Another Kind of Fasting

I’m not entirely sure what to think of this proposal, but it certainly is interesting, and the passion for church unity is most inspiring. The proposal is to ‘fast’ from reception of the eucharistic for a time. The author is my Doktorvater from Graz, Austria, Philipp Harnoncourt. The title of the article recalls the Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent, “After Jesus fasted 40 days and 40 nights, he was hungry.” Let me summarize the idea for you, and then tell me what you think.   –awr

It is a scandal and an open wound that Christians are not able to celebrate the eucharist in common. We can fast, and not merely pray, for church unity. There is spiritual power in freely foregoing reception of the eucharist for a time.

All the churches agree that the eucharist is very closely tied to the unity of the church(es). There is only one Body of Christ, only one baptism, only one eucharist. It is a clear contradiction to the essence and meaning of the eucharist that sister churches of the One Church mutually exclude one another from the eucharist. Many Protestants practice ‘open communion’ because it is Jesus, as Lord of the Supper, who issues the invitation, not the church.

There is sadness about the current ‘ecumenical winter’ compared to the ‘blossoming springtime’ immediately after the council. When in 1964 Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I lifted the mutual excommunications, Joseph Ratzinger wrote that, according to Christian tradition, common reception of Communion should follow the Kiss of Peace which they exchanged. “Where agape is already the ecclesial reality, it must become eucharistic agape.”

The admonition, repetitious as a prayer wheel, that we should have patience and wait for the Holy Spirit to bring about unity, only prolongs the state of sinful division. It is time for action. Jesus himself fasted. Why don’t we fast from the eucharist, at least from time to time, as a further step beyond our usual prayers for church unity? There are many instances of Catholics who do not receive communion out of solidarity with non-Catholics, or Catholics in irregular situations, who are present and not permitted to receive.

It is said by some that we should not ‘un-institute’ what Jesus instituted. Jesus himself commanded us to celebrate the eucharist. But in fact, our manner of celebrating eucharist in separation is already a failure to follow his command.

This type of eucharistic fasting is the fasting of penance and of repentance for the sinfulness of our divisions. It is a confession of our sinfulness. It is a fasting of great sadness. It is a participation in the kenosis (self-emptying) of Christ. It corresponds to the directive of Paul, “Therefore, when you come together to eat, wait for one another, so that your meetings may not result in judgment.” (1 Cor 11:33-34)

To those who resolve to fast in this way it is recommended to select a day or several days between Ascension and Pentecost, a time of intensive prayer for the disciples, or during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Other times of special importance are also possible.

Eucharistic fasting should mean a deeper, not a weaker eucharistic spirituality. May it help lead us again to eucharistic unity.

Source: “Als Jesus 40 Tage und 40 Näche gefastet hatte, hungerte ihn,” Diakonia: Internationale Zeitschrift für die Praxis der Kirche (2009, Heft 4), 287-294.