Are You Fasting the Right Way? (The Inner Life with Patrick Conley)

Do you find fasting something easy to do? Or do you dread the thought of it? Patrick Conley is with Fr. Matthew Widder in a discussion about fasting. Navigating through post-holiday indulgences, they delve into how fasting isn't just about saying 'no' to food, but a deeper 'yes' to faith. With holidays wrapping up, you may face the familiar dance of delight and discipline, where sweets abound, but so does the call to refocus spiritually. 🌐 Fr. Matthew sheds light on the biblical roots of fasting, referencing Jesus’ own fast in the wilderness. This ancient practice isn’t about deprivation for its own sake, but a reorientation towards heavenly desires over earthly comforts. It’s a spiritual antenna adjustment, tuning into God's frequency and away from the world's static. 🍪🙅‍♂️ What is your heart looking at? Fr. Matthew highlights how fasting can reveal our vulnerabilities and dependencies, whether it's a craving for cookies or a compulsive scroll through social media. It's a mirror reflecting our reliance on earthly pleasures over spiritual sustenance. 🤔 But it’s not just about what you give up – it's also about how you do it. Fasting, as Fr. Matthew points out, requires a delicate balance. It’s an exercise of will, aligning personal choices with God's will, but also a path of temperance, avoiding the pitfall of pride in self-denial.  📆🕊 They also touch on the liturgical rhythm of the Church, urging you to harmonize your fasting with the Church's calendar – feast when it's time to feast, and fast when it's time to fast. This isn't confined to Lent but is a year-round call, with Fridays marked as days of special penance. 📞 But what if you like fasting?! A caller, Tom from Tucson shares his experience of fasting becoming enjoyable, no longer feeling like a sacrifice. Fr. Matthew encourages seeing this as grace, but also staying vigilant for new ways God might be calling one to grow and sacrifice.