Chapter XXI. Of the Fasts of the Catholic Church

Section I. Of Fasting and Abstinence in General

Q. Have you any reason to think that fa^nng and abstinence are agreeable to God?

A. Yes, certainly: John the Baptist's abstinence is commended, St. Luke i. 15. and St. Matt. iii. 4. and Anna the prophetess is praised, St. Luke ii 37. for serving God with fasting and prayers night and day. The Ninivites by fasting obtained mercy, Jonas iii. 5. Daniel joined fasting with prayer, Dan. ix. 3. and by fasting was disposed for heavenly visions, Dan. x. 3, 7, 12. The royal prophet humbled his soul in fasting, Psalm xxxiv. (alias XXXV.) Ezra and Nehemiah sought and found seasonable aid from God by fasting, Ezr* viii. 23. and Nehemiah i. 4. And God by the prophet Joel, calls upon his people (Joel ii. 12.) 'u turn to him with all their hearts in fasting, weeping and mourning.'

Q. But did our Lord Jesus Christ design th:!t his followers should fast?

A. Yes, he not only gave them an example b} fasting forty days, St. Matt. vi. 16, &c. but also expressly affirmed, that after the bridegroom should be taken from them, that is, after his passion, resurrection and ascension, all his children, that is, all good christians, should fast, St. Matt. ix. 15. St. Mark ii. 20; St. Luke v. 36. Hence we find the Christians at Antioch fasting, Acts xiii. 2. and Paul and Barnabas ordained with prayer and fasting, ver. 3. and priests ordained by them in every church with prayer and fasting, Acts xiv. 23, and the Apostles 'approving themselves as the ministers of God — in lasting,' 2 Cor. vi. 4, 5, &c.

Q. Has fasting any particular efficacy against the devil?

A Yes: 'This kind (of devils) can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting,' saith our Lord, St. Mark ix. 29.

Q, What are the ends for vi^hich christians are to fast, and for which the church prescribes days of fasting and abstinence?

A. First, to chastise ourselves, and to do penance for our sins, that so, like the Ninivites, we may obtain mercy of God. Secondly, to curb and restrain our passions and concupiscences, and to bring the flesh under subjection to the spirit. Thirdly, to be enabled by fasting to raise our souls the easier to God, and to offer him purer prayer.

Q. What are the rules prescribed by the Catholic church with regard to eating on fasting days?

A. First, the church prohibits all flesh-meat on fasting days, unless in Lent a dispensation to the contrary be granted; formerly wine was prohibited; but this prohibition, by a contrary custom, has been long since laid aside. Secondly, the church allows her children but one meal on fasting days; besides which, custom has introduced a small collation at night. Thirdly, the meal which the church allows on fasting days must not betaken till towards noon: formerly, for the first twelve hundred years of the church, the meal was not to be taken in Lent before the evening; and on the other fasting days not till three o'clock in the afternoon. These rules regard the days of fasting; but as to those that are only days of abstinence, such as the Fridays throughout the year, we are only obliged to abstain from flesh on those days, but no ways confined to one meal.

Q. But why does the Church prohibit flesh on days of fasting and abstinence?

A. Not that she looks upon any meats as unclean by the new law, but she does it that her children may better comply with the ends of fasting, viz. mortification and penance, by abstaining on those days from that kind of food which is most nourishing and agreeable,

Q. But is not this condemned by the Apostle, 1 Tim. iv. 3. 'where he calls it the doctrine of devils to command to abstain from meats which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving.'

A, The Apostle speaks of the doctrine of those, who, with the Marcionites, Manichseans, and other heretics, forbid the use of meat, not as the church does, by way of mortification and penance, on days of fasting and humiliation, but as a thing absolutely unclean, and unlawful to be used at any time, as coming from an evil principle. All that know any thing of church-history, know that it was the system of many heretics, who also upon the same account, absolutely condemned marriage, as tending to the propagation of the flesh. Now they that know these things are guilty of the highest injustice, pretending that these w^ords of the Apostle were levelled at the Catholic Church, when their own conscience must tell them that they were designed for another set of people. The Catholic Church is far from condemning the use of God's creatures in proper times and seasons; but she neither does, nor ever did, think all kind of diet proper for days of fasting and penance: and in this particular the modern church is so far from going beyond the primitive christians, that on the contrary, all kind of monuments of antiquity make it evident, that our forefathers, in the first ages of the church, were more severe in their abstinence than we now are.

