Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 5.djvu/872

 FAST

790

FAST

Hist. Eccl. II, 33) denied the obligation, for the more perfect Christians, of the Church fasts; they were con- demned (380) by the SjTiod of Gangra (can. xiv), which also asserted incidentally the traditional antiq- uity of the ecclesiastical fasts (Hefele-Leclercq, Hist, des Conciles. French tr. Paris, 1908, I, p. 1041). Con- trary to the groundless assertions of these sectaries, moralists are one in maintaining that a natural law in- culcates the necessity of fasting because every ra- tional creature is bound to labour intelligently for the subjugation of concupiscence. As a consequence, ra- tional creatures are logically obliged to adopt means commensurate with the attainment of this end (see Mortification). Amongst the means naturally sub- serving this purpose fasting lays claim to a place of primary importance. The function of positive law is to intervene in designating days whereon this obliga- tion must be observed, as weU as the manner in which the same obligat ion is to be discharged on days authori- tatively appointed.

What pertains to the origin as well as to the his- torical development of this obligation in the Church may be gleaned easily from the articles on Absti- nence and Black F.\st. The law of fasting, eccle- siastical in its genius, is unwritten in its origin, and consequently must be understood and applied with due regard for the customs of various times and places. See the corresponding historico-archseological articles in the various modern dictionaries and ency- clopedias of Cliristian Archseologj', e. g. Martigny, Kraus, Smith and Cheetham, Cabrol and Leclercq. Details will be found under Advent; Lent; Frid.ay, Saturday; Vigil; Ember Days.

In the United States of America all the days of Lent ; the Fridays of Advent (generall)'); the Ember Days; the vigils of Christmas and Pentecost, as well as those (14 Aug.) of the Assumption; (31 Oct.) of All Saints, are now fasting days. In Great Britain, Ireland, Aus- tralia and Canada, the days just indicated, together with the Wednesdays of .\dvent and (28 June) the vigil of Saints Peter and Paul, are fasting days. Fasting essentially consists in eating but one full meal in twenty-four hours and that about midday. It also implies the obligation of abstaining from flesh meat during the same period, unless legitimate authority grants permission to eat meat. The quantity of food allowed at this meal has never been made the subject of positive legislation. Whosoever therefore eats a hearty or sumptuous meal in order to bear the burden of fasting satisfies the obligation of fasting. Any ex- cess during the meal militates against the virtue of temperance, without jeopardizing the obligation of fasting.

.\ccording to general usage, noon is the proper time for this meal. For good reasons this hour may be legitimately anticipated. Grievous sin is not com- mitted even though this meal is taken a full hour be- fore noon without sufficient reason, because the sub- stance of fasting, which consists in taking but one full meal a day, is not imperilled. In like manner, the hour for the midday meal and the collation, may for good reasons be conscientiously inverted. In many of our larger cities this practice now prevails. .-Vccord- ing to D'.\nnibale (Summula Theologia? Moralis, 4 ed., Ill, 134) and Noldin (Summa Theologise Moralis, n. 674) good reasons ju-stify one in taking a collation in the morning, dinner at noon, and the morning allow- ance in the evening, because the s\ibstance of fasting .still remains intact. Nothing like a noteworthy inter- ruption should be admitted during the course of the midday meal, becau.se such a break virtually forms two meals instead of one. Common sen.se, taking into consideration individual intention and the duration of the interruption, mu.st finally iletcrmine whether a given interruption is noteworthy or not. Ordinarily an interruption of one half hour is considered slight. Nevertheless, an individual, after having commenced

the midday meal and meeting with a bona fide inter- ruption lasting for an hour or more is fully justified in resinning and finishing the meal after the termination of an interruption. Finally, unless special reasons suggest the contrary, it is not allowed to give immod- erate length to the time of this meal. Ordinarily, a duration of more than two hours is considered im- moderate in this matter.

Besides a complete meal, the Chiu-ch now permits a collation usually taken in the evening. In consider- ing this point proper allowance must be made for what custom has introduced regarding both the quantity and the quality of viands allowed at this repast. In the first place, about eight ounces of food are per- mitted at the collation even though this amount of food would fully satisfy the appetites of some persons. Moreover, due attention must be paid to each per- son's temperament, duties, length of fast, etc. Hence, much more food is allowed in cold than in warm cli- mates, more to those working during the day than to those at ease, more to the weak and hungry than to the strong and well fed. As a general rule whatever is deemed necessary in order to enable people to give proper attention to their duties may be taken at the collation. Moreover, since custom first introduced the collation, the usage of each countrj' must be con- sidered in determining the quality of viands permitted thereat. In some places eggs, milk, butter, cheese and fish are prohibited, whilst bread, cake, fruit, herbs and vegetables are allowed. In other places, milk, eggs, cheese, butter and fish are permitted, owing either to custom or to Indult. This is tlie case in the United States. However, in order to form judgments perfectly safe concerning this point, the Lenten regu- lations of each diocese should be carefully read. Fi- nally, a little tea, coffee, chocolate or such like bever- age together with a morsel of bread or a cracker is now allowed in the morning. Strictly speaking, whatever may be classified under the head of liquids may be taken as drink or medicine at any time of the day oi night on fasting days. Hence, water, lemonade, soda water, ginger ale, wine, beer and similar drinks may be taken on fasting days outside meal time even though such beverages may, to some extent, prove nutritious, Coffee, tea, diluted chocolate, electuaries made of sugar, juniper berries, and citron may be taken on fasting days, outside meal time, as medicine by those who find them conducive to health. Honey, milk^ soup, broth, oil or anj-thing else having the nature of food, is not allowed under either of the two categories already specified. It is impossible to decide mathe- matically how much food is necessary to involve a serious violation of this law. Moralists as well as canonists concur in holding that an excess of four ounces would seriously militate against the obligatioD of fasting, whether that much food was consumed at once or at various intervals during the day, because Alexander VII (IS March, 1666) condemned the teach- ing of those who claimed that food so taken was nol to be regarded as equalling or exceeding the amount al- lowed (Denzinger, Enchiridion STOibolorum et Defini- tionura, tenth ed. Freiburg im Br., 1908, No. 1129).

Though Benedict XIV (Constitutions, Non Am- biginius, 31 May, 1741; In superna, 22 Aug., 1741), granted permission to eat meat on fasting days, he distinctly prohibited the use of fish and flesh at the same meal on all fasting days during the year as well as on Sundays during Lent. (Letter to the Arch- bishop of Compostella, 10 June, 1745, in Bucceroni, Enchiridion Morale, No. 147). This prohibition binds all exempted from fasting either because they are com- pelled to labour or because they are not twenty-one years old. Furthermore this prohibition extends to those allowed meat on fasting days either by dispensa- tion or by Indult. Sin is committed each time the prohibited action takes place.

The ecclesiastical law of fasting embodies a serious