Pints With Aquinas - Why Your Lent ALWAYS Falls Apart (And How to Fix It) | Ft. Brian Holdsworth

Episode Date: February 20, 2026

Lent is here! Matt Fradd and Brian Holdsworth discuss the Catholic Church’s teachings on fasting and how to strike the balance between challenging yourself this Lent without overcommitting. Pour yourself a drink and kick back it’s, Last Call. Pints: Last Call Ep. 2 📲More From Brian Holdsworth:  Site: https://brianholdsworth.ca YouTube: https://youtube.com/brianholdsworth Facebook: https://facebook.com/brianholdsworthmedia - - - Today's Sponsors: Hallow - Deepen your personal relationship with God today. Visit https://hallow.com/MattFradd to get 3 months free. PreBorn - Make a difference for generations to come. Donate securely online at https://preborn.com/PINTS or dial #250 keyword 'BABY' Good Ranchers - Get $25 off your first order and save up to $500 a year when you use code PINTS at https://GoodRanchers.com  - - - Become a Daily Wire Member and watch all of our content ad-free: ⁠⁠https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe⁠⁠ 🍿 The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin is now streaming exclusively on DailyWire+ Watch now: https://dwplus.watch/ThePendragon - - - 📕 Get my newest book, Jesus Our Refuge, here: https://a.co/d/bDU0xLb 🍺 Want to Support Pints With Aquinas? 🍺 Get episodes a week early and join exclusive live streams with me! Become an annual supporter at 👉 ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mattfradd.locals.com/support⁠⁠⁠⁠ - - - 💻 Follow Me on Social Media: 📌 Facebook: https://facebook.com/mattfradd 📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/mattfradd 𝕏 Twitter/X: ⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/Pints_W_Aquinas⁠⁠⁠ 🎵 TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠https://tiktok.com/@pintswithaquinas⁠⁠⁠ 📚 PWA Merch – ⁠⁠⁠https://dwplus.shop/MattFraddMerch⁠⁠ 👕 Grab your favorite PWA gear here: https://shop.pintswithaquinas.com - - - Privacy Policy: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dailywire.com/privacy⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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and for a limited time, get 20% off your first order with promo code gift. That's promo code gift. Gidea and welcome to Lost Cool. My name is Matt. Fred. Today I'm going to be taking a look at what St. Thomas Aquinas had to say the three benefits of fasting are since we are already into the season of Lent. Then I'm going to be sitting

down with my good mate, Brian Holdsworth. We're going to take your questions on fasting. But before we do that, we've got this new thing we're doing on the show. We're going to see if it works. It may not, but it may. And it might just be fantastic. I've asked my producer Maria just to take a couple of comments from the YouTube comments section and share them with me. And so if this goes well, if you are either exceedingly flattering to me and Pines with Aquinas, you might make it on the show. Or if, on the other hand, you're terribly hostile, angry and unhinged, we'll probably read those comments as well. So I haven't read these comments ahead of time, but Maria is going to throw one up now.

All right, so here's the first comment from at Philip, 3253, who just says, Brandt Petra finally. Is that it? Is that the comment? Is Maria? Okay, well, that's great. What a wonderful comment that is. I completely agree. I've tried for a long time to have Brandt on the show. He is an amazing guy, very brilliant, but very busy, so I'm glad you enjoyed it. Second comment comes from SR Lexi 0812, super normal name, says the amount of likes on these picks of Matt's ankles are indeed concerning. Yes, for those who don't know, the first episode I ever did with Dr. Scott Hahn here, didn't have socks on, and people were deeply scandalized. Somebody said that their covenant eyes, they can only set their filter level

so strong and it was too much for them. In fact, today, I said, I need socks desperately. So you're welcome. I have socks now. Now, the question here comes from Morgan Shock 83, says, I'm wanting to convert from Protestant to Catholic. Wow. Recently been having a very strong pull to convert. I'm the beginner with everything went to my very first Sunday Mass, and it was so new, never experienced anything like it. But I love how everyone is so involved,

