Some of the members of this forum have decided to form a support group for fasting. Here is the thread where we discussed it:
https://www.suscipedomine.com/forum/index.php?topic=23948.0We wanted a subforum for collecting resources and discussing our experiences and ideas. We have taken Our Lady as our patroness and, with Kaesekopf's permission, will be using this subforum.
Fasting is both an spiritual tradition going back to the beginning of the Church and a therapeutic practice for physical healing. In both these aspects, it can be powerful and also dangerous. In Scripture, we read of people who did religious fasts to show off and as a source of pride. That is the spiritual danger. Because of physical dangers, there are various kinds of people who should not fast: children, pregnant and nursing women, and people with eating disorders. Anyone on medication needs to discuss with his doctor how to fast safely. Over time a habitual fasting practice may require that some medications (eg. for blood pressure or diabetes) be adjusted. Ideally anyone who decides to start fasting should discuss it with a doctor and a spiritual director first.
As a group, we have decided to adopt the ancient Catholic practice of fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays. As individuals, we each choose a form of fasting that is suitable for us. It might be a water-only fast. It might the one meal, two collations fast used pre-Vatican II. It might simply be a matter of refraining from snacks and/or sugar that day. Similarly, we each adapt the prayers and almsgiving that should accompany fasting.
The SSPX accepts the rules for fasting and abstinence as stated in the 1983 Code of Canon Law as obligatory, but encourages its associates to follow the practices which preceded this. Most traditional Catholics (regardless of how they understand the Crisis in the Church) follow older fasting practices:
Abstinence was obligatory on all Fridays, except on Holy Days of Obligation outside of Lent.Fasting and complete abstinence were obligatory on the following days:
Ash Wednesday
Fridays and Saturdays in Lent
Good Friday
Holy Saturday (until midnight)
Ember Days (Wednesday, Friday and Saturday)
Vigil of PentecostVigil of Christmas
possibly Vigils of the Immaculate Conception and All Saints (these were omitted from the 1962 calendar and trads differ)
Partial abstinence - Fasting and partial abstinence were obligatory on all other weekdays of Lent (i.e., Monday through Thursday—Friday was always complete abstinence); this meant that meat could be eaten at the principal meal on these days.
As a group, we are adding to these fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays, based on the early Church practice. These fasts were voluntary rather than obligatory and so it is with us.