The Importance of Fasting

Edgar Alarcón-

Tinajero

One of the practices I am holding this Lent Season is fasting. I eat a normal sized meal during the middle of the day and smaller meals early and late at night. I took up this practice for the first time this year because I thought it would help me concentrate on more important things, such as my relationship with God, with my family, with schoolwork and my job. I believe it has helped me thus far in Lent, mainly because it reminds me to put my wants second to the needs of others and to my own bare minimum needs as well as my spiritual needs. I am visiting my relatives for the first time in a while now, and keeping my fasting in mind helps me enjoy my time with them much more than simply eating a lot. Fasting has helped me re-evaluate what is important in my life.

Edgar is currently a student at the University of Chicago studying anthropology and scheduled to graduate in 2013.