Short Audiobook on the Spiritual Advantages of Fasting
BONUS CONTENT: A PAPAL ENCYCLICAL ON THE SPIRITUAL ADVANTAGES OF FASTING.
Lent is just around the corner so we thought we would share with you a short audiobook of the papal encyclical from Pope Clement XIII on the spiritual advantages of fasting.
If you prefer to read along, the script is below.
If you like this, consider supporting us on patreon! On top of receiving cool thank you gifts like a glencairn glass and/or a beer glass, you will have instant access to the following:
Become a Patron!https://c6.patreon.com/becomePatronButton.bundle.js
Material:
Identifying your root sins: https://www.patreon.com/posts/24341146
Brochure on how to start a men’s group by TCMS: https://www.patreon.com/posts/30862167
How to: Praying the Liturgy of the Hours from the late Deacon John Donnelly: https://www.patreon.com/posts/32679064
Ten part series on the Domestic Church written by Adam, Haylee, David, and Pamela: https://www.patreon.com/posts/43827270
Interviews:
Interview with Mark Hart and Trent Horn: https://www.patreon.com/posts/25006488
Fr. Larry Richards on Confession: https://www.patreon.com/posts/25264474
Jon Leonetti on Sacrifice: https://www.patreon.com/posts/25264474
Jason Evert – Theology of the Body: https://www.patreon.com/posts/25264599
Fr. Dwight Longenecker on Masculinity: https://www.patreon.com/posts/25264599
Sr. Bethany Madonna on Life Issues: https://www.patreon.com/posts/25277499
Steve Pokorny on Beauty in a Pornified Culture: https://www.patreon.com/posts/25300345
Extended talk with Karlo Broussard on Philosophy: https://www.patreon.com/posts/25300504
Archbishop Charles Chaput on Suffering: https://www.patreon.com/posts/25300751
Raymond Arroyo on imagination: https://www.patreon.com/posts/25300907
World Religion, Philosophy, and Seminary with Peter Puelo: https://www.patreon.com/posts/25301304
Matthew Arnold on Virtue: https://www.patreon.com/posts/25301477
Chat with Patrick Coffin: https://www.patreon.com/posts/26547141
Andrew Pudewa on John Senior’s book list: https://www.patreon.com/posts/28047834
12 minutes story from Dr. Cuddeback: https://www.patreon.com/posts/28665913
Acts of Reparations with Fr. Donald Calloway: https://www.patreon.com/posts/28944143
A 20-minute interview with Fr. John Parks: https://www.patreon.com/posts/33826129
Interview with Bishop Thomas Olmsted: https://www.patreon.com/posts/33953298
Dr. Edward Sri on Fatherhood: https://www.patreon.com/posts/34566142
Social Media and the Church with Fr. John Hollowell: https://www.patreon.com/posts/34551676
Interview with Fr. Leo Patalinghug: https://www.patreon.com/posts/35480293
Fr. Cosgrove’s Advice to Adam and David on what to do for your kid’s first communion: https://www.patreon.com/posts/37631888
Adam and David’s talks at conferences:
Adam and David talk on “How to be a Catholic man in today’s culture: https://www.patreon.com/posts/26134379
Adam and David’s Authentic Friendship talk given at the Courage Conference in 2019: https://www.patreon.com/posts/29345385
Talk on Priest, Prophet, and King with Fr. Robert Healey: https://www.patreon.com/posts/39420680
Guest Talks:
Dr. Cuddeback talk on Domestic Prudence: https://www.patreon.com/posts/28621338
Dave Van Vickle on Angels, Demons, Ghosts, and Exorcism: https://www.patreon.com/posts/34377446
Men’s Talk by Dr. Edward Sri: https://www.patreon.com/posts/35516257
Men’s Talk by Dave DiNuzzo: https://www.patreon.com/posts/35516692
Men’s Talk by Fr. Leo Patalinghug: https://www.patreon.com/posts/35516965
Men’s Talk by Paul George: https://www.patreon.com/posts/35517397
Clear Creek Monk, Fr. Nesbit, on the topic of mortification: https://www.patreon.com/posts/41874620
Professional Recordings/Audiobooks:
Profession Recording of Uniformity of God’s Will by St. Alphonsus Liguori: https://www.patreon.com/posts/35324681
Professional Recording of a Poem on the Passion of the Lord: https://www.patreon.com/posts/34864248
Professional Recording of St. Louis de Montfort: Praying the Rosary: https://www.patreon.com/posts/36620091
Professional Recording of Pope Leo XIII on the Devotion of the Rosary: https://www.patreon.com/posts/37557226
Professional Recording on Promoting the Devotion of the Most Precious Blood: https://www.patreon.com/posts/38885894
Professional Recording Encyclical of Pope Benedict XV on St. Dominic: https://www.patreon.com/posts/39032547
Professional Recording Audiobook on St. Thomas Aquinas on Kingship: https://www.patreon.com/posts/40919609
Professional Recording on the Bull of Canonization of St. Francis: https://www.patreon.com/posts/42211330
Professional Recording of Casti Connubial: https://www.patreon.com/posts/43221588
Professional Recording of Papal Bull Condemning Freemasonry: https://www.patreon.com/posts/45335625
On the Spiritual Advantages of Fasting
APPETENTE SACRO (On the Spiritual Advantages of Fasting)
Pope Clement XIII
Encyclical of Pope Clement XIII promulgated on 20 December 1759.
