00:00Hello dear brothers and sisters! Welcome to these short videos where we are trying to answer some of the questions that many of our brothers and sisters have about aspects of our faith that may have been well explained in the catechism or perhaps were never explained to us at all.
00:17And that's why we've created this "Know to Love" section, because as Saint Augustine said, I cannot love what I do not know.
00:25And well, today Luis writes to us, I have a question from him who writes to us from Mérida, Yucatán.
00:34And well, Luis now invites us to reflect on a crucial topic in the life of a Christian, especially because it is a topic that has practically been forgotten.
00:44So I want to discuss it with you in a comprehensive way, and well, we're going to have to look at it in several segments, in several installments.
00:52Luis writes to us.
00:55Father, since that time a great need to fast has been born in me.
01:01I feel it in my heart, but I don't know how to do it.
01:04I am trying to speak with brothers who have been walking with the Lord longer for guidance.
01:11And that is why I am asking you today.
01:13I don't have much information about it.
01:16I just feel a great need in my heart to fast and to have a deeper connection with the Lord.
01:22Bravo, my dear Luis.
01:25The first thing I want to tell you is that I think it's magnificent, and it's a true inspiration from God.
01:33this noble desire for holiness that has been born in your heart.
01:36Before I talk to you about fasting, I would like to talk to you about what ceisis or penance is.
01:58since fasting is only part of this spiritual work that every Christian must do if they want to reach the holiness proposed by Jesus Christ.
02:07I'll start by telling you that when we talk about asceticism or penance,
02:15We are referring to human effort that responds to the grace of God,
02:19and it is the means by which man prepares and purifies his life so that divine life may be fully developed within it.
02:27This effort in us Christians takes on a particular character,
02:34Since asceticism in the faithful Christian is animated and directed by the Holy Spirit,
02:40that does not seek to destroy, but to build.
02:43Father Reiniero Cantalamesa, when referring to holiness and its relationship with penance,
02:50He says that this is the art of removing everything that hinders man in order to make visible
02:56that holiness that man himself already contained from baptism.
03:01Therefore, cesis is the tool we use to strengthen the walls
03:07through which our desires and aspirations pass,
03:11which, when they get out of control, are capable of destroying our lives
03:16or at least prevent it from reaching its full potential.
03:21It is the regulating element and, in many cases, the driving force behind a balanced and holy life.
03:29That is what the Catechism of the Church says about it.
03:33Taking up one's cross daily and following Jesus is the safest path in penance.
03:41When we think about penance, the following immediately comes to mind
03:45the monks whipping themselves or putting thorns in their chests
03:49or somehow destroying his body.
03:52However, penance, as Pope John Paul II explains to us
03:56in his encyclical Reconciliation and Penance,
04:00It is everything that helps the Gospel pass from the mind to the heart
04:05and from the heart to life.
04:08In other words, penance is a help so that we can truly live the Gospel.
04:15A saint from the Middle Ages, who had a good understanding of what penance was, said
04:20The first and most important penance is to pray.
04:26Prayer is the first and most important penance, because it is difficult.
04:35Unfortunately, modern man has a mistaken concept of what cesis is.
04:40and holds the value of the cross in very low esteem.
04:43The comfortable and materialistic life we live makes us easily despise things.
04:49These values are fundamental, even indispensable in life,
04:54not only to achieve holiness, but even to be able to live a joyful life,
05:00reasonable, stable.
05:03Penance acts as a regulating force on our passions and desires.
05:09which, when left unchecked, can completely destroy our lives.
05:15To contain them, in some cases we must add some positive asceticism to our lives
05:22and in others eliminate or qualify negative asceticism.
05:28In both directions, penance implies renunciation.
05:32Therefore, this cannot be done without the help of the cross and the Holy Spirit.
05:38Christian penance, properly understood, is neither Stoicism nor Platonism,
05:46Therefore, it is not about destroying our body, but about a spiritual tool.
05:50that helps evangelical principles and life to pass from the mind to the heart
05:56and from the heart to daily life.
05:59Okay, we'll leave this introduction here, which, although it doesn't yet answer your question,
06:07My dear brother, you're already starting to raise the issue of fasting.
06:13God willing, we'll see you in our next capsule.
06:15to continue discussing this interesting topic of fasting, which will help us bring order to our lives.
06:22Thank you for listening to us, for watching us.
06:27If you found this interesting and helpful for your life, share it on your social networks.
06:31And well, see you in our next segment.
06:34Until then, many blessings.
06:36Thank you.
06:37Thank you.
06:38Thank you.
06:39Thank you.
06:40Thank you.
06:41Thank you.
06:42Thank you.
06:43Thank you.
06:44Thank you.
06:45Thank you.
06:46Thank you.
06:47Thank you.
06:48Thank you.
06:49Thank you.
06:50Thank you.
06:51Thank you.
06:52Thank you.
06:53Thank you.
06:54Thank you.
06:55Thank you.
