For many Catholics, the approaching of Lent means discerning what pleasurable good they will be giving up from Ash Wednesday until the Resurrection of Our Lord on Easter Sunday. Whether it be a favorite dessert or hobby, this act of penance, along with giving up meat on Fridays, is an integral part of how many Catholics observe Lent. The Muslim fast of Ramadan, necessarily, seems more arduous than giving up chocolate bars for 40 days.
During the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, all Muslims, barring those with a chronic illness or in old age, fast from sunrise until sunset. This month of fasting involves abstinence from food, drink, and sinful behavior, placing, instead, a special emphasis on charitable deeds and prayer.
Where would Muslims get such an extreme idea of fasting from?
Some scholars speculate that the early leaders of Islam took over medieval Catholic Lenten practices. The medieval Lent, for many today, would seem onerous, much too difficult for the modern world. For our Latin ancestors, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday were “black fasts,” meaning days with only one meal after sunset without meats, eggs, or dairy products. Throughout the rest of Lent, our medieval forbearers would go without food until 3 p.m., the hour of Our Lord’s death, and would continue to abstain from meat, eggs, and dairy products. The faithful were also encouraged to refrain from fish, though they were allowed to drink water, as well as watered down beer (due to sanitary concerns). This Lenten fast would climax during the Holy Triduum, for the “Paschal Fast,”a black fast beginning sundown on Maundy Thursday lasting until the Easter Vigil Mass on Holy Saturday.
As time progressed the Catholic Church continuously modified the Lenten practice, reducing it to abstaining from meat on Fridays during Lent, and fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, such that the faithful are limited to only one full meal and two smaller meals that do not equal one full meal. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops also encourages the fast on Good Friday to extend until Easter Vigil, to “honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus, and to prepare ourselves to share more fully and to celebrate more readily His Resurrection.” This mindset of preparation for Christ’s resurrection can be extended to the entirety of Lent.
While reverting to thirteenth century fasting practices may seem extreme, Catholics can alternatively use the ancient traditions to shape how they approach their current Lenten fast. What may be seen as intense practices, in medieval Lent and Ramadan fasting, can also be regarded as a reminder of the beauty of fasting and penance. St. Augustine says, “Fasting cleanses the soul, raises the mind, subjects one’s flesh to the spirit, renders the heart contrite and humble, scatters the clouds of concupiscence, quenches the fire of lust, kindles the true light of chastity.” Despite the differences behind why Catholics and Muslims fast, at the heart of both religions is a desire to purify oneself. For Catholics, Ramadan can serve as a reminder of the devotional intensity with which our forebears once approached Lent and try to apply such importance and intentionality to a modern fast.
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