Open your mind and heart and discover how the sacred art of fasting can strengthen your spiritual appetite
"Fasting as a religious act increases our sensitivity to that mystery always and everywhere present to us…. It is an invitation to awareness, a call to compassion for the needy, a cry of distress, and a song of joy. It is a discipline of self-restraint, a ritual of purification, and a sanctuary for offerings of atonement. It is a wellspring for the spiritually dry, a compass for the spiritually lost, and inner nourishment for the spiritually hungry."
—from chapter 9
Though fasting is practiced in some form by nearly every faith tradition throughout the world, it is often seen as scary or something only for monastic life. But fasting doesn't have to be intimidating. And it doesn’t have to mean going weeks without food.
The Sacred Art of Fasting invites you to explore the practical approaches, spiritual motivations, and physical benefits of this ancient practice by looking at the ways it is observed in several faith traditions. Inspiring personal reflections, helpful advice, and encouragement from people who practice fasting answer your questions, allay your fears, and reveal how you too can safely incorporate fasting into your spiritual life.
Open your mind and heart and discover how the sacred art of fasting can strengthen your spiritual appetite
"Fasting as a religious act increases our sensitivity to that mystery always and everywhere present to us…. It is an invitation to awareness, a call to compassion for the needy, a cry of distress, and a song of joy. It is a discipline of self-restraint, a ritual of purification, and a sanctuary for offerings of atonement. It is a wellspring for the spiritually dry, a compass for the spiritually lost, and inner nourishment for the spiritually hungry."
—from chapter 9
Though fasting is practiced in some form by nearly every faith tradition throughout the world, it is often seen as scary or something only for monastic life. But fasting doesn't have to be intimidating. And it doesn’t have to mean going weeks without food.
The Sacred Art of Fasting invites you to explore the practical approaches, spiritual motivations, and physical benefits of this ancient practice by looking at the ways it is observed in several faith traditions. Inspiring personal reflections, helpful advice, and encouragement from people who practice fasting answer your questions, allay your fears, and reveal how you too can safely incorporate fasting into your spiritual life.
Introduction
1. In Search of Fasting as a Spiritual Practice
2. Judaism: Purification, Mourning, Atonement
3. Christianity: Mystical Longing, Liberation through Discipline,
Work of Justice
4. Islam: Allah-Consciousness, Self-Restraint, Social
Solidarity
5. Hinduism: Purity, Respect, Penance
6. Buddhism: Purity of Body, Clarity of Mind, Moderation
7. Latter-day Saints: Offerings for Those in Want, Strengthening in
the Faith
8. What Makes Fasting a Sacred Art?
9. Preparing to Practice
Notes
Acknowledgments
Rev. Thomas Ryan, CSP, is a Catholic priest and member of the
Paulist Fathers. He coordinates ecumenical and interreligious
relations for the Paulist community in the United States and
Canada. The author of twelve books, his works include The Sacred
Art of Fasting: Preparing to Practice (SkyLight Paths);
Interreligious Prayer: A Christian Guide; Four Steps to Spiritual
Freedom and the DVD Yoga Prayer. He lives in Washington, DC.
Rev. Thomas Ryan, CSP, is available to speak on the following
topics:
Fasting: A Fresh Look
Challenge and Inspiration from Other Religions
The Ecumenical Gift Exchange: What Do the Churches Have to Offer
One Another for Their Mutual Enrichment?
Soul Fire: Accessing Your Creativity
Remember to Live: Embracing the Second Half of Life
Click here to contact the author.
"A major contribution to a lost art, discipline, and spiritual
practice. It reflects both a maturation of religion and a radical
return to tradition. Thomas Ryan is teaching us how to refine our
appetites!"
—Richard Rohr, OFM, founder and director of The Center for Action
and Contemplation
“A solid and stimulating addition to the reading list of
interreligious discussion groups.”
—America
“Insightful and balanced.... Garners the wisdom of different
religious traditions ... needed in today's world.... Father Ryan
has rendered a notable service in writing this book.”
—Monastic and Interreligious Dialogue
“A superbly written guidebook and practical resource…. Explores
with ease and clarity our deeply rooted fascination with fasting
and abstinence…. He writes from a Christian perspective yet
compares and contrasts teachings and practices in other religious
traditions with insight and respect.”
—John Borelli, Special Assistant to the President for
Interreligious Initiatives, Georgetown University
“Broader and more complex than it might at first appear.... [A]
sensitive treatment of fasting’s tradition and meanings in not only
Christianity but also Judaism, Islam, and other faiths.”
—Library Journal
“A sober, practical, and deeply reverential discussion of an
ancient practice undertaken in search for enlightenment.”
—Midwest Book Review
“Readers may be inspired to develop their own fasting practice....
Warm [and] personal ... accessible and inviting.... Equips readers
to practice this sacred art safely and meaningfully.”
—New Age Retailer
“Accessible, thoughtful.... One of the book’s strengths is its
evenhanded introduction to each of the six religions it
covers....These [balanced] narratives allow adherents from each
religion to speak from their own belief and experience.... [A]
gem.... A much-needed treatise that will attract believers from all
faiths.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Does an excellent service…. With diverse perspectives of social
responsibility, devotion, ecology, the politics of hunger, and
medicine, he explores the depth of human well-being … dispelling
fears, guiding us with examples.”
—Bhaswati Bhattacharya, MPH, MD, holistic physician-author and
assistant professor of family practice in medicine, Weill-Cornell
Medical College
“Well-researched and developed.... Well-rounded.... Merit[s]
serious consideration.... A feast of words that cannot fail to
delight all who partake of it.... Reader-friendly ... a work of
substance.”
—Montreal Anglican
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