even permanently, so long as one did not regard the eating of it as
intrinsically evil. St. Paul, for example, advised giving meat up
permanently if it would prevent the sin of scandal (1 Cor. 8:13) and praised
the man who abstains in the Lord’s honor: “He also who eats, eats in honor
of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; while he who abstains, abstains
in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God” (Rom. 14:6).
Contrary to Gnosticism, the Catholic Church regards the eating of meat to
be good and healthy, even a delicacy, which is why she recommends that it
be given up, but only temporarily. By abstaining from something good the
Christian learns to cultivate a spirit of humility and sacrifice, as well as
exercising the spiritual discipline of subduing the wayward desires of the
flesh, that is, the unruly inclinations of our lower nature. Fasting raises our
hearts and minds to the contemplation of heavenly things, aiding us to fulfil
the universal call to sanctity. Conversely, the glutton is equated with being
an enemy of Christ’s Cross (Phil. 3:18).
Third objection: “Catholic fasts are a farce. As the Presbyterian
minister Loraine Boettner says, ‘Rome’s fasts are purely arbitrary and
mechanical, not spiritual … True fasting is a spiritual exercise
usually connected with prayer, repentance and meditation’ (Roman
Catholicism, p. 276).”
 |
 |
 |