Book Review: The Spirituality of Fasting

The list of small group classes offered by my church during the Lenten season included a study on the discipline of fasting. It was an odd choice for me. I am not one to intentionally skip a meal—or even a snack.

Still, I wondered, could fasting help with my tendency to overeat during times of stress? How can abstaining from food bring me closer to God?

The Spirituality of Fasting by Charles M. Murphy seeks to answer these questions. While the book is written from a Catholic perceptive, Christians of many backgrounds can gain a stronger understanding of the history of the practice and its applications for today.

In the preface to the book, the author provides a definition for us:

Religious fasting first of all is an act of humility before God, a penitential expression of our need for conversion from sin and selfishness. Its aim is nothing less than helping us to become more loving persons, loving God above all and our neighbor as ourselves. Its purpose therefore is the transformation of our total being—mind, body, and spirit. Fasting cannot achieve these aims unless its focus is on God in prayer and not ourselves.

Fasting as a part of repentance

The author does not spend a great deal of time on the Jewish use of fasting, but does mention the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) ascribed in Leviticus 23:26-32. During this annual sacrificial day, the people are told to practice self-denial with a fast lasting 25 hours.

In other references in the Hebrew scriptures, fasting is part of a list of other penitent actions such as weeping and mourning. Furthermore, a fast as described in Isaiah 58 must be accompanied by a change in behavior.

In a nomadic community thousands of years ago, fasting was a profound statement of dependency on God, because it rejected one of the most basic of human needs.

Fasting as a spiritual discipline

As spiritual seekers of centuries ago discovered, fasting provides an opportunity to place the entire body into a mode of living prayer. Early Christian ascetics such as Origen in the second century and Anthony of the Desert (250-356), known as the “first monk,” used fasting regimens of various forms.

They became convinced that the condition of the body reflects the condition of the soul. An undisciplined body reveals an undisciplined soul. Body and soul have a reciprocal influence upon each other because they are dimensions of each person's identity. These desert fathers also became aware, by the deep soul work in which they engaged in their solitary existence, that the achievement of purity of heart and the capacity to practice divine charity required control of the unruly self and all its desires.

Later on “Lent evolved as a way that the whole body of believers could participate in the ascetical practices modeled by the heroic monks and hermits of the centuries before.”

Fasting as an act of solidarity with others

Fasting at the same time as others provides a sense of community. During the past few weeks, members of our small group committed to an eight-hour fast each Friday. When I grew weary and wanted to give up, I knew that others were likely having similar struggles.

In the hermitage, “hospitality to guests and strangers out of divine charity was the supreme obligation of the monk. Unlike modern dieters, fasting monks would feel compelled to share a meal with any visitor.”

Statistics say that one in six Americans struggles with food insecurity. But how can I truly be compassionate toward those who struggle each day to put food on the table if I have never experienced hunger?

Fasting provides a way to gain empathy for others, especially those in pain, or in literal hunger. As Murphy emphasizes, “We seek through fasting a greater compassion, a softer heart.”

Applications for life today

Our fast-paced contemporary world adds several layers of complexity. As Murphy states, “Food in a time of plenty and easy access to it has become a major preoccupation for everyone.” With this in mind, fasting can help us to learn greater balance in our nutritional habits—and thus, greater discipline in our lives.

As the author describes it, St Augustine saw fasting as a method of breaking habits, including those we know are not in our best interests. This in particular resonated with me. When I fasted, I experienced a solid break from the norm of my everyday life. I could not try to relieve the stress of my day with food; I trusted in spiritual relief instead. I have found that I carry over the sense of greater discipline on non-fast days as well. Murphy states:

At its most basic level, the regular practice of fasting serves as a reminder in our distracted existence to pay attention to what we are eating. But fasting can also be the daily occasion to practice the virtue of temperance.

I found this to be true in my experience, carrying over a more disciplined eating pattern and improved emotional and spiritual state in non-fast days as well.

Recently several fasting regimens have gained popularity in both Christian and secular circles. The Daniel fast follows the diet prescribed by the prophet in the book of Daniel. From strictly a health and weight management perspective, The Fast Diet prescribes a partial fast two days per week.

Regardless of the form that the fast itself takes, our primary focus should be on God, not rules of which foods are in and which are out.

Murphy reminds us that “The human act of eating, if it is truly human, is a conscious one: we choose what we eat, and we appreciate it with thanksgiving. Jesus chose to commemorate himself in a meal which later Christians would call agape, 'love,' for food draws us together.”