Why do we fast during Lent?

Questions of Faith

It can seem odd to non-believers that at a certain point every year, Catholics abstain from certain practices considered comfortable, or adopt new behaviours aimed at improving their spiritual lives. While initially this may sound slightly off-the-wall, there’s a very good reason behind it.

The season of Lent lasts 40 days (technically 46, if Sundays are included) ending at Easter, and during this period Catholics are asked to pray, fast, think about God and try to become better followers of Christ.

This period mirrors the 40 days and nights Jesus spent in the wilderness, overcoming temptations presented by Satan, before beginning his public ministry.

The Gospel of Matthew describes part of the iconic story like this: “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted 40 days and 40 nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’  But he answered, ‘It is written, one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Following the message of this passage, Catholics try to imitate Christ by practicing prescribed fasting and abstinence on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and the days of abstinence every Friday of Lent. On these days, Catholics can’t eat meat that comes from animals such as chickens, cows, sheep or pigs – all of which live on land. This isn’t some bizarre pseudo-Christian practice; Jesus actually issues instructions for how the disciples should fast in Matthew 9:14-15.

Apart from these particular days of fasting, Catholics have traditionally chosen additional practices during Lent whereby they try to overcome temptations and be more aware of their calling by God. Like Jesus who fasted, Christians give up some comfort or take on new spiritual tasks in anticipation of Easter, and to better dedicate themselves to serving God and others.

This is why the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “By the solemn 40 days of Lent the Church unites herself each year to the mystery of Jesus in the desert.”

The six Sundays throughout Lent are usually considered by traditional Christian teaching to be small feast days in remembrance of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. As a result, those observing Lent are encouraged to break their Lenten Fast on these Sundays and celebrate that radical moment in history.

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, and on this day, Christians have their forehead signed with ashes, symbolising our mourning for Christ’s suffering on the Cross and our responsibility for this. By finishing on Easter, however, this mourning is transformed into joyful hope as Christ has risen from the dead.

While committing oneself to fasting and abstinence is important, it’s vital to remember that without inward transformation, such practices are in vain. The Church calls us to spiritual conversion, and the season of Lent is one crucial way this is made more possible.