A Defense on Food and Internet Fasts

So, we have begun a new journey of Lent this 2016. All sorts of people are trying to sacrifice something or do something good in order to grow as a disciple of God this Lent. There are some Lenten sacrifices, however, that have become somewhat cliché in this day and age. There are people who are giving up some favorite food or drink, whether it is chocolate, sweets, meat, soda, or beer. Other people are choosing to fast from or give up social media platforms, most especially Facebook.

Now, for whatever reason, there are some critiques or sarcastic feedback from people when they hear someone is giving up food or social media for Lent. Here are a few example memes about the subject https://churchpop.com/2015/02/17/16-hilarious-memes-to-kick-off-your-lent/ (ChurchPop is generally a great website though, I overall enjoy it).  I personally have had some experience with both fasts. There have been some times during Lent where I have given up meat or soda. This Lent, I am fasting from social media by limiting myself to just one time per day on Facebook and Twitter (versus the ten plus times I would normally be on both sites). Moreover, I am continuing another Internet-based fast I did last year of giving up Youtube completely. Youtube has been my bigger vice struggle since I came across it freshman year of college.

Where else am I going to see cats doing goofy things?

I am curious though. What’s up with the critiques, sarcasm, and criticism of people who choose to fast from these things during Lent? I remember one year when I gave up soda during college a non-Catholic acquaintance had posted this meme on Facebook:



It was a tease, but I was still confused why random people make memes like this to put down someone’s choice act of sacrifice. Also, that meme statement does not fully explain why I chose to fast from soda.

There have been multitudes of different food fasts that have been associated with Christian and Jewish cultures over the past several millennia. According to the Little Black Book I use for prayer and reflection this Lent, past Catholic Christian rules of fasting have included abstinence from fish, eggs, and dairy products, prohibited consumption of meat on Sundays, and limiting the number of meals to just one in the evening. Today, the Catholic Church abstains from meat on Fridays (including Good Friday as well as Ash Wednesday) and limits food consumption to one regular sized meal and two small meals on Good Friday and Ash Wednesday. Obviously, the internet and social media has not been around long enough for any doctrines to made about it yet.

Though with Pope Francis on the case, who knows. We may see something about it in the next encyclical.

Paragraph 1438 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “the seasons and days of penance …are intense moments of the Church’s penitential practice [and] are appropriate for…voluntary self denial such as fasting and almsgiving”. Paragraph 2043 of the Catechism says “The fourth precept [of the Church] (‘You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church’)…helps us acquire mastery over our instincts and freedom of heart”. This means that, as part of our penitential acts during Lent, we voluntarily choose to deny ourselves of something. The purpose behind this self-denial is to become more self-controlled and to free ourselves from whatever things of this world are keeping us from performing our spiritual and religious duties. Isn't that what Lent is all about?

What is the purpose of Lent? Even as someone who has grown up in the Church, I cannot give a truly perfect definition, just my understanding of what the season of Lent is meant for. During Lent, we are asked to decrease ourselves and increase God in our lives. We take a big step on our journey of discipleship and self-sacrifice by devoting ourselves to forms of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving during Lent. These three elements of the Lenten journey are meant to go hand-in-hand, so our fasting fuels our prayer life which fuels our almsgiving. It’s all tied together. Fasting is just one of the ways that we can grow as a disciple of God through the sacrifice of something that is hard for us to let go of.

The truth is that some people struggle when it comes to food and the internet. How can anyone choose what is good for them in spiritual matters when they cannot even make good basic choices with food? Can someone really learn how to depend on God if they depend upon their soda or coffee just to get them through the day? By fasting from certain foods and drinks, people are taking just a small step to master their addictions and vices in order to closer to God. The same can be said for social media/ internet usage. What if I know I spend too much time on Facebook but cannot push myself on my own to get away from it? Is it really a good use of my time if I am looking at Youtube videos all weekend? Lent can be that time to begin stepping back from those things that can cause major distractions or waste a lot of time in people’s lives. Their time will be better spent away from screens and perhaps people can understand how to discern whether what they are doing on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube are helping them spiritually or not.

But how else am I going to get my inspirational quotes and spiritual insights if not here?

Everyone has different struggles. Each individual person, perhaps with the help of friends and family, should identify what their addictions and temptations are in order to begin the process of overcoming them. We are called to serve people, to build a strong community, and live out our purpose in life. Our lives aren't meant to be spent sitting behind a screen. Our time and money should not just be spent solely on beer and treats.