Man does not live by bread alone

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

WE, of course, need to eat bread also. After all, we are also material beings that need to be fed and nourished by material food, such as bread. But since we are also spiritual and supposed to be supernatural beings — in fact, eminently so — we should not limit ourselves to natural food. We should look more for the spiritual and supernatural food that is more proper to us.

This could be the reason why from time to time the Church asks us to do some fasting. It’s meant to draw us closer to God, seeking spiritual growth and self-reflection. It is also a good way to practice self-discipline and self-control, the contrary of which we are quite notorious for. It effectively expresses repentance and humility, which is the antidote for our tendency to be proud and vain. It helps us focus on prayer and spiritual nourishment.

In short, fasting can deepen our faith. It can prod us to seek guidance and wisdom instead of just relying on our own ideas. It makes us follow clearly what Christ told us with respect to self-denial. We should do everything to make fasting a regular feature of our life.

This means that we should always be on guard against gluttony. We cannot deny that, especially in our current world culture, we tend to overeat and consume large amounts of unhealthy or luxurious food and drink.

We even give the highest priority to food and drink over other aspects of life. It is also likely that gluttony leads us to ignore health and social duties due to excessive eating and drinking.

We really have to make fasting a regular practice in our life. With fasting, we would be more aware of our real needs. It certainly would strengthen our willpower and discipline.

More importantly, it helps us shift our focus from food to spiritual growth and the other more important aspects of life. This is not to mention that fasting somehow cultivates a stronger sense of gratitude as we become more appreciative of the food we have. Besides, fasting can develop in us a keener sense of empathy as we join in spirit with those who also fast or who go without food.

Fasting can also make us more resistant to the temptations of the devil and to the many allurements of the world. And it would make us more attentive to what really matters in our life — listening and living out the word of God. (cfr. Mt 4,4) It certainly would make us more able to dominate our animal self and bring us to our ideal spiritual and supernatural self.

Let’s never forget that we also are animals ruled merely by instincts, hormones, and other biological elements. The animal in us should be dominated by our human rationality, which also ought to be guided by the spiritual and supernatural will of God, in whose image and likeness we have been created.

We therefore have to undertake a lifelong process of integrating the animal in us with the rationality of our human nature that in the end should be purified and elevated to the spiritual and supernatural life and nature of God. And fasting, together with prayer and other ascetical means, plays an important role in this.

The challenge therefore is how to carry out this very tricky and demanding task of integrating all these aspects. And for this, we should first of all rely on the grace of God, always asking for it even if it is readily given to us. That’s because we often take God’s grace for granted, and thus make ourselves the improper ground unable to take advantage of the grace that is sown on it.

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com