Pope calls for fasting during Lent

MANILA, Philippines - As the faithful prepare to start the Lenten season, Pope Benedict XVI called for fasting not as "bodily therapy" but as a sign of solidarity with one's brethren. The Pope, in his Lenten message, said the faithful should restore the true meaning of fasting from caring for one's body to caring for one's brethren like the Good Samaritan. "In our own day, fasting seems to have lost something of its spiritual meaning, and has taken on, in a culture characterized by the search for material well-being, a therapeutic value for the care of one's body. Fasting certainly bring benefits to physical well-being, but for believers, it is, in the first place, a 'therapy' to heal all that prevents them from conformity to the will of God," he said. He added Lent could be a propitious time to present again the norms contained in the Apostolic Constitution, so that the authentic and perennial significance of this long held practice may be rediscovered, "and thus assist us to mortify our egoism and open our heart to love of God and neighbor, the first and greatest Commandment of the new Law and compendium of the entire Gospel." "By freely embracing an act of self-denial for the sake of another, we make a statement that our brother or sister in need is not a stranger. It is precisely to keep alive this welcoming and attentive attitude towards our brothers and sisters that I encourage the parishes and every other community to intensify in Lent the custom of private and communal fasts, joined to the reading of the Word of God, prayer and alms giving," he added. Lent starts on Ash Wednesday, where Catholics observe 40 days of fasting, abstinence and sacrifice while commemorating the passion and death of Christ. In his message, the Pope said fasting needs to be rediscovered and encouraged again in our day, especially during the liturgical season of Lent. He said even Christ, through prayer and fasting, prepared Himself for the mission that lay before Him, marked at the start by a serious battle with the tempter. On the other hand, he said the practice of fasting contributes to conferring unity to the whole person, body and soul, helping to avoid sin and grow in intimacy with the Lord. "Freely chosen detachment from the pleasure of food and other material goods helps the disciple of Christ to control the appetites of nature, weakened by original sin, whose negative effects impact the entire human person," he said. "May every family and Christian community use well this time of Lent, therefore, in order to cast aside all that distracts the spirit and grow in whatever nourishes the soul, moving it to love of God and neighbor," he added. The Pope also called for a greater commitment to prayer and recourse to confession (reconciliation), and active participation in the Eucharist, especially the Holy Sunday Mass. - GMANews.TV