Maronite Voice - Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn

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“He Fasted for Forty Days and Forty Nights and Afterwards HeWas Hungry.”Message Of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI For Lent 2009On February 3, 2009, the 2009 Lenten Message of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI was madepublic. The text, dated December 11, 2008, has as its title “He Fasted for Forty Days and FortyNights, and Afterward He Was Hungry.” Following is the Pope’s Message as reported by Zenit.org.Dear Brothers and Sisters!At the beginning of Lent, whichconstitutes an itinerary of moreintense spiritual training, theLiturgy sets before us again threepenitential practices that are very dearto the biblical and Christian tradition --prayer, almsgiving, fasting -- to prepareus to better celebrate Easter and thusexperience God's power that, as weshall hear in the Paschal Vigil, "dispelsall evil, washes guilt away, restores lostinnocence, brings mourners joy, castsout hatred, brings us peace and humblesearthly pride." For this year's LentenMessage, I wish to focus my reflectionsespecially on the value and meaning offasting. Indeed, Lent recalls the fortydays of our Lord's fasting in the desert,which He undertook before enteringinto His public ministry. We read in theGospel: "Jesus was led up by the Spiritinto the wilderness to be tempted by thedevil. He fasted for forty days and fortynights, and afterwards he was hungry"(Mt 4:1-2). Like Moses, who fastedbefore receiving the tablets of the Law(cf. Ex 34:28) and Elijah's fast beforemeeting the Lord on Mount Horeb (cf.1 Kings 19:8), Jesus, too, throughprayer and fasting, prepared Himself forthe mission that lay before Him, markedat the start by a serious battle with thetempter.******We might wonder what value andmeaning there is for us Christians indepriving ourselves of something that initself is good and useful for our bodilysustenance. The Sacred Scriptures andthe entire Christian tradition teach thatfasting is a great help to avoid sin andall that leads to it. For this reason, thehistory of salvation is replete withoccasions that invite fasting. In the veryfirst pages of Sacred Scripture, the Lordcommands man to abstain frompartaking of the prohibited fruit: "Youmay freely eat of every tree of thegarden; but of the tree of the knowledgeof good and evil you shall not eat, for inthe day that you eat of it you shall die"(Gn 2: 16-17). Commenting on thedivine injunction, Saint Basil observesthat "fasting was ordained in Paradise,"and "the first commandment in thissense was delivered to Adam." He thusconcludes: "'You shall not eat' is a lawof fasting and abstinence" (cf. Sermo dejejunio: PG 31, 163, 98). Since all of usare weighed down by sin and itsconsequences, fasting is proposed to usas an instrument to restore friendshipwith God. Such was the case with Ezra,who, in preparation for the journeyfrom exile back to the Promised Land,calls upon the assembled people to fastso that "we might humble ourselvesbefore our God" (8:21). The Almightyheard their prayer and assured them ofHis favor and protection. In the sameway, the people of Nineveh, respondingto Jonah's call to repentance,proclaimed a fast, as a sign of theirsincerity, saying: "Who knows, Godmay yet repent and turn from his fierceanger, so that we perish not?" (3:9). Inthis instance, too, God saw their worksand spared them.******In the New Testament, Jesus bringsto light the profound motive forfasting, condemning the attitude of thePharisees, who scrupulously observedthe prescriptions of the law, but whosehearts were far from God. True fasting,as the divine Master repeats elsewhere,is rather to do the will of the HeavenlyFather, who "sees in secret, and willreward you" (Mt 6:18). He Himself setsthe example, answering Satan, at theend of the forty days spent in the desertthat "man shall not live by bread alone,but by every word that proceeds fromthe mouth of God" (Mt 4:4). The truefast is thus directed to eating the "truefood," which is to do the Father's will(cf. Jn 4:34). If, therefore, Adamdisobeyed the Lord's command "of thetree of the knowledge of good and evilyou shall not eat," the believer, throughfasting, intends to submit himselfhumbly to God, trusting in Hisgoodness and mercy.******The practice of fasting is verypresent in the first Christiancommunity (cf. Acts 13:3; 14:22;27:21; 2 Cor 6:5). The Church Fathers,too, speak of the force of fasting tobridle sin, especially the lusts of the"old Adam," and open in the heart ofthe believer a path to God. Moreover,fasting is a practice that is encounteredfrequently and recommended by thesaints of every age. Saint PeterChrysologus writes: "Fasting is the soulof prayer, mercy is the lifeblood offasting. So if you pray, fast; if you fast,show mercy; if you want your petitionto be heard, hear the petition of others.If you do not close your ear to others,you open God's ear to yourself" (Sermo43: PL 52, 320. 322).In our own day, fasting seems to havelost something of its spiritual meaning,and has taken on, in a culturecharacterized by the search for materialwell-being, a therapeutic value for thecare of one's body. Fasting certainlybrings benefits to physical well-being,but for believers, it is, in the first place,a "therapy" to heal all that preventsthem from conformity to the will ofGod. In the Apostolic ConstitutionPænitemini of 1966, the Servant of GodPaul VI saw the need to present fastingwithin the call of every Christian to "nolonger live for himself, but for Himwho loves him and gave himself forhim, he will also have to live for hisbrethren" (cf. Ch. I). Lent could be apropitious time to present again thenorms contained in the ApostolicConstitution, so that the authentic andperennial significance of this long heldpractice may be rediscovered, and thusassist us to mortify our egoism andThe Maronite Voice Volume V Issue No. III Page 10 March 2009
