Truth Of The Spirit

Have you ever had the doldrums when it came to prayer time and you just found yourself seemingly going through the motions?  Or perhaps you even found it impossible to pray?  When distractions overwhelm you to where your mind just won’t settle down and focus?  Does that happen to you?   I have an answer for you!  Enter into the prayer of fasting!  St. Thomas Aquinas says that “we fast for three purposes:  to restrain the desires of the flesh; to raise the mind to contemplate sublime things; and to make satisfaction for our sins.”  St. John Chrysostom realized that fasting is not only from food. It’s not just food that leads us away from God.  He recommended, “Let the hands fast, by being free of avarice. Let the feet fast, by ceasing to run after sin.”  Join Patti Brunner for this episode as she shows how the Church encourages us to fast and the benefits that can come forth.