The Feast of St Casimir of Poland.

JESUS ATE NOTHING DURING HIS 40 DAYS IN THE DESERT. HE STRENGTHENED HIS SPIRIT AND WAS ABLE TO DEFEAT SATAN IN THE SPIRITUAL WARFARE THAT FOLLOWED.

"The disciples of John approached Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”  (Matthew 9 : 14 - 15)

Friday 4th March 2022, Friday after Ash Wednesday is the feast of St Casimir (1458 - 1484). Son of King Casimir IV of Poland and Lithuania. Casimir stayed away from the court life. His siblings, the princes and princesses were not interested in religion.  His faith and piety shone out. Casimir had a great devotion to the Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin Mary. St Casimir is the patron saint of Poland.

The short Gospel of today deals with fasting. Fasting, Prayer and Almsgiving are the 3 pillars of Christian spiritual life.
What is your attitude about fasting? Do you fast? How often? What do you fast from?

On the three pillars of the spiritual life, the Church teaches:
CCC 1434: "The interior penance of the Christian can be expressed in many and various ways. Scripture and the Fathers insist above all on three forms, fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, which express conversion in relation to oneself, to God, and to others. Alongside the radical purification brought about by Baptism or martyrdom they cite as means of obtaining forgiveness of sins: efforts at reconciliation with one’s neighbor, tears of repentance, concern for the salvation of one’s neighbor, the intercession of the saints, and the practice of charity “which covers a multitude of sins.”

Fasting is indispensable for a healthy spiritual life. No one should be dispensed from fasting because all fasting is not fasting from food. Some people cannot fast from food for health reasons. But they can abstain from meat and alcohol on Friday and Wednesday. Others abstain from television, texting, movies and gambling. Fasting is a sign that one is serious about his spiritual life.

"One does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4: 4).

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