Grow in virtue by practicing fasting and Lenten abstinence

Usually, when you hear about fasting and abstinence are imagined as ancient practices if they were used above all to lose weight or to regulate the metabolism. However, these two terms when associated with Lent completely change their meaning.

The practice of fasting it's not a diet, nor even an act of contempt for the body. On the contrary, the Christian fasting it is a spiritual exercise that helps strengthen reason and control disordered desires. Give up food during Lent it should not be seen as a sacrifice to lose weight or improve physical appearance, but as a way to put into practice the virtue of temperance and to grow in self-control.

Many people today avoid fasting and abstinence because they consider these practices as obsolete or useless. However, the Catholic Church has always emphasized the importance of fasting as a means to grow spiritually and to improve your relationship with God and with others.

What it means to practice Lenten fasting

Fasting during Lent can help grow in virtue and to overcome one's limits. It is a way to exercise one's reason and to learn to control your desires, so that we become better and more virtuous people. Furthermore, fasting can have a positive impact on society, because a more virtuous person is also more inclined to do good and contribute to the common good.

So, next time the Lenten season arrives, don't underestimate the value of fasting and abstinence. Take the example of Emily Stimpson-Chapman, a woman who, having defeated the monster of anorexia, converted to Catholicism and dedicated herself to her first Lenten foil. Test yourself, because forty days of sacrifice they can lead to spiritual growth and positive change in your life and the world around you.

We would like to emphasize that Emily Chapman she is a woman who suffered from anorexia and had defeated her inner monster well 6 years earlier to practice Lenten fasting. If you have suffered from eating disorders, it would be best to go there very cautious before undergoing rigid food sacrifices, the choice needs at least to be examined very carefully in the company of your doctor or therapist.