Fasting and penance clear path to holiness

In the fall of 2021, I traveled to Medjugorje with members of Legatus for a pilgrimage. It was my first visit to the town where Mary has been appearing since 1981. Every Lent since then, I am reminded of the message that Mary has delivered at Medjugorje: fasting is a way to purify ourselves and should be practiced regularly. Her words are a reminder that fasting leads us to penance. As we observe Lent this year, it is important to remind ourselves that fasting and penance are keys to deepening and enriching our spiritual lives and drawing closer to God.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that
  At Medjugorje, Mary has been clear that fasting is an essential part of the path to holiness. She asks those who are able to have only bread and water on Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year. That level of fasting indeed surpasses the minimum the Church asks of us. Not every Catholic is capable of fasting to this extent, and for many, it would be unwise.

However, this rule of fasting is worth pondering even if we are unable to carry it out. While on pilgrimage at Medjugorje, I picked up a book, Fast with the Heart by Fr. Slavko Barbarić. I heartily recommend it. In the book, Fr. Barbarić explores the history of fasting, the scriptural roots of fasting, and how fasting can improve our spiritual health. The book left me with some key questions. Are we fasting from those items and pleasures we do not need? What sacrifices are we offering up to God for ourselves, loved ones, strangers, peace in the world, and other intentions? Are we fasting out of love and generosity?

In a hymn attributed to St. Ambrose, we are reminded "to purify our inmost soul, by spare use of meat and drink, our rebel passions to control." During Lent, we are hopefully taking steps to give up unnecessary attachments. We need to make this a commitment throughout the year, to bring about our interior conversion on a daily basis. This engenders humility, which in turn brings us to the sacrament of Confession, which beckons us to Holy Communion.
 
"Outstanding among the saints is Mary, Mother of the Lord and mirror of all holiness," Pope Benedict XVI explained in his encyclical letter Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love). She seeks always to bring us to her Son and wants us to follow the most direct path to Him. One of Mary’s recent messages at Medjugorje was to "pray and sacrifice your days by fasting and penance, that God may give you peace." Let us remember this message throughout Lent and throughout the days of our lives. It could convert us, and the world, and lead so many to heaven.