To the Venerable Brothers the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, and Bishops. Venerable Brothers, Greetings and Apostolic Blessing.
The holy season of Lent approaches, which is full of mysteries but not without mystery. It precedes that great celebration of Easter, by which alone the dignity of all other religious occasions is consecrated. Venerable Brothers, you should see that the faithful religiously observe this holy fast, which was recommended by the testimony of the laws and the prophets, consecrated by the Lord Jesus Christ, and handed on by the apostles. The Catholic Church has always preserved it so that by the mortification of the flesh and the humiliation of the spirit, we might be better prepared to approach the mysteries of the Lord’s passion and the paschal sacraments. Likewise through fasting we might rise again in the resurrection of Him whose passion and death we joined after we put off the old man. Our predecessor Benedict XIV aroused you with two earlier briefs, that you might zealously preserve such a holy and salutary institution. Your work and zeal should recall the discipline of the Lenten fast, now weakened by many corruptions, to its original observance. For this reason, Pope Benedict XIV removed from your midst many quibblings which impaired fasting. However, as there are many persistent threats to the Lord’s flock from the foul and dangerous enemy of the human race, we should be wary lest the sly old fox add new calculations and perverse customs to the minds of the weaker faithful. These things will weaken the strength of the fast and make it sink back to that point from which it was recently recalled. We think it is necessary to send you this letter to show your brotherhood how fearful We are that the old corruption might remain, or that a new stain might come upon ecclesiastic discipline in this matter, with the resulting destruction of the souls of the faithful.
2. We understand that it is just as necessary to lessen this fear of Ours as it is to increase your pastoral vigilance by it. After Our predecessor’s letters, it perhaps remains for you to eradicate with God’s help anything pertaining to the old or new corruption for breaking the laws of the fast, or the fabrications of opinions, or the customs which shy away from the true power and nature of the fast. Among these We number that abuse which rumor has brought to Us: while many people were permitted by dispensation to eat meat for just and legitimate reasons, they thought it was also permitted to consume drinks mixed with milk, contrary to what Our predecessor thought was right. He was of the opinion that those who were permitted by dispensation to have meat, as well as those who were fasting in any way, with one mixture excepted, were comparable to those who had no dispensation. Accordingly they can have meat, or whatever originates from meat, in only one mixture.
3. You will begin most appropriately, and with hope of the greatest profit, to recall men to the observance of the holy law of fasting, if you teach the people this: penance for the Christian man is not satisfied by withdrawing from sin, by detesting a past life badly lived, or by the sacramental confession of these same sins. Rather, penance also demands that we satisfy divine justice with fasting, almsgiving, prayer, and other works of the spiritual life. Every wrongdoing–be it large or small–is fittingly punished, either by the penitent or by a vengeful God. Therefore we cannot avoid God’s punishment in any other way than by punishing ourselves. If this teaching is constantly implanted in the minds of the faithful, and if they drink deeply of it, there will be very little cause to fear that those who have discarded their degraded habits and washed their sins clean through sacramental confession would not want to expiate the same sins through fasting, to eliminate the concupiscence of the flesh. Besides, consider the man who is convinced that he repents of his sins more firmly when he toes not allow himself to go unpunished. That man, already consumed with the love of penance, will rejoice during the season of Lent and on certain other days, when the Church declares that the faithful should fast and gives them the opportunity to bring forth worthy fruits of penance. After all, it is always necessary to subdue concupiscence, for it is written, “Do not follow behind your desires, and do not turn away from your will.” Let the faithful easily turn their attention during this most holy time of year to lessening the intemperance of the body by fasting. In this way the soul might understand how it should prepare itself to recall the holy mysteries of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Therefore, those who are spurred on by penance do not seek the delicacies of the table, which seem indistinguishable from forbidden foods, even with abstinence. However, one can rightfully say that whoever sets them on his table does not so much put aside his customary delicacies as give his appetites over to unusual enticements. Finally, those spurred on by penance do not seek escapes by which they might withdraw from fasting, nor do they seek various subtleties to break ecclesiastical law.
4. It is your duty, Venerable Brothers, to in spire enthusiasm and love of penance in the faithful by word and example. Thus, they will approach the fast more quickly, observe it according to the laws prescribed by the Catholic Church, and sanctify it through almsgiving and prayer. Finally–and this matter greatly concerns the Church–they should understand that they have died and been buried with Christ. They have been called to the new life of the new man in the paschal feast so that they can come to the risen Lord Jesus Christ in full confidence. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you, to whom We most lovingly impart the apostolic blessing as a pledge of Our love and good will toward you.
Given in Rome, at St. Mary Major, on the 20th day of December in the year 1759, in the second year of Our pontificate.