whereas, He Who was great, became for our sakes a little child, that, if we be little in our own sight, He might impart of His greatness unto our littleness.” "It is indeed certain that God has, upon prayer, given a power to fast, which He seemed before to have denied; and Bishop Wilson may mean something of this sort when he says, 'Nature does with little; grace with less."" "Let every one do what he can, and commit the rest humbly to God." 2. On strong persons who are not engaged in active duties requiring much physical or mental exertion, a stricter rule seems binding, because they have not the same necessity, as others, for sustaining food. They should set before themselves the primitive rule of one light meal in the day, towards evening, without any unnecessaries whatsoever; or if this should prove too severe, their hunger in the morning might be stayed with plain bread and water. Flesh-meat might be taken on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. 3. For persons of feeble constitution and weak powers of digestion; for a large class of women, to whom the preservation of bodily health is always difficult; for men engaged in active professional pursuits, requiring much exertion both of body and mind; for the parochial clergy, for whom, in this country, there is no "retreat" from the burden of a cure of souls; it is especially necessary to provide (with Bishop Taylor) that their "fasting be used with prudence and charity, and that they have this in their first care, to secure their virtue, and next to secure their health." For such persons, it has been said by an earnest-minded physician* in the Church, "to omit certain meals altogether is highly objectionable." Assuming that it is one of the principal objects of fasting at stated periods, to accustom oneself to the frequent exercise of acts of self-denial, and thereby "to keep under the body," I venture to affirm, that this object is just as fully gained, and in some cases more so, by materially curtailing the quantity of food at each meal, as by giving up the meal altogether. Is it, I would ask, a greater act of self-denial to abandon a meal altogether, or, the meal being before you, to diminish the quantity you usually take? to deny yourself those things which would be grateful to your appetite, and to stop considerably short of it as to quantity? I am persuaded, that to the vast majority of persons it is an act of greater self-discipline to curtail the quantity usually taken at a meal, and to refrain from what would be grateful to the palate, than to give up a meal altogether. "When such abstinence is practised, it is the *The directions in this part of the text are gathered, in substance, from "Remarks on Fasting," by a Physician. 2nd edit., Rivingtons, 1849. custom to select, for that purpose, the early part of the day, until three o'clock, or until sunset. Persons of a weak and delicate constitution should not, in my opinion, adopt this practice. No part of the Church imposes, as a matter of necessary duty, this mode of fasting upon those whose bodily health might be injured by it. I would advise that they should take a light meal early in the day, and fast for the rest of it, or until after sunset, taking care that the last meal at night should be a very light one. Such a meal would consist of bread and water, or bread and cocoa, with or without milk, or weak coffee." Persons not very strong, who are yet much engaged in active work, should take a small quantity of animal food (fresh meat or fish), if not daily, four or five times a-week; and this, in the early rather than in the latter part of the day. When a meal ought to consist of solids and liquids, do not take the liquid, leaving the solid portion, but curtail the quantity of both. And so also of animal food and vegetables; it is better to reduce the amount of both than to eat the latter only. Eggs are more nutritious than meat, fresh fish less so, salt fish still less; but he who dines on either to satiety, in no degree, fasts. The Fathers of the early Church spared no pains to convince Christians of that moderation, and pru dence, and judgment, by which alone the exercise of fasting can accomplish good, and be secured against evil. "We may apply to fasting, those words of holy Scripture," says S. Basil, "Turn not to the right hand, nor to the left." For as it is dangerous to incline to gluttony, so by too much abstinence to weaken the body, and make it unserviceable, is altogether as absurd, and most irrational. For abstinence from the pleasures of the belly is not good in itself, but only as it contributes to the attainment of virtue. Now, if we regard not that, by an immoderate abstinence, for which we choose to abstain from meat, we pervert the end of its institution, and by our folly make it produce quite the contrary effect. For, the organ being broken and spoiled, our souls cannot converse with God by reading and prayer; nor can it comply with our desires, when we have a mind to do any good office to our brethren. We ought, therefore, to have a due care of the body, not for the body's sake, but for the sake of its ministry and service in the acquisition of virtue. For it is impossible either to attend to reading, or bend our mind to pray, or, indeed, to be fit for any other profitable employment, if the body be not well treated, that it may be an obedient minister to us. And therefore the Apostle says, he brought under his body; but it was that it might be his servant. * De vera Virginitate, vol. i. p. 717, ap. Bp. Patrick. "Beloved," says S. Chrysostom, "if, by reason of the weakness of thy body, thou canst not continue all the day fasting, no wise man will reprove thee for it. For we serve a gentle and merciful Lord, who exacts nothing of us beyond our strength; nor does He simply require fasting and abstinence of us, and that we should remain fasting till this hour; but that, throwing away all cares for the things of this life, we should bestow all our leisure on spiritual employments."* Such are a few directions which, under God's grace, may enable some persons to fast, for their soul's profit, who have never fasted before; that is, if they are in very earnest, and believe in such displine, as a true means of grace. There arise these recommendations, which I would affectionately press : 1. Begin the Fast of Lent with fears of relapse when it is over. So, shall you be the more careful, and prudent, and steady, and earnest in all you undertake. All your self-denials are to form a habit, if they are to profit at all. This is the end before you; as S. Leo has expressed it, that, out of a short application, there should grow up a long habit and use of self-discipline,-" ut de studio in longam consuetudinem mitteretur."+ 2. No lusts will ever be thoroughly mortified * S. Chrysostom, Hom. x, in Genes. ap. Bp. Patrick. |