(Still on the six commandments of the Church)
The obligatory days of fasting and abstinence by the Church are: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. In addition, all Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence. But if you can fast for fourty days, why not?
While fasting, you are allowed to take only one full meal (as your health and age permit; especially between ages 18 and 60). By abstinence we are forbidden to take flesh meat and soups made from meat.
In addition, we are encouraged to equally intensify some other penitential practices. So, “abstain from meat” does not only mean chicken 🐔, beef 🍖 and nkwobi 🍲 it equally means abstinence from the sins of the flesh.
The sins of the flesh according to Galatians 5:19-21 are: “…sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God”.
Lastly, you can’t be fasting and praying while keeping malice. You will incure ulcer not answer. For a fact, fasting can’t go alongside with exploitation, quarreling and strife. Rather true fasting entails loosing the chains of injustice, set the oppressed free, break every yoke, Almsgiving (share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter, clothe the naked and care for your family) Cf. Isaiah 58: 3-7.
Keep the faith! Don’t fake it🙏
#witnessline
Father Daniel Evbotokhai