Q. But does not the Apostle say, 1 Cor. x. 25. 'Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake?'

A. He speaks not this with relation to the days of fasting, as if any sorts of meat might be eaten on fasting days; but he speaks, as it is visible from the context, with regard to the meats offered to idols; which some weak brethren were so much afraid of eating, that upon this account they durst not eat the meat sold in the shambles, lest it might have been offered to idols. Upon the same principle the Apostle adds, ver. 27. * If any of them that believe not, invite you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go, whatsoever is set before you eat, asking no question for conscience sake,' ver. 28. 'But if any man say unto you, this is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake,' &c.

Q. Do you take it then to be a sin to eat meat on fasting days, or otherwise to break the church fasts without necessity?

A. Yes, certainly; because it is a sin to disobey our lawful superiors, and more particularly to disobey the church of God. 'If he neglect to hear the church, let him be to thee as a heathen and a publican,' St. Matt, xviii. 17.

Q. Does not Christ say, St. Matt. xv. 11. 'That which goeth into the mouth doth not defile a man?'

A, True: it is not any uncleanness in the meat, as many heretics have imagined, or any dirt or dust which may stick to it by eating, without first washing the hands (of which case our Lord if speaking in the text you quote) which can defile the soul,- for every creature of God is good, and whatsoever corporal filth enters in at the Uiouth is cast forth into the draught; but that which defiles the sou), when a person transgresses the church fast, is the disobedience of the heart, in breaking the precept of the church, which God has commanded us to hear and to obey. And thus an Israelite would have been defiled in the time of the old law, by eating of blood or swine's flesh; and thus our first parents were defiled by eating the forbidden fruit, not by the uncleanness of the food, but by the disobedience of the heart to the law of God.

Q. What are the conditions that ought to accompany a christian faith, to make it such a fast as God has chosen?

A. The great and general fast of a christian is to abstain from sin; and God would not accept of the fasts of the Jews, Isai. Iviii. because on the days of their fasting they were found doing their own will and oppressing their neighbours. So that the first condition that ought to go along with our fasts, is to renounce our sins; the second, is to let our fasts be accompanied with alms-deeds and prayer, Tob. xii. 8. the third to endeavour to perform them in a penitential spirit.

Q, What persons are excused from the strictness of the church fast?

A, Children under age, sick people, women thai are with child, or that give suck; likewise those that upon fasting days are obliged to hard labour; and, in a word, all such who through weakness, infirmity, or other hindrance, cannot fast without great prejudice or danger: where note, first, that if the cause be not evident, a person must have recourse to his pastor for dispensation. Secondly, that in some of the above mentioned cases, a person may be excused from one part of the fast, and not from another; or may be excused from fasting, and yet not from abstinence. Thirdly, that such, as for some just cause are dispensed with from fasting, ought to endeavour, as far as their condition and circumstances will allow, to be so much the more diligent in their devotions, more liberal in their alms, more patient in their sufferings, and to make up by the interior spirit of penance what is wanting to the outward fast.

Section II. Of the Fast of Lent

Q. When did the church first begin to observe the fast of Lent?

A, We know no beginning of it; for it is a fast that has been observed by the church from the time of the Apostles, and stands upon the same foundation as the observation of the Lord's day, that is, upon apostolical tradition.

Q. Have the ancient fathers often mentioned the solemn fast of forty days, which we call Lenl?

A, Yes: it is mentioned by the holy fathers in innumerable places; who also inform us, that they had received it by tradition from the Apostles, see St. Jerome, epist. 64, ad Marcellum, and St. Leo the Great, serm. 43. and 46. And the transgressors of this solemn fast are severely punished by the 68th Canon of the Apostles.

Q. Have you any thing else to offer to prove that the fast of Lent comes from an ordinance of the Apostles?

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A, Yes: it is proved by that rule of St. Augustine, epist. 118. to Januarius, viz. That what is found not to have had its institution from any Council, but to have been ever observed by the universal church, that same must needs have come from the the first fathers, the founders of the church, that is, from the Apostles. But the fast of Lent is not found to have had its institution from any Council, but to have been observed in all ages, from the very beginning, amongst all christian people from east to west: therefore the fast of Lent is an apostolical ordinance and tradition.