and I feel like a fish out of water, and any info about what I should know in the very beginning so I can progress. Any information helps. That's very beautiful. Thank you for the comment. I would say that's wonderful that you went to Mass. and that you should kind of feel like a fish out of water. Not that you should feel

uncomfortable. I'm sure everyone was thrilled to have you there, but just that, yeah, it's a new, it's a new kind of going to Holy Mass is a very new experience for you and give yourself some time and show up again next week. And in addition to that, I would say, listen to Catholic podcasts like this one. And then final thing I would say is get a copy of the catechism of the Catholic Church. You can find it for free online, but you also might buy it on Amazon and read it and at least read parts of it. I think that'll kind of give you a sense of the Catholic Church. All right. Another comment here from Truth Seeker CW. Matt! Exclamation mark! Exclamation mark! Exclamation mark! You get it. Love your show and have watched so many of your interviews. I am not built for apologetics. Unfortunately, my mind just

doesn't work like that and I've had some injuries. What? However, I'm reading all the books I can get my hands on about Catholicism and even enrolled at a Catholic uni. I got a feeling this person's Australian. I don't think any American would say Catholic uni, but we'll see. Do you think it's silly of me to study a master's studies? I have no idea why I am enrolled except I want to learn as much as I can. That's beautiful. No, I don't think there's anything wrong with you. And you could always try. And if it's too much, you can give up. But that was the reason I underwent a master's degree in philosophy. It wasn't because I was going for a particular job. It was because I just really wanted to learn more. So, God bless. Well, since Lent is on the horizon, I thought it might be a good

time to say something about fasting. I think today, if you went online and typed in fasting, you would probably learn a lot, but it would have to do with intermittent fasting. And I'm sure intermittent fasting is great. I've done it in the past. Maybe you have as well. But that's not the kind of fasting I want to talk about today. Today I want to talk about good old religiously based fasting, the kind of fasting that the church has been talking about for 2,000 years. And what I want to do is take a look in the second part of the second part of the Sumer Theologiae, which this is just one of five volumes. It's a work written by Thomas Aquinas, for those of you who are new. Aquinas is going to say that fasting is a virtuous act and that there are three ends to

fasting. So let's dive into it and as we read along, I'll offer some thoughts and hopefully they're helpful. First, Aquinas says, here's the first reason we fast. Quote, in order to bridle the lusts of the flesh, wherefore the apostle says, in fasting, in chastity, since fasting is the guardian of chastity. And according to Jerome, Venus is cold when Ceres and Bacchus, are not there. That is to say, lust is called by abstinence in meat and drink. All right, let's talk about that. So we have lower appetites, passions. And passions aren't bad in and of themselves, but they do have to be directed by reason and will. But often what happens is that our passions, because of original sin and because we live in a fallen world, our passions have been trained. Our passions have been

trained to be disordered. And so instead of knowing what is true and then directing our passions towards what is good, we allow our reason and our will to be malformed by our lower passions. All right? So in other words, it's the slave is becoming the master or the tail is wagging the dog, whatever metaphor you want to use. I think this is really important to realize. So when I talk about passions, okay, again, they're good in and of themselves. And this These lower passions can refer to our, you know, our desire for rest, our desire for food, our desire for sex, our desire for drink, and so on. These things are good, but when they come to dominate us, we become unhappy.

Quite literally. This is what the catechism of the Catholic Church actually states on when it talks about chastity. It says, the alternative is clear. Either man governs his passions and finds peace, or he allows himself to be. be dominated by them and becomes unhappy. And what's interesting is this is the exact opposite of what the world teaches. I mean, at least in my experience, I get the strong sense from the world that what I really have to do is put away those old dusty, old-fashioned worn-out morals that have been imposed upon me by the patriarchy and by those repressed Christians.

