--- title: Fasting 101 description: "Jessica Ptomey invites us to examine our motivations for fasting this Lent: are we seeking to hear God's voice and do his will?" image: https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Lenten-Antiphon.jpg --- [![catholic-mom-logo-v2](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/images/catholic-mom-logo-v2.svg "catholic-mom-logo-v2")](https://www.catholicmom.com/) [![facebook](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-facebook.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/CatholicMomCommunity) [![twitter](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-twitter.svg)](http://twitter.com/CatholicMomCom) [![instagram](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-instagram.svg)](http://instagram.com/catholicmomcommunity) [![youtube](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUqHCVPDzyMgSMaMZxxug?view_as=subscriber) [![search-icon](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/search-icon.svg)](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2018/02/22/fasting-101/#) # Fasting 101 Feb 22, 2018 7:30:52 PM  |  by [Jessica Ptomey](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/author/jessica-ptomey) ![featured image](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Lenten-Antiphon.jpg) !["Fasting 101" by Jessica Ptomey (CatholicMom.com)](http://catholicmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Lent-Fasting.jpg) Copyright 2018 Jessica Ptomey. All rights reserved.[/caption] As we begin the season of Lent there can be a lot of chatter about fasting, and we want to guard our hearts against missing the point entirely. It's good to give up the things in our lives to which we tend to become attached. It's not a bad thing that we give up social media, television, desserts, shopping, etc. We can all agree that in the course of a year we have probably packed a great deal of *stuff* into our lives that needs cleaned out. But if we mentally check a "fasting" box and move on, then we are going to miss the point of our fasting -- to miss God's idea of fasting -- this Lent. The point of fasting and prayer is to be able to hear God's voice and do his will. It is good to fast from things that we are attached to so that we will be attached to God instead. It is also good to fast from things that take our time so that we have more time to spend with God. But it can be easy to get caught up in the spiritual practice of fasting and miss the point of it, which is **to hear God's voice ... AND then do His will.** What is God's will? What kind of direction should we look for from Him when we fast? What is He going to say to us? One of the readings in the Liturgy of The Hours for Ash Wednesday is from Isaiah 58. In this passage, God pretty explicitly lays out what His idea of fasting is and what kind of result it should have in our lives. Look at verses 6-7: > "This rather is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; setting free the oppressed, breaking free every yoke; sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own." Pretty clear, right? But let's break it down a step further. If we are fasting with ears listening and hands ready for the Lord's work, then we are going to personally hear God tell us: - to stand against injustice ... especially the injustice to which we have personally contributed - to free those oppressed ... especially those whom we have participated in oppressing - to feed the hungry ... especially the ones he puts in front of our face or next to our car - to shelter the homeless ... especially those living on the streets of our own communities - to clothe the naked ... especially since our closets usually hold an abundance beyond necessity - to not turn our backs on our own ... especially that family member or friend that you often avoid serving or helping That certainly brings Isaiah into our modern lives, doesn't it? Times haven't really changed all that much throughout the course of history, and the human heart hasn't changed either. What was hard for Israel then is still hard for us now; and sometimes that is why we get caught up in how many hours of TV we won't watch or how many pieces of cake we won't eat. It's easier to fixate on that rather than tune our ears to God's voice. His voice makes us uncomfortable, and **that discomfort is the true indicator of what we should be fasting from this Lent**. If it seems unnatural to raise a voice against injustice, then we have been silent too long. If taking action against oppression seems hard, then we have been passive too often. If feeding, sheltering, and clothing the poor makes us uncomfortable, then we are not living close enough to them.  If giving of ourselves seems inconvenient, then we many not be as close to Christ as we think. !["Fasting 101" by Jessica Ptomey (CatholicMom.com)](http://catholicmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Lenten-Antiphon.jpg) Copyright 2018 Jessica Ptomey. All rights reserved.[/caption] Let's not walk through this Lent feeling good about our fasting but holding our fingers in our ears. Scripture has told us what kind of fast He desires. Throughout Lent, we will frequently recite the following antiphon: **"If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts." **God has really already spoken to us; will we open our ears to his voice and our hearts to His will? --- *Copyright 2018 Jessica Ptomey* ### Share this article [![Share on Facebook](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/facebook-24x24.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2018%2F02%2F22%2Ffasting-101%2F%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on Twitter](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/twitter-24x24.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2018%2F02%2F22%2Ffasting-101%2F%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2018%2F02%2F22%2Ffasting-101%2F%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=Fasting%20101) [![Share on Email](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/email-24x24.png)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2018%2F02%2F22%2Ffasting-101%2F%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2018%2F02%2F22%2Ffasting-101%2F%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) ** #### About the Author ![Jessica Ptomey](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/Jessica%20Ptomey%20Jan%202022.jpg) ### [Jessica Ptomey](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/author/jessica-ptomey) Jessica Ptomey is a Catholic convert, author, speaker, Communications scholar, home educator, and Director of Religious Education at Sacred Heart Church in Bowie, MD. She blogs at [JessicaPtomey.com](http://www.jessicaptomey.com). She is the author of [Home in the Church: Living an Embodied Catholic Faith](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1642797081?pf_rd_p=ab873d20-a0ca-439b-ac45-cd78f07a84d8&pf_rd_r=MJSXMAAC1CWKFJREGT3J), and her research in inter-faith dialogue has been published in the Journal of Communication and Religion (JCR). She is also the co-host with her husband Mike of [The Catholic Reading Challenge podcast](https://anchor.fm/catholicreadingchallenge). ## Related Blog Articles [ The Voice God Uses Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2019/03/28/the-voice-god-uses/) [ If You Don't Have a Plan for Lent Yet, Don't Panic Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2020/02/25/if-you-dont-have-a-plan-for-lent-yet-dont-panic/) [ Spirituality in the Private Life Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2020/04/23/spirituality-in-the-private-life/) ## Comments ## Donate now [![Support Catholic Mom](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/275132/10016573-1c5c-4aa5-baba-c2ac91fe7545.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/275132/10016573-1c5c-4aa5-baba-c2ac91fe7545) [![CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c (002)](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c%20(002).png?width=1806&height=731&name=CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c%20(002).png "CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c (002)")](https://www.catholicmom.com/) ##### Subscribe to Catholic Momcast on iTunes or Spotify [![itunes-logo-black](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/logos/itunes-logo-black.svg)](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/catholic-momcast/id1362352357)[![spotify-logo-black](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/logos/spotify-logo-black.svg)](https://open.spotify.com/show/15CoipHL7z61IDcYErV0b8?si=hqaQJSxDQgq7S1hxCwsoxQ) ##### CatholicMom on Social Networks [![facebook](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-facebook.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/CatholicMomCommunity) [![twitter](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-twitter.svg)](http://twitter.com/CatholicMomCom) [![instagram](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-instagram.svg)](http://instagram.com/catholicmomcommunity) [![youtube](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUqHCVPDzyMgSMaMZxxug?view_as=subscriber) ##### About Catholic Mom [Who We Are](https://www.catholicmom.com/about-us) [Contact Us](https://www.catholicmom.com/contact) [Support CatholicMom.com](https://www.catholicmom.com/support-us)   ##### Associated Links [Holy Cross Family Ministries](https://www.hcfm.org/) [Family Rosary](https://www.familyrosary.org/) [Family Theater Productions](https://www.familytheater.org/) [Congregation of the Holy Cross](https://www.holycrossusa.org/) [Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C.](https://www.fatherpeyton.org/) [The Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life](https://www.peytonfamilyinstitute.org/) ### **Stay connected!** Don’t miss a thing! 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