Q. For what ends was the fast of Lent in stituted.^

A, First, that by this yearly fast of* forty days we might imitate the fast of our Lord, St. Matt iv. 2. Secondly, that by this institution we migh\ set side the tithe, or tenth part of the year, to be more particularly consecrated to God by prayer and fasting; as it was commanded in the law, to give God the tithes of all things. Thirdly, that by this forty days fast, joined with prayers and almsdeeds, we might do penance for the sins of the whole year. Fourthly, that we might at this time enter into a kind of spiritual exercises, and a retreat from the world; to look more narrowly into the state of our souls, to repair our decayed strength, and to provide effectual remedies against our usual failings for the time to come. Fifthly, that by this solemn fast we might celebrate in a more becoming manner the passion of Christ, Kvhich we particularly commemorate in the Lent. In fine, that this fast might be a preparation for the great solemnity of Easter, and for the Paschal communion.

Q. In what spirit would the church have her children undertake and go through the fast of Lent?

A. In a penitential spirit, that is, with a deep sense of repentance for having offended God; an earnest desire and resolution of a new lit*e, and of mortifying and chastising themselves for their sins. These lessons she inculcates every day in her office and LituVgy; witness the hymns prescribed for this holy time, the responsories, the collects, tracts, &c. I shall give you a specimen of the spirit of the church in this regard, by setting down some passages of the scripture, which she orders to be read in the canonical hours of prayers every day during this time.

1. At Lauds, Isaiah Iviii. *Cry out, cease not, raise thy voice like a trumpet, and declare to my people their wickedness, and to the house of Jacob their sins.'

2. At Prime, or the first hour, Isaiah Iv. *Seek the Lord whilst he may be found, call upon him whilst he is near.'

3. At Terce, or the third hour, Joel ii. 'Be converted to me with your whole heart, in fasting, and weeping, and mourning; and rend your hearts, and not your garments, saith the Lord Almighty.'

4. At Sext, or the sixth hour, Isaiah, Iv. 'Let the wicked man forsake his ways, and the unjust man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him; and to our God, for his mercy is great.'

5. At None, or the ninth hour, Isaiah liii. 'Break thy bread to the hungry, and bring in the needy and the harbourless into thy house: when thou shalt see the naked clothe him, and despise not thy own flesh.'

6. At Vespers, or Evening-song, Joel ii. 'Between the porch and the altar, the priests, the ministers of the Lord shall mourn, and they shall say. Spare, O Lord! spare thy people; and let not thy inheritance fall into reproach, for the nations to domineer over them.'

To the same effect she often repeats in her oftce the following exhortation: ' Let us repent and mend the sins which we have ignorantly commit-ted, lest being suddenly overtaken by the day of our death, we seek for time of penance, and be not able to find it.'

And again: ' Behold now is an acceptable time, behold now are the days of salvation; let us re- * commend ourselves in much patience,' &c.

Q. Why do you call the first day of Lent, Ash-Wednesday?

A, From the ceremony of blessing ashes upon that day, and putting them on the foreheads ot the faithful, to remind them that they must very quickly return to dust; and therefore must not neglect to lay hold of this present time of mercy, and like the Ninivites and other ancient penitents, do penance for their sins in sackcloth and ashes. The prayers which are said by the church, for the blessing of the ashes, are directed for the obtaining of God the spirit of compunction, and the remission of sins for all those who receive those ashes; and the priest, in making the sign of the cross, with the ashes on the forehead of each one of the faithful, says these words: ^Remember, man, that thou art dust, and into dust thou shalt return.'

Q. Was it ever the custom of the Catholic Church to meet on that day to curse sinners?

A. No; but to pray to God to obtain mercy for sinners.

Q. What benefit is it to the faithful to have regular times of fasting appointed by the church, rather than to be left to their own discretion to fast when they please?

A. First, it is to be feared, that many would not" fast at all, were they not called upon by these regular fasts of the church. Secondly, it is not to be doubted, but that sinners may more easily and readily find mercy, when they join thus all in a body with the w^hole church of God in suing for mercy.

Q. But is this mercy to be expected, if sinners only mortify themselves in point of eating, and in all other things indulge themselves in their accustomed liberties?