Now, if I just do that, and if I give free reign to my passion, that's living. But seriously, I think anyone who is self-reflective and has lived for longer than five minutes knows that this cannot possibly be true. When we give way to our passions, when we allow them to dominate us, we become unhappy. And so this first reason, the first reason we fast is, it's to tell the lower passions who's in charge, who's boss. That's how I, that's how I'd put it. So that's the first reason Aquinas gives us for fasting. He's a Here's the second reason we fast. Secondly, we have recourse to fasting in order that the mind may arise more freely to the contemplation of heavenly things.

Hence, it is related of Daniel that he received a revelation from God after fasting for three weeks. All right, so this is the second reason that our mind may arise more freely to God. All right, let's think about this. I don't know if you've ever been to a big conference or if you've ever spoken at one of these big conferences. I certainly have. And the one time you don't want to speak at a conference is when? It's immediately after lunch. Because immediately after lunch, people are full, they're groggy, they're slothful, they're ready for a nap. And there is no way that you as the speaker are going to be as interesting as the donut and coffee they could be having right now.

I mean, maybe this is just a very natural way to look at it. But since grace builds upon nature, I think it's okay. This has been my experience. I mean, I grew up, like many of us, just drinking Coca-Cola, eating chocolate, eating all sorts of junk food. I remember as a kid, my mom being like, why don't you eat an apple? Like, why would I eat an apple? We have a pantry full of chips and fried stuff and, you know, okay, so I think as I've gotten older and as my body has graciously punished me for eating junk food and I've started to eat healthier, it's been really beneficial in a lot of ways. But one of those ways is this.

I no longer feel like I am on a roller coaster of spikes, like dopamine spikes, dopamine crashes. I think before when I would, and I still fall into this, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that I'm any model of healthy eating or anything like that. But when I eat in an unhealthy way, I feel like I'm always just chasing a sugar rush and then I crash and then I need to

need another pickup and things like this. When I eat well, you know, mainly meats, vegetables, it just creates an inner calm within me. And that's just from that place, it's a lot easier to think. It's a lot easier to pray. It's a lot easier to read the scriptures. So again, I'm not saying that's exactly what Aquinas would say, but that's my take, at least from a natural standpoint, when we fast, when we're not walking around bloated and having stuffed ourselves with whatever, meat, food of any kind, we're in a place for the mind to better ascend to God. Now, you might say, well, can't that be overdone? And yes, it can be. The virtue Aristotle says, Aquinas agrees, is the mean between two extremes. So Aquinas elsewhere in the sumer would say,

just as it's vicious to overindulge in food, it would be vicious. It would be vicious. to deprive your body to such an extent that you cause harm to your body. Clearly, if you're in that position, it's going to be more difficult to raise the mind to God as well. But okay, that's the second reason he gives. Here's the third reason. Thirdly, in order to satisfy for sin, wherefore it is written, be converted to me with all your heart in fasting and in weeping and in mourning. So the word convert comes from a Latin word, which is conversio, which means a turning around. So the reason I like to think of fasting to be a way of conversion is, okay, it's one thing to turn my mind towards the Lord as best as I'm able to try to let go of certain beliefs that I now know are false. but when I fast, I'm in a very substantial way turning my entire self towards the Lord.

You know, when you read the Psalms, God is often spoken of in these beautiful ways. He's called our refuge, our fortress, our protector, our joy, and so on. Intimacy with God is what we should be striving for. And intimacy with God in all situations, in all circumstances. That doesn't necessarily mean an emotional. intimacy, but it does mean a continual awareness of his presence through continual prayer as best as we can. But I think sometimes what we do is we forsake that intimacy with God that we're called to, and instead we turn to other quick hits to be our refuge, as it were, whether that's, you know,

