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A Lenten Fast is not for the purpose of losing weight. Nor is the deprivation of pleasure particularly holy.
Fasting is appropriate during Lent because this is the season of regimented warfare. This season prepares us for the celebrations that fill the rest of the year. I also like to think that this is the time when we specifically take up the suffering of the world. This gets us away from the self-centered view of Lent. The Me, the Me, the Me. Denying pleasures for the purpose of denying pleasures is no more than Pietistic Ingratitude. But just to make clear:
- There’s nothing wrong with dieting or dieting during Lent
- There’s nothing wrong with denying yourself a pleasure if you feel that it does not draw you closer to the Lord, but this isn’t something that should be confined to Lent
