about those who do not fast and are angry, upset, who curse? It is not fasting that makes us nervous or restless, but helps us discover causes of restlessness and anger.

The Queen of Peace teaches us that peace is in the service of fasting – as peace in man’s heart, but also in families and in the world. « Also today I call you to pray and fast for peace. As I have already said and now repeat to you, little children, only with prayer and fasting can wars also be stopped. Peace is a precious gift from God. Seek, pray and you will receive it.» (25. 2. 2003.)

When talking about peace, we start from the fact that man needs food and drinks. Also Jesus does not think that people only need spiritual food. On the contrary, he has much compassion to all those who came to listen to his speech in the far place. «In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat, he summoned the disciples and said, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance.”’» (Mk 8, 1-3) Also, when he brought to life Jair’s daughter, Jesus does not forget needs of her body. (Mk 5, 43)

By fasting (renouncing from food and drinks) we do not neglect food and drinks! Those are God’s gifts! We discover them again, but this time as a gift!

But, besides food and drinks man also need spiritual food, for he is not just created for this world. That is why Jesus says: « One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.» (Mt 4, 4) Therefore, when we fast we do not stop at the surface, caring for bodies, but we enter our interior and worry about the hygiene of the soul.

Due to habits and addictions in us, there is a force to eat and drink more than we need, to collect things that we do not need either. It is absurd to think that is is all fine with us, that we are free and yet, we became slaves of the habits and additions that say to us: «You need to take; you need to drink, you need to be someone in the eyes of the others, you need to watch TV and take your mobile device, you need to have more and more...» Addicted to things we are saying: «Take those cookies away!  I cannot stand looking at them and not taking them!»

Where is the solution? To run away from things and people or to remove those from us? Fasting is teaching us to endure! Fr. Slavko thought: «Those who learn how to live with things, they can live with people.»

Fasting is a way from slavery to freedom. « You, little children, are free to choose good or evil. Therefore, I call you to pray and fast.» (25. 1. 2008.) If a person learns to live in fasting with things, not to take all offered to him, he would be capable of living, being patient with people, even when he becomes upset or angry.... This is how inner forces would rise in us, for we learn how to be patient and wait. Exactly those inner strengths, man of this age easily looses -  patience, waiting, not taking what we want, enduring in hope when it is hard. By weakening of inner strength we become uncapable to prevail difficulties we would encounter in our lives, in our families, at work, whenever the cross appears…

Where do we see loss, lack of inner strength? «One can despair as soon as he happens to be in a difficult situation, many start taking drugs, as they lack inner strength to resist it.» (Fr. Slavko B.)

Whether the spiritual forces are strong or weak, it is evident among. «No one would marry someone he does not love. Yet, there are many divorces, why? Perhaps they cannot stand their partner in one particular point. They lack strength to endure the other and to forgive, this is how families are broken.» (Fr. Slavko B.)

If man learns to live fasting with things, not to touch them, not to be slave to them, to be patient even when he does not have all, not to take what he desires and when he desires, he would be capable of living, of being patient, even when he sees their faults and mistakes, when he sees splinter in someone else’s eye and gets in temptation to remove it in those weak moments.   

Simone Weil says: «It can be that vice, corruption and crime nearly all the time present the attempt of man to swallow the beauty, to eat what should be observed only. This is what Eve started. If she caused man’s fall, then exactly the opposite is necessary for salvation of the mankind, looking at the fruit without eating it.»

This should be the course of education of children and youth in fasting. Children do not need to fast like the adults on bread and water, but it is good for a parent to say to his child: «This chocolate is yours, but it is Friday today, so do not have it today, have it tomorrow.» This is the way to teach your child to patience, ability to wait and not to please each desire that occurs in him.

Jesus was asking of his disciples to have only two garments, for that was necessary. But not more than that! Through fasting, we are freed from all forces and we do not allow those to rule over us «Turn off the television and renounce various things that are of no value.» (13. 2. 1986.) Fasting is strengthening the word enough in us: Enough with addictions! Thus, the area of inner freedom is expanding in us and we can treat all forces differently and say: I do not need to take alcohol, I do not need to gamble, curse, be nervous, I can leave without those things too…

The philosopher Diogenes was eating bread and lentils for supper. He was seen by the philosopher Aristippus, who lived comfortably by flattering the king. Said Aristippus, 'If you would learn to be subservient to the king you would not have to live on lentils. Said Diogenes, Learn to live on lentils and you will not have to be subservient to the king.

The Queen of Peace is warning us that Evil exists, he wants to enslave us, but she teaches us we can fight the evil power. «Satan is trying to impose his power on you. Do not allow him that. Remain strong in faith, fast and pray.» (16. 11. 1981.)