scrolling Instagram reels for an hour and then you're like, what am I doing with my life? or, God forbid, we turn to pornography or we just turn to eating, you know, three donuts or something, we turn to what may be able to satisfy us immediately, but for like 20 seconds. And sometimes we, maybe not intentionally, but forsake the good God. So I think Aquinas is right that fasting is another way to show a true repentance to convert from our old ways and from the old idols, perhaps, that we had turned to instead of the good Jesus. All right. Finally, Aquinas gives a quote from St. Augustine that I think is the most helpful quote

on fasting ever given in the history of mankind. And here it is. Fasting cleanses the soul, raises the mind, subjects one flesh to the spirit, renders the heart contrite and humble, scatters the clouds of concupiscence, quenches the fire of lust, kindles the true light of chastity. Now, as we're here now in the Lenton season, I just want to maybe just give like one more piece of advice and then I'm going to be sitting down with Brian Holdsworth, so please don't go anywhere because we've got some questions for him. be bold this lent you know maybe you haven't got off to a good start and it's only been a day be bold

but but be realistic yeah choose something that's difficult but not so difficult that you know that you'll crush it for three days and then give up for the rest of lent it reminds me i know i've said this a million times now of jordan peterson's rule i think it was in his first book 12 rules for life, what's something you could do that you would do that would make your life better? I think that's a good question that I'd like to ask you today. What is something you could fast from that you actually would fast from that would make your life better? Now, it's important, too, to realize that Aquinas in the Summa Theologiae answers the question,

is fasting just about food? And he says that principally, yes, when we talk about fasting, we're talking about fasting from the pleasures of the table. but he says analogously, we can extend it to other things. And so that's another question for you. In addition to food, can you fast from listening to the radio in your car? Can you fast from Spotify? Can you fast from having social media on your phone? Can you fast from your phone? What are some other ways you can fast? Now, there are many people who watch Pines with Aquinas and they're all along the spectrum as far as where they are on their Christian journey. some of you have been following our Lord as faithfully as you can or as well I don't know if it was as

faithfully as you can you'd be a saint but many of you've been following Christ faithfully for decades now there are others of you who this is your first lent you've you just became a Catholic maybe last Easter or you're just about to become a Catholic so here's the here's what I want to ask you to do in the comment section give each other let's support each other right what's the best advice you've ever been given on fasting. Share that below so that we can learn from each other. God bless. Now, let's sit down with Brian Holtzworth. This episode is sponsored by the greatest prayer and meditation app in the history of mankind. You know it. They're called Hello. Now, why should you be interested in Hello right now? Well, because Lent is one of the most

important times of the year. And Hallow has a Pray 40 challenge this Lent and all are invited and encouraged to join. Hallow's Pray 40 Challenge is guided by lots of amazing people that you've no doubt heard of. People I've had on the show, Jonathan Rumi, Sister Miriam James Heidland, who is the greatest human being who's ever lived, Father Mark Schmitz, who's awesome, Mother Olga, Mark Wahlberg, Chris Pratt, Jeff Kavens, it's fantastic. Hallow has literally thousands of prayers, meditations of music to help you create daily habits of prayer, especially during Lent. I've been using Hello for a long time now. I don't know how they do it, but it keeps getting better and better, not just for me, but even for playing sleep stories for my younger child at

night to help him drift off to sleep. It's really beautiful. So deepen your personal relationship with God today. Visit hello.com slash Matt Frad to get, listen to me now, three months for free. That's hallow.com slash Matt Frad. Pregnancy can arrive unexpectedly. For those facing an unplanned pregnancy, fear and uncertainty can feel overwhelming. Past decisions and abortions may carry lingering grief that's hard to navigate alone. That's where our sponsor, Pre-Born, steps in. These clinics offer compassionate support without judgment, providing honest conversations, accurate information, and a safe space to process difficult emotions and explore real options. One of the most powerful tools Pre-Born provides is ultrasound technology. Seeing a devourable,

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To donate securely, dial pound 250 and say the keyword baby. That's pound 250, baby, or go to preborn.com slash pints. That's pre-born.com slash pints. All right, Brian Halsworth, you ready? All right, so when you became Catholic, when did you, I presume at some point you got serious about fasting? When was the first time you're like, I need to... It depends if we're talking strictly about food or other things, but I give up music. Which, for me, I mean, I was the kind of person who had like a big sound system in my car.

