The early church fathers weren't afraid to tell it like it is. Unlike today, they had no problem with the term "devil (s)". I love how forthright St. Athanasius was:
Devils take great delight in fullness, and drunkenness and bodily comfort - They delight in excess of every kind. When we are "fat" with vice this prepares quite a "spread" for the evil spirits. They feast on vices. This includes "spiritual excess" because it is often pride based.
Fasting possesses great power and it works glorious things - Fasting and prayer can free us from oppression and demonic harassment far more quickly than prayer alone can. It also sets our hearts on the things above.
The end result:
To fast is to banquet with angels
Devils take great delight in fullness, and drunkenness and bodily comfort. Fasting possesses great power and it works glorious things. To fast is to banquet with angels.
St. Athanasius
Soooo true!
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this!
I love this, Mary~fasting is to banquet with angels. Now as divine comedy would have it, I am reading this while ending my fast for today munching on my scrambled egg sandwich. Well, I think the angels can use a break from me today anyway :)
ReplyDeleteBut seriously~great quote. Thanks for sharing it.
Oh, wow! i had never heard this before! I want to fast more!
ReplyDeleteBanqueting with angels. Now that's all I need to hear to shore up my resolve. Thanks so much, Mary.
ReplyDeleteGreat reminder! LOL! I need to fast from the internet like I said!
ReplyDeleteDo angels like pizza? Because I didn't have one yesterday whilst fasting. I was tempted though!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat post Mary, thank you.
God bless you.
Hi Madeleine,
ReplyDeleteI love how blunt the early church fathers were. This quote helps us remember the power of fasting.
Hi Karin,
ReplyDeleteYou an egg sandwich, me a piece of meatless lasagna ;) Still, do you notice how free you feel while fasting? It definitely has great effects spiritually!
Hi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's what I thought when I read it :)
Hi Barb,
ReplyDeleteIt's enough to motivate me to increase my fasting this Lent too. Plus, we have very good reasons to fast with all that's going on in the Church lately. I loved your most recent article - it made me think of this more deeply.
Hi Monica,
ReplyDeleteGuilty here too (sheepish grin) - I need to cut back on the amount of time I spend on the internet!
Hi Victor,
ReplyDeleteI don't know if angels like pizza but I sure do!
Thanks for this encouraging post Mary! Love it! Happy St. Valentine's Day and Happy Lent!
ReplyDeleteAnd to you, Anne :) I hope you and your family are well and I wish you all a blessed Lent!
ReplyDeleteHi dear Mary.....as always you are a wealth of information. Thank you for sharing. Blessings and hugs.
ReplyDeleteAnd to you, Grace :)
ReplyDeleteMary, a short but sublime post. Don't we all want to "banquet with the angels!"
ReplyDeleteI am one of those who really cannot fast much, because of blood sugar issues. I have been dispensed from it by a priest, and told to just do the best I can. But, I miss not being able to go without food between meals, etc., as I did years ago. Even though I try to "fast" from other things as a substitute of sorts, it is not the same.
I think I will pray and ask the Lord to help me be able to fast again without considerable side effects. Thanks for this reminder of its value, dear Mary.
Wishing you a most holy Lent! xo
Hi Patricia,
ReplyDeleteNot everybody can fast from food but giving up other things makes up for it :) I hope you have a blessed Lent too!
Sometimes we just need to hear it straight up, dont we?
ReplyDeleteGod Bless.
Yes, we do :)
ReplyDelete