Fasting helps us to be stripped from what we were holding on to, what we had confidence in, what we were ensured by and teaches us to surrender to God, more and more. The serpent, symbol of Evil is naked and we cannot fight it with our clothes on, addicted on things, on our ego, but only when we are stripped of all this.

When we fast we say no to inner slavery and Satan, and on the other side we say yes to God, we decide for freedom.« In this season I specially want you to renounce all the things to which you are attached but which are hurting your spiritual life. Therefore, little children, decide completely for God, and do not allow Satan to come into your life through those things that hurt both you and your spiritual life.» (25. 2. 1990.)

This is how we understand that fasting is not just struggle against evil, but helps our faith grow, and our confidence in God. «I desire to thank you from my heart for your Lenten renunciations. I desire to inspire you to continue to live fasting with an open heart. By fasting and renunciation, little children, you will be stronger in faith.» (25. 3. 2007.) «Dear children, I am calling you at this time to prayer, fasting and renunciation, that you may be stronger in faith.» (25. 1. 2021.)

Fasting helps us discern between what we need and what we do not need, what is essential for our lives and greed. There are things we need for living, food, drinks, clothes, roof over our home, but there is surplus too. There is hunger to have more. This hunger makes man blind for what he already has.

During one retreat of fasting and prayer, there was a girl who realised her wardrobe was packed with clothes, some she wore once or twice, but she wanted to have them so much that she had frequent fights with her parents over clothes. As she was consuming bread and water, her own eyes were opened to discover what was unnecessary in her life up to that point.

The Queen of Peace invites us to fasting, so our eyes would be opened for so many gifts God gives us each day. « In this Lenten time of grace, I call you to open your hearts to the gifts that God desires to give you. Do not be closed, but with prayer and renunciation say ‘yes’ to God and He will give to you in abundance. As in springtime the earth opens to the seed and yields a hundredfold, so also your heavenly Father will give to you in abundance.» (25. 2. 2006.)

«A little is needed for a life, very little » st. Leopold Bogdan Mandić used to say. When I fast, I realise: «I do not need much for my life. I do not need much to be happy.» Fasting teaches us modesty and simplicity of living, but to freedom too. «It is better to eat bread with water, then pie with trouble.» (A. Solženjicin)

St. Paus is the example of a man who is content despite all troubles. « Not that I say this because of need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I find myself, to be self-sufficient. I know indeed how to live in humble circumstances; I know also how to live with abundance. In every circumstance and in all things I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in need. I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me!» (Phil 4, 11-13).

If there is more than we need, our spiritual life can be in a danger, as we can get used to that and not see what we have and the feeling of needing more just grows. This makes us blind for what is important in our lives. Then, we would not see the only «important thing», something Jesus says to Martha, and «the only thing he lacks» as he said to young rich man.

Fasting is like ablatio, sculptor’s embossing of huge rock, removing all unnecessary parts until he comes to the image he sees. Fating is ablatio, removal, leaving behind all those things we do not need, so we would discover the only important and necessary in our life. Fasting is becoming Mary who sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to him.

When we fast, we get to know God and there is awareness in us on depth and greatness of His love to us. «Therefore, little children, arm yourselves with prayer and fasting so that you may be conscious of how much God loves you and may carry out God's will.» (25. 10. 2008.)

Besides getting to know God’s love to us, fasting wakes up hunger for God, need for Him and His will. Jesus give the example of such hunger and thirst for Father’s vicinity and doing His will: «Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work» (John 4, 34)

The Queen of Peace teaches us that purpose of fasting is getting closer to Jesus.  «Also today I invite you to fasting and renunciation. Little children, renounce that which hinders you from being closer to Jesus.» (25. 3. 1998.) «Little children, I wish to draw you all closer to my Son Jesus, therefore, you fast and pray.» (25. 7. 2004.)

The purpose of fasting is desire to be close to our Bridegroom, to hunger for Him. « The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast. People came to him and objected, “Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day!» (Mk 2, 18-20).

We need fasting, as so many things take the bridegroom away from us, so many things detach us from Jesus and prayer. We fast to return to Him, to be alike to Him in our hearts.

Jesus is teaching us that for fasting it is important not to do it out of act to people, but as expression of our personal relationship with God. « When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to others to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.» (Mt 6, 16-18)

If we fast before God who sees in hidden, not before people, our fasting would become act for people. Love towards those in need would be awaken in us. If there is no love in us, this is the obvious sign we need conversion. When we fast, we conquer ourselves, but not for us to win the victory ourselves, which would enhance our ego more, but to surrender more to the Holy Spirit, so He would guide and inspire us, so He would mold us.