And every, before I would drive anywhere, I would pick up my favorite. song or CD or whatever it was. And the idea of driving in silence was just horrifying to me. So that was pretty intense. And then I also had my first experience of fasting from food that lent as well. I didn't have good instruction about how to observe. And in Canada, we have lots of dispensations, right? So we don't have a strict fasting schedule or in position. But I just decided to go certain days without eating. And that was something I'd never tried before. So, and I have a high metabolism, so it definitely wasn't fun the first time. Would you say that music from your car, is that the most creative thing you've given up for Lent? Probably, yeah, the least obvious thing.

I find a lot of people today are talking about other things they can give up as opposed to food. Right. And, you know, Aquinas talks about this in the Sumer that when we talk about fasting, we're talking about meat or food, rather, specifically, but it can be used to talk about other things by extension. But I wonder if that's because so much of the things that we're addicted to, and I use that term loosely, are things like technology and entertainment. I mean, I've often wondered about our Lord's teachings about self-denial, you know, deny yourself and pick up your cross. Like, who was he speaking to? Obviously, all of us. But at the same time, I mean, think of the widow who dropped in what little she had to the temple fund. And it's like,

does he need to tell her to deny herself? Right. Is she really somebody who's so attached to the luxuries of the world that she needs this teaching? I kind of doubt it. I expect that that was more for the affluent ear. Right. And it makes sense because those of us who have material comforts are are more attached to those material comforts and more in capable of withdrawing or denying ourselves, right? And so we're the ones who really need it the most. And because we live in this post-industrial modern age, we live with certain kinds of luxuries that would have been foreign to the richest person, you know, in the time of our Lord or up through the Middle Ages. So I think we're the ones who really need to take fasting and abstinence

seriously when he imposes those kinds of teachings or demands upon us. And so whether, I mean, food is definitely one. I don't think you should avoid fasting from food unless there's serious health reasons to avoid it. But we have, there are so many things that can create attachments for us in this world that, where do you begin? You definitely have to begin somewhere, though. And food is a great place to start because, I mean, if you're wanting to grow in discipline and self-control and temperance, it's a, it's a pillar. of all of that. It's a prerequisite to that. Here's a question that's come into us from Father Alex.

He says, awesome. You're having Brian on. How can we find the balance in fasting between the extremes of, I need to go further than last year, and don't hurt yourself in order to please God. There is certainly a need to purify our lives, yet we can run into the issue of, if I am not doing more than Exodus 90, I'm a failure in the spiritual life. that's a really, really important question. And almost the question is enough, I think, for some people. I don't know that I have the best answers to that

because I'm always trying to strike the balance myself. But it is important to strike balance, right? And that's why I often have concerns about programs that seem really manly because of how harsh they are. But it's at the same time, you know, the church does have seasons for a reason. And it's not based on just sort of an arbitrary kind of like, like, here's some rules for you, but it's based on the church's wisdom of having been exercising

the spiritual life throughout the centuries. So I think you have to measure yourself. You have to know what experiences feel like it's too far, where it feels harmful. I had decided personally, even prior to Lent, that I was going to start fasting entirely every Friday. And the first Friday was really good. And there are certain kinds of benefits. If you're familiar with fasting, there's certain kind of benefits that you typically derive from it.

And this particular day went really well. And I was experiencing all those benefits. And I thought, yeah, I'm going to do this every Friday. And then the next Friday, I got really sick, actually from doing it. Like a really bad migraine, really nauseous, had to leave work. It was a bad situation. And so you have to respond to that accordingly. Don't overdo it like that.

