Fifth Saturday – Self Denial
Self-denial is the act of fasting or abstaining (not having any) of a particular thing. Jesus talks about fasting in terms of food in the New Testament. The hunger pains we feel are supposed to remind us that we depend on God for our very lives.
Some people combine fasting and prayer together when they are especially concerned about something or someone. They may fast for an entire day and pray throughout the day (especially at meal times when they would’ve been eating) for that person or situation. Others may fast one meal or a whole week. This practice is based on the account in Mark 9 when the disciples were unable to cast the demons out of a boy. They had cast out demons in the name of Jesus before and were confused why they couldn’t this time. Jesus says to them in Mark 9:29, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer and fasting.”
Self-denial in the Lenten tradition can take on many forms. It was originally meant as not eating meat on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday as a sign of solidarity with those who could and could not afford to buy meat (remembering the poor). As years passed, Fridays were added as a time to abstain from meat, and then the tradition started to include things like giving up vices (alcohol, desserts) and technology (television, internet, Facebook).
For our 40-day journey, the self-denial aspect is optional and should be made on a personal basis.
Activity: Eat beans and rice for one meal (or something else inexpensive like cereal). Take the difference in cost between your family’s typical meal and the beans and rice and donate it to an organization that feeds those in poverty. This could be your local food bank or homeless shelter or an international organization like World Vision or Feed the Children. As a family discuss what is being given so kids have an understanding of the self-denial aspect of the activity.
