The Wisdom of the Saints......................…about fasting and abstinence
“Wherefore, forsaking the vanity of many, and their false doctrines, let us return to the word which has been handed down to us from the beginning; staying awake in prayer, and persevering in fasting; beseeching in our supplications the all-seeing God 'not to lead us into temptation,' as the Lord has said: 'The spirit truly is willing, but the flesh is weak'.” St. Polycarp (1st-2nd centuries)
“Devils take great delight in fullness, and drunkenness, and bodily comfort. Fasting possesses great power and it works glorious things...To fast is to banquet with angels.” St. Athanasius (3rd-4th centuries, Doctor of the Church)
“Fasting is a kind of wall, then, for the Christian, impregnable to the devil, inaccessible to the enemy” St. Maximus of Turin (4th-5th centuries)
“It is impossible to engage in spiritual conflict unless the appetite has first been subdued.” St. Gregory the Great (6th-7th centuries, Doctor of the Church)
“The Church has always taught that all our penance without Christ’s passion is not worth a pea.” St. Thomas More (15th-16th centuries)
“Before the Savior began His preaching of the Gospel, He prepared Himself by fasting and solitude in the desert so that you would understand how serious a work is the salvation of souls. That Lord, Who is infinitely perfect, had no need of such ascetical practices, but He prepared Himself for His apostolate in this way so that those who fulfill this office will understand how to prepare themselves for the work of salvation of souls...Entering into this desert, you should, like Moses, climb to the summit of the mountain; that is, leave behind the things of earth and raise your heart to the things of heaven. For this, you will need two wings: the wing of prayer and that of fasting, which is necessary for prayer itself, because the stomach filled with food is not disposed to ascend to the heights...Therefore, accompany the Lord in all these exercises and labors, for here He is doing your work and paying for your pleasures. Imitate the example of Christ as much as you can. Pray with Him; fast with Him; struggle with Him; join your labors to His so that all of them will be acceptable in God's sight.” Ven Louis of Granada (16th century)
“If you do not learn to deny yourself, you can make no progress in perfection.” St. John of the Cross (16th century, Doctor of the Church)
“The more we have denied ourselves during the day, the nearer we are each evening to the Heart of our Lord.” St. Madeleine Sophie Barat (18th-19th centuries)
“They alone can truly feast, who have first fasted.” Bl. John Henry Newman (19th century)
“The will is the governor of the soul and body. It is the seat of all motivation and, therefore, the root of character. For motive determines the goodness of our acts. Two men can do exactly the same thing – for example, give alms. But one will do it because he gets his name in the paper, and the other because he sees Christ in the poor; the amount given may be the same, but the motivation which came from the will was very different. So it is with dieting and fasting. There is no material difference between a woman losing ten pounds by fasting and ten pounds by dieting, but there is a world of difference in the effect on the character. Dieting is done for the sake of the body; fasting is done for the sake of the soul. Dieting is done for the ego, fasting is done for charity, and to tame the body that the soul may be freer in its flight towards God.” Servant of God Fulton Sheen (19th-20th centuries)
“You are afraid of penance?...Of penance, which will help you to obtain life everlasting. Yet, do you see how men submit themselves to the thousand tortures of a painful surgical operation in order to preserve this poor present life?” St. Josemaria Escriva (20th century)
Saint of the Month
February 2012
Bls. Francisco & Jacinta Marto
Francisco and Jacinta Marto were simple shepherd children who became witnesses to an extraordinary message. They were born to poor farmers Manuel and Olimpia Marto, at Aljustrel, Portugal; Francisco in 1908, Jacinta in 1910. Aljustrel was located near Fatima in the central part of Portugal. Francisco and Jacinta were the youngest of seven children, and the family was devoutly Catholic. There was not a school in their village, so they were schooled at home and taught their catechism from their parish priest. Francisco was somewhat of a prankster and had a great love for animals. His family recalled that he once gave his last penny to a friend for a captive bird, which he then set free. He enjoyed playing a reed pipe, and was not a particularly outgoing boy. Jacinta was more charming and extroverted than her brother, loved to gather flowers and to sing and dance, and was known to pout when she did not get her way. Both children were more devout in their religious devotions than most children. Jacinta wept when she first heard the story of Christ's passion. They loved to spend time with their older cousin Lucia, and the threesome took care of the family's sheep herd. Jacinta had a fondness for the sheep and even named them all. The children prayed their rosary each day, but would greatly shorten the actual prayers in order to have more playtime. In 1916, an angel appeared to the three children, teaching them how to pray and asking them to do penance for the conversion of sinners. The children vowed to keep the angelic visits secret. Then, in May of 1917, the Virgin Mary appeared to the children while the sheep were grazing nearby. She asked them to come back each month and urged them to pray the Rosary daily for peace. It is interesting to note that only the girls heard the Virgin, Francisco did not. This time, the children did tell their parents, who did not believe the story. At the second monthly apparition, the Virgin requested devotion to her Immaculate Heart, which was greatly grieved because of sin. Some villagers had gathered for this apparition, but were unable to see or hear anything. At the third monthly visit, July 13, the Virgin again pleaded for the praying of the Rosary and for penances to be done for sins. The children were given a terrifying vision of hell, warned about the war to come and requested to pray for Russia in order to prevent much evil and suffering. Among the many things that Mary told the children was that Francisco and Jacinta would soon be going to heaven, but that Lucia would have to wait longer. As news of the apparitions spread, the children were subject to dreadful persecution, including being kidnapped, beaten, jailed, threatened and harassed because they would not recant their witness to the apparitions. The Virgin appeared again in August and September, and for the last time, on October 13. At this last visit, a vast crowd had gathered, and in response to requests for a sign of Mary's presence, a spectacular miracle of the sun was given which astounded believer and non-believer alike.
After the apparitions, the behavior of the children changed much. No longer did they take shortcuts in reciting the Rosary, they gave up music and dancing and they spent much more time in prayer. Most remarkable was their willingness to do penances for sins. In the autumn of 1918, an influenza outbreak occurred in Europe, and Francisco and Jacinta became ill. Both children continued their penances and spent many hours in prayer and adoration, including much prayer of intercession which was requested by others. Francisco died at his home on April 4, 1919 at the age of ten, just hours after receiving his first Holy Communion. Jacinta lingered much longer with her final illness. Although she told her family that medical treatments would be futile, she was hospitalized twice with tuberculosis and bravely underwent surgery without anesthesia. She died February 20, 1920 at age eight. Both children are buried at the Basilica at Fatima. In 1999, beatification of the children was approved after a miraculous healing from paralysis was experienced by a woman who prayed a novena asking their intercession. They were beatified in 2000, while their cousin Lucia was still alive and living at a Carmelite convent. Francisco and Jacinta Marto gave a powerful witness to an extraordinary message from heaven, the Fatima apparition being declared authentic ten years after Jacinta's death. As she often does, Our Lady chose simple, modest children to communicate with. Their fidelity to what they saw and heard and willingness to humbly obey her requests was truly meritorious. They are the youngest non-martyred children ever beatified and their feast day is celebrated on February 20.