-4. It is certain, that the true spirit of penance, which is the spirit of Lent, requires that they should be mortified, not only in their eating, but also by retrenching all superfluities in other things, as in drinking, sleeping, idle visits, and unnecessary divertisements, according to that of the Church-Hymn for Lent.

TJtamur ergo parciiis Verbis, cibis et potibusj Somno, jocis, el arctius Perstemus in custodia.

Q. What do you think of preparing for Lent by a carnival of debauchery and excess?

A. I think it is a relic of heathenism, infinitely opposite to the spirit of the church. The very name of Shrove-tide, in the language of our forefathers, signifies the season or time of confession; because our ancestors were accustomed, according to the true spirit of the church, to go to confession at that time, that so they might enter on the solemn fast of Lent, in a manner suitable to this penitential fast.

Q. Why is the Evening-Office, or Vespers, said before dinner, on all days in Lent excepting Sundays?

A, It is a relic of the ancient custom of fasting in Lent till the evening.

Q. Why is the Alleluia laid aside during the time of Lent?

A, Because it is a canticle of joy, and therefore is omitted in this time of penance: but instead of it, the church, at the beginning of all the canonical hours of her daily Office, repeats these words; 'Praise be to thee, O Lord! King of everlasting Glory.'

Q. Why is the fifth Sunday in Lent called Passion Sunday?

A. Because, from that day till Easter, the church, in a particular manner, commemorates the passion of Christ.

Q. Why are the crucifixes and altar-pieces covered during this time, in which we celebrate Christ*'s passion?

A. Because the church is then in mourning for her Spouse, who in his passion was truly a hidden God, by concealing his divinity, arid becoming for us ' as a worm, and no man, the reproach of men, and the out-cast of the people,' Psalm xxi.

Section III. Of Other Days of Fasting and Abstinence in the Catholic Church

Q. Does the church observe any other days of fasting and abstinence besides the forty days of Lent?

A. Yes; she fasts upon the Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, in the four Ember- weeks;

and upon the vigils or eves of some of her festivals; as also upon Fridays in Advent; and she abstains from flesh on the Fridays throughout the year.

Q. Which do you call the four Ember-weeks?

A. The four Ember- weeks, are the weeks in which the church gives Holy Orders, at the four seasons of the year. viz. the first week in Lent, Whitsun-week, the third week in September, and the third week in Advent; and they are called Ember- weeks, from the custom of our forefathers, of fasting at that time in sackcloth and ashes, or from eating nothing but cakes baked under the embers, and from thence called Ember bread.

Q. Why has the church appointed these fasts of the Ember-days, at the four seasons of the year?

A. First, that no part of the year might pass without offering to God the tribute of a penitental fast. Secondly, that we might beg his blessing on the fruits of the earth, and give him thanks for those which we have already received. Thirdly, that all the faithful might join at these times in prayer and fasting to obtain of God worthy pastors; these being the times of their ordination. Thus the primitive christians fasted at the times of the ordination of their ministers, Acts xiii. 2 and 3, and chap. xiv. 22.

Q. Why does the church fast upon the eve or vigils of some Holidays?

A, To prepare her children by mortification and penance, for the worthily celebrating those days.

Q. Why do we abstain upon Fridays?

A, Because our Lord suffered for us upon a Friday. From this rule of abstaining upon Fridays, we except if Christmas-day occur upon a Friday, we do not abstain on that day.

Q. What is the meaning of the three Rogation-days?

A. The Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, before Ascension-day, and called the three Rogation-days, or days of solemn supplication and prayer. On these days we keep abstinence, and in every parish we go in procession, singing the Litanies, to beg God's blessing upon the fruits of the earth, and to be preserved from pestilence, famine, &c. Upon the same account we keep abstinence on the day of St. Mark, April 25, with the like solemn supplications and Litanies.

Q. What is the meaning of keeping abstinence upon Saturday?

A. Because Saturday was the day that our Lord lay dead in the monument, and a day of mourning to his disciples. This abstinence is also a proper preparation for the solemnity of the Lord's day.

JV. B, That in the East, instead of the Saturday, they fast upon the Wednesday, as being the day on which the Jews lield their council against Christ, and on which he was sold by Judas. — The Rogation-days, St. Mark's day, and Saturdays, unless the Saturdays in Lent and Advent, are not days of abstinence in the U. States.