Fasting | Fast With Us

Why Fast?

Fasting was a message that our Lord, Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints practiced as a little sacrificial offering to bring good to others and their lives.

Matthew 6:16. "When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward."

In her messages, Our Lady of Medjugorje repeatedly asks us to fast every Wednesday, eating only bread and drinking water, in reparation and for peace in the world. The sick and elderly are asked to renounce something that they love for that day like cigarettes, coffee, etc.

There are many benefits to fasting. Fasting purifies the body and soul, offers penance for sin, prevent wars, changes the course of nature, and gives rewards to those who practice this sacrifice. Through prayer and fasting, we can conquer evil and resist all temptations, if is done from our hart.

Why Friday or Wednsday ?

Friday was the day that Jesus was put into the cross and die for us.

There for if He renounce to his life for us, and God renounce to His Son can we eat brad and water for one day at week? Or sick people to something that they like?

Wednesday: Ash Wednesday

The Eastern Orthodox Church observes Wednesday (as well as Friday) as a fast day throughout the year (with the exception of several fast-free periods during the year). Fasting on Wednesday and Fridays entails abstinence from meat or meat products (i.e., four-footed animals), poultry and dairy products. Unless a feast day occurs on a Friday, the Orthodox also abstain from fish, from using oil in their cooking and from alcoholic beverages (there is some debate over whether abstention from oil involves all cooking oil or only olive oil). For the Orthodox, Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year commemorate the betrayal of Jesus (Wednesday) and the Crucifixion of Christ (Friday). There are hymns in the Octoekhos which reflect this liturgically. These include special Theotokia (hymns to the Mother of God) called Stavrotheotokia ("Cross-Theotokia"). The dismissal at the end of services on Wednesday begins with these words: "May Christ our true God, through the power of the precious and life-giving cross...."

In Irish and Scottish Gaelic, the name for Wednesday also refers to fasting, as it is Dé Céadaoin in Irish Gaelic and Di-Ciadain in Scottish Gaelic, which comes from chéad, "first" and aoine, "fasting" which means "first day of fasting".
In American culture many Catholic and Protestant churches and some Jewish synagogues schedule study or prayer meetings on Wednesday nights. The sports calendar in many American public schools reflects this, reserving Mondays and Thursdays for girls' games and Tuesdays and Fridays for boys' games while generally avoiding events on Wednesday evening.

About Fasting ( If you want ask, be willing to give something back )

The Bible presents fasting as something that is good, profitable, and beneficial.

The book of Acts records believers fasting before they made important decisions (Acts 13:2; 14:23). Fasting and prayer are often linked together (Luke 2:37; 5:33). Too often, the focus of fasting is on the lack of food. Instead, the purpose of fasting should be to take your eyes off the things of this world to focus completely on God. Fasting is a way to demonstrate to God, and to ourselves, that we are serious about our relationship with Him. Fasting helps us gain a new perspective and a renewed reliance upon God.

Although fasting in Scripture is almost always a fasting from food, there are other ways to fast. Anything given up temporarily in order to focus all our attention on God can be considered a fast (1 Corinthians 7:1-5). Fasting should be limited to a set time, especially when fasting from food. Extended periods of time without eating can be harmful to the body. Fasting is not intended to punish the flesh, but to redirect attention to God. Fasting should not be considered a “dieting method” either. The purpose of a biblical fast is not to lose weight, but rather to gain deeper fellowship with God. Anyone can fast, but some may not be able to fast from food (diabetics, for example). Everyone can temporarily give up something in order to draw closer to God.

By taking our eyes off the things of this world, we can more successfully turn our attention to Christ. Fasting is not a way to get God to do what we want. Fasting changes us, not God. Fasting is not a way to appear more spiritual than others. Fasting is to be done in a spirit of humility and a joyful attitude. Matthew 6:16-18 declares, “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Our work, here in our life time, is like growing a tree. The healthier the tree, the better the fruits that will come out from it. No good fruit can come from a bad tree.

Our work is to say "Yes" to following the comandaments and to do good to others, as well as to Love.

As we love, we have the opportunity to show our love by fasting - which is simply replacing an elaborate, fancy meal with a modest one. We can start with breakfast, then lunch and eventually we will be able to include dinner. If I did it, you can as well. Sick people or old people can resolve that day to fasting from something they like or are custom to doing everyday like smoking, eating chocolate or drinking coffee.

Video and Fasting messages from Medjugorie

Mirjana - AGOSTO 2011 - a Medjugorje
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nil0YnWC5tI&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PLB7A90FD55AD92CBA

APRIL 14TH 1982
"You must know that Satan exists. One day he presented himself before the throne of God and asked the permission to groped the church for a time with the intention of destroying it. God allowed Satan to bring the church to the test for a century and added: 'You will not destroy it'. This century in which you live is under the power of Satan, but when the secrets that I have entrusted will be realized his power will be broken. At this moment he is loosing his power and because that he become way more aggressive: braking marriage, creating disagreements within consecrate souls, creating obsessions trigging homicides. Protect your self with fasting and with prayer especially with group prayers. Carry with you consecrated blessed objects and place them even in your homes. And use Holy Water."

