Your Fasting is Doing More Than You Think (w/ Fr. Mike Schmitz)

Mike Schmitz· Host0:00

When people have experienced an unhealthy relationship with food, one of the questions that comes out of that and they say, okay, but I'm a Christian and I know I've been called to fast. How do I do that? Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz and this is Ascension Presents. Lent has begun and the season of fasting and prayer and almsgiving has begun. Is the only way I can experience a fast, because we were also called to embrace penance throughout the whole course of Lent, is the only way I can experience a fast through food. We know that we're surrounded by people who have been negatively affected by the role of food in their lives, have been negatively affected by body image and maybe some body dysmorphia and even just that sense of, you know, we realize food is powerful. It's a powerful force. And for many people, food means more than just what fuels me. When it comes to any penance, the church will always say, okay, but if there's a person who's too young or too old, the person who's a pregnant person who's sick, then they're exempted from some of these fasting rules, rules of fasting. And if you're someone or you know someone who's experienced this, again, unhealthy relationship with food and has become sick because of this kind of a situation, then the church extends mercy. The church extends grace and it also extends other options. That reality that, okay, no, because of a sickness, whether it be a physical sickness or a mental sickness, emotional sickness, because of that, because of that wound, individuals who this is part of their story are given other options. Once again, we have these options for those who are too young or too old