In today’s Gospel reading, our Lord speaks to us about fasting. Fr. Micah shows us what fasting is truly about and shares practical advice as we enter into the season of Lent.

First, Fr. Micah points out that fasting is not an individual endeavor, but it is about communion with one another and Christ. The Church has been fasting together for millennia, and it continues to connect the faithful all over the world. Fasting is also about freedom. If we deny our impulses, struggling against our desire to consume, we will slowly experience a childlike freedom. In addition, Fr. Micah explains that fasting is about death and life. During Lent, the Church teaches us to avoid eating anything pertaining to animals, because these things are associated with death. We live by the death of others; but through fasting, we can step outside this cycle. We fast on Sunday that the first thing to touch our lips is the body and blood of Christ. In this we learn that life does not come from food, but rather everlasting life comes from Christ.

Finally, Fr. Micah shares two pieces of advice for fasting. First, our fasting must be done in secret. Not only is fasting about what we eat, but also about how we eat. Second, our fasting should be accompanied by hunger, which can be transformed into a hunger for Christ. Fr. Micah concludes with the words of a priest who said, “Fasting is to be so in love with God that we do not even remember to eat.”