AUGUST 18TH 1982
"Have them believe and pray; I cannot help him who does not pray in a solid way and does not sacrifice or fasting. I can not help who does not pray or do sacrifices. The sick, just like those who are in good health, must pray and fast for the sick. The more you believe firmly, the more you pray and fast for the same intention, the greater is the grace and the mercy of God to the sick ones. It is goo as well to apply blessed ointment. Not every priest have the bless to cure: for build and wake up this gift the priest need to pray with perseverance, fasting and believe firmly."

SEPTEMBER 9TH 1982
Besides fasting Friday with bread and water, fast another day of the week in honor to the Holy Spirit.

August 25, 1991 "Dear Children! Today also I invite you to prayer, now as never before when my plan has begun to be realized. Satan is strong and wants to sweep away my plans of peace and joy and make you think that my Son is not strong in His decisions. Therefore, I call all of you, dear children, to pray and fast still more firmly. I invite you to self-renunciation for nine days so that, with your help, everything that I desire to realize through the secrets I began in Fatima, may be fulfilled. I call you, dear children, to now grasp the importance of my coming and the seriousness of the situation. I want to save all souls and present them to God. Therefore, let us pray that everything I have begun be fully realized. Thank you for having responded to my call."

March 25, 1992 "Dear children! Today as never before I invite you to live my messages and to put them into practice in your life. I have come to you to help you and, therefore, I invite you to change your life because you have taken a path of misery, a path of ruin. When I told you: convert, pray, fast, be reconciled, you took these messages superficially. You started to live them and then you stopped, because it was difficult for you. No, dear children, when something is good, you have to persevere in the good and not think: God does not see me, He is not listening, He is not helping. And so you have gone away from God and from me because of your miserable interest. I wanted to create of you an oasis of peace, love and goodness. God wanted you, with your love and with His help, to do miracles and, thus, give an example. Therefore, here is what I say to you: Satan is playing with you and with your souls and I cannot help you because you are far away from my heart. Therefore, pray, live my messages and then you will see the miracles of God's love in your everyday life. Thank you for having responded to my call."

May 25, 2001, Our Lady says:

" … pray and fast that God may give you peace … "

Praying and fasting for peace was the substance of the whole life of Fr. Slavko Barbaric, from the very day he entered in the service of the messages of Our Lady. In his last book: “Fast with the heart”, Fr. Slavko wrote especially on fasting and praying for peace. Let us read some passages from this book:

Gospa has recommend fasting on Wednesday and Friday. As we know fasting is not always easy and requires a desire to offer sacrifice. It also requires a great deal of discipline. The Catholic Church guidelines tells us that little children and the elderly are not subject to the rule of fasting, but for those who are within the guidelines, fasting should be a part of life.

For those who cannot fast on bread and water, they are encouraged to offer other sacrifices. Medjugorje visionaries have spoken a great deal about this subject in interviews. They say that although a fast of bread and water is best, those who can not do this can offer other things that they enjoy in their daily lives.

There are many benefits to fasting. Fasting purifies the body and soul, offers penance for sin, prevent wars, changes the course of nature, and gives rewards to those who practice this sacrifice. Below are some of Gospa's messages in regard to fasting.

July 21, 1982 …Concerning Fasting: "The best fast is on bread and water. Through fasting and prayer, one can stop wars, one can suspend the laws of nature. Charity cannot replace fasting. Those who are not able to fast can sometime replace it with prayer, charity, and a confession; but everyone, except the sick, must fast."

During the apparition of December 25, 1982, to Mirjana, …"You have forgotten that through prayer and fasting you can avert wars and suspend the laws of nature."

SEPTEMBER 20, 1984; "Dear children; Today I ask you to start fasting from your heart. There are many people who fast, but only because everyone else is fasting. It has become a custom which no one wants to stop. I ask this parish to fast out of gratitude to God for allowing me to remain this long in this parish. Dear children fast and pray with your heart. Thank you for your response to my call."

APRIL 25, 1992:"Dear children, today also I invite you to prayer. Only by prayer and fasting can war be stopped. Therefore, my dear little children, pray; and by your life give witness that you belong to me, because Satan wishes, in these turbulent days, to seduce as many souls as possible . . ."

JUNE 25, 1992:Ivanka's yearly apparition on Our Lady's Anniversary Feast Day: "Our Lady pleaded with us to pray and fast. This is the only weapon against Satan. Satan wants to destroy everything good within us. Through prayer and fasting, we can conquer evil and resist all temptations."

Please prayerfully consider joining us in the beauty of fasting.