Fasting in Christianity

By Dr. Randi Fredricks, Ph.D.

The popularity of fasting in Christianity is largely due to Jesus’ predilection for it. The first record of his fasting was in preparation for his public ministry. Huston Smith (1995) recounted Jesus’ experience: Having descended, the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness where, during forty days of prayer and fasting, he consolidated the Spirit that had entered him. He then returned to the world empowered. (p. 206)

Throughout his ministry, Jesus promoted fasting among his followers and his disciples carried on the tradition (Vaage & Wimbush, 1999; von Braun, 2007). In Christianity, fasting has been used as a way to realign misguided priorities, initiate a deeper connection to God, and to imitate Christ. Arthur Wallis, itinerant Bible teacher and author of The Radical Christian, called fasting a powerful catalyst for transformation, pointing to the long list of fasting references in the Bible, as well as to saints, scholars, preachers, missionaries, revivalists, and evangelists who fasted and testified to its value. Wallis (1968) claimed a biblical imperative to fast and asserted that spiritual power can only be gained through fasting. He called for the Catholic Church to renew the practice of fasting as a means to regain its lost apostolic power (p. 9).

Among Christian religions, fasting is most prevalent in Catholicism. The major season of fasting is Lent, inspired by Jesus’ 40-day fast. This is an example of attempting to be more Christ-like; a form of emulation called “imitatio Christi,” Latin for “imitating Christ” (Wheatley, 2007).

One of the best-known occurrences of fasting and imitatio Christi was that of the Catholic saints. The saints would frequently fast for extended periods in order to demonstrate their devotion to Christ. Carol Lee Flinders (1993) described how Sainte Claire of Assisi’s love of Christ colored her perspective: Claire’s life of poverty was not a grim, calculated handing over but rather a joyous, easy, impatient flinging aside; lovers don’t feel the cold, lovers don’t care what they eat—and Claire was a lover, running full tilt toward her Beloved . . . . (p. 23)

Claire was so devoted to Christ that she had herself carried to church after her prolonged fasting had made her too weak to walk.

The fasting activity among the Catholic saints was not always associated with divinity. Although the saints were known for their fasting visions of God and Christ, they also had apparitions of demons. St. Anthony, an Egyptian ascetic, reported having demonic visions after his frequent fasting. Nevill Drury (2006) proposed that St. Anthony’s visions were actually hallucinations caused by the bread he ate after breaking his fast - bread that may have been infected with ergot, a fungus from which LSD is synthesized. Other reports of demonic apparitions included those of Catherine of Sienna, who claimed to have seen and heard demons telling her to quit fasting and return to a normal life (Flinders, 1993).

Pictured above: Pope Benedict XVI (Photo Credit: Cyril Hou / Shutterstock.com) )

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About the Author

Dr. Randi Fredricks, Ph.D. is a psychotherapist and author specializing in the treatment of mental health using integrative medicine and natural therapies. She works with individuals, couples, and families at her office in San Jose, California. Dr. Fredricks' publications include the landmark book Healing & Wholeness: Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Mental Health. No part of this article may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems. Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of Dr. Randi Fredricks as articles often present the published results of the research of other professionals. Copyright © 2012. To cite this article, please use the following citation: Fredricks, R. (2008). Healing & Wholeness: Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Mental Health. Bloomington, IN: Author House.


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