open our heart to love of God andneighbor, the first and greatestCommandment of the new Law andcompendium of the entire Gospel (cf.Mt 22: 34-40).*****The faithful practice of fastingcontributes, moreover, toconferring unity to the whole person,body and soul, helping to avoid sin andgrow in intimacy with the Lord. SaintAugustine, who knew all too well hisown negative impulses, defining themas "twisted and tangled knottiness"(Confessions, II, 10.18), writes: "I willcertainly impose privation, but it is sothat he will forgive me, to be pleasingin his eyes, that I may enjoy hisdelightfulness" (Sermo 400, 3, 3: PL40, 708). Denying material food, whichnourishes our body, nurtures an interiordisposition to listen to Christ and be fedby His saving word. Through fastingand praying, we allow Him to come andsatisfy the deepest hunger that weexperience in the depths of our being:the hunger and thirst for God.At the same time, fasting is an aid toopen our eyes to the situation in whichso many of our brothers and sisters live.In his First Letter, Saint Johnadmonishes: "If anyone has the world'sgoods, and sees his brother in need, yetshuts up his bowels of compassion fromhim -- how does the love of God abidein him?" (3:17). Voluntary fastingenables us to grow in the spirit of theGood Samaritan, who bends low andgoes to the help of his suffering brother(cf. Encyclical Deus caritas est, 15). Byfreely embracing an act of self-denialfor the sake of another, we make astatement that our brother or sister inneed is not a stranger. It is precisely tokeep alive this welcoming and attentiveattitude towards our brothers and sistersthat I encourage the parishes and everyother community to intensify in Lentthe custom of private and communalfasts, joined to the reading of the Wordof God, prayer and almsgiving. Fromthe beginning, this has been thehallmark of the Christian community, inwhich special collections were taken up(cf. 2 Cor 8-9; Rm 15, 25-27), thefaithful being invited to give to the poorwhat had been set aside from their fast(Didascalia Ap., V, 20,18). Thispractice needs to be rediscovered andencouraged again in our day, especiallyduring the liturgical season of Lent.******From what I have said thus far, it seemsabundantly clear that fasting representsan important ascetical practice, aspiritual arm to do battle against everypossible disordered attachment toourselves. Freely chosen detachmentfrom the pleasure of food and othermaterial goods helps the disciple ofChrist to control the appetites of nature,weakened by original sin, whosenegative effects impact the entirehuman person. Quite opportunely, anancient hymn of the Lenten liturgyexhorts: "Utamur ergo parcius, / verbiscibis et potibus, / somno, iocis et arctius/ perstemus in custodia" (Let us usesparingly words, food and drink, sleepand amusements. May we be more alertin the custody of our senses).Dear brothers and sisters,It is good to see how the ultimate goalof fasting is to help each one of us, asthe Servant of God Pope John Paul IIwrote, to make the complete gift of selfto God (cf. Encyclical "Veritatissplendor," 21). May every family andChristian community use well this timeof Lent, therefore, in order to cast asideall that distracts the spirit and grow inwhatever nourishes the soul, moving itto love of God and neighbor. I amthinking especially of a greatercommitment to prayer, lectio divina,recourse to the Sacrament ofReconciliation and active participationin the Eucharist, especially the HolySunday Mass. With this interiordisposition, let us enter the penitentialspirit of Lent. May the Blessed VirginMary, "Causa nostrae laetitiae,"accompany and support us in the effortto free our heart from slavery to sin,making it evermore a "living tabernacleof God." With these wishes, whileassuring every believer and ecclesialcommunity of my prayer for a fruitfulLenten journey, I cordially impart to allof you my Apostolic Blessing.From the Vatican, Dec. 11, 2008. Lenten Observances2009The Most Reverend Bishops RobertShaheen and Gregory Mansourhave issued the following Lentenguidelines for the Maronites of theUnited States:All Maronites who are physicallycapable are to abstain from meat onAsh Monday (February 23) and allFridays of Lent.Ash Monday and the Great Friday ofthe Crucifixion are also days offasting. Fasting in the MaroniteChurch involves eating and drinkingnothing at all (except water andmedicine) from midnight until noon.The rest of the day normal meals canbe taken but without meat. AllMaronites who are physicallycapable are to fast on these two days.Devotion of LentenFridaysAll parish priests are to celebrate theBenediction with the Cross everyFriday of Lent except for the GreatFriday of the Crucifixion. This servicemay be preceded by other populardevotions such as Evening Prayer(Ramsho), Stations of the Cross or eventhe Divine Liturgy. Benediction withthe Blessed Sacrament should not takeplace on Fridays of Lent.Personal DevotionClergy, religious and laity who wish toobserve the more traditional Maronitepractice of fasting and abstinence areencouraged to do so. That practice issummarized in the following, takenfrom the Synod of Mt. Lebanon (1736):Every weekday of Lent (Mondaythrough Friday) is a day of fasting andabstinence from meat and dairyproducts (eggs, butter, milk etc.)Fasting involves eating and drinkingnothing at all (except water andmedicine) from midnight until noon.The rest of the day normal meals can betaken but without meat or dairyproducts. Dairy products are excludedbecause they are animal byproducts.Saturdays and Sundays are exemptfrom fasting and abstaining, as are thefollowing three feast days: St. Maron-February 9, The 40 Martyrs-March 9,and St. Joseph-March 19. The Maronite Voice Volume V Issue No. III Page 11 March 2009
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