And figure out where the adjustments are needed. virtue, an extreme virtue doesn't happen overnight. It's like physical exercise, right? You can look at somebody and say, man, he's got huge biceps and great abs. No matter how hard I work out today, that's not going to produce that effect. All I can do today is a reasonable workout

that isn't going to cripple me for tomorrow. Do the workout you can do that's reasonable so that you can eventually iteratively get there, but start small and reasonable. All right, let's think of just random things for ideas for people who are watching who maybe still haven't chosen something and we can be as creative as possible.

One would be music in the car. Fair enough. I love it. I stole that from you. Are we just trying to be silly or are we trying to give actually productive? Do you think that was silly? Oh.

No, it's not silly. That's great. Another one would be fast until 3 p.m. every day. Yep. Or just any sort of intermittent fasting. Okay. So it could be, if you've never done like a full day fast or something like that,

it could just be like no food after after dinner. Don't snap. That's hard for me. I've got to be honest. I could fast until three and be okay. But by the end of the day, when my resources or my, yeah, reserves are down. Yeah. No flavored drinks, just water. That's good. That's good.

That's actually what my family does every life. What about coffee? You do coffee? I do drink coffee a bit, but no, that would be off the table. Really? Unless it's black. Maybe you could get away. Yeah, black coffee and water. There's another one. Definitely no soda. Oh, yeah. I mean, it stands to reason. For sure.

And then, you know, there's this new thing people say as if it's a new idea and they say it, like it's super creative. Like, what if for this land instead of giving something up, you took something on? Yeah, yeah. But there's still something to be said about taking something on. Maybe the family rosary. Yeah. Oh, certainly, we have to pray more. We have to alms give, that kind of thing.

Yeah. One thing that has occurred to me in the past is identifying somebody within your community. that is maybe left out socially a little bit and try to include them more, try to invite them over, depending on what your hospitality potential is. That's a beautiful way to engage in arms giving. Right.

No YouTube. No social media. No social media. Yeah. Stick with YouTube, but only to watch this. Matt Frat and the rest of this show. But after this, you're cut, you're done. done. Yeah, I mean, we go no screens basically for Lent. Yeah. Man, you guys are hardcore. Just

order, no screens. We have Sundays. Yeah. Right? So we get relief on Sunday. Yeah, that's a common misconception people tend to have. And here's my understanding. Feel free to add to it. A penance voluntarily adopted can be voluntarily let go of. Sure. And you're not under pain of sin. That said, you want to stick to what you've committed to if you can. Right. I think, what do you think, what do think about the idea of sticking to something being more important than being gung-ho about it and then just doing it in spits and spirts, you know? Well, that's the balance thing, right? So, I mean, if you overdo it, like dieting and exercise are good examples of this, right? Like, so I have a gym membership, and in January, all of a sudden, it was like you couldn't find a place to hang your

bag or your jacket or anything like that. So, I mean, and those people will disappear, right? Some people will maybe hopefully develop a good habit out of it. But yeah, it's not these ambitious goals. It's do what's realistic and what fits with your temperament and your weaknesses and strengths. Speaking of realistic and not being realistic, my mate father Jason knew a bloke in PA who drank only beer and didn't eat anything for Lent.

And I just looked it up. Check this out. This is from Reddit. So it has to be true. He says, for Lent and this is day seven of no food. Okay, just thought maybe some folks would like to know in case they ever read about the couple of folks in America who had done such a thing. It's doable and I'm on the way to be one of them. I'll be straightforward in saying that I'm not doing

the traditional monks beer fast and that's for two reasons. First, my brewery doesn't make a doppel bach and I wanted it to be based on beer that we already make and have in the market. second, I was advised by a nutritionist that I needed to at least add protein daily. Can you imagine saying that to a nutritionist? Thinking of having only beer, any suggestions. Right. He says, I say he, because it's no way. It's a woman.

I do think I'm the first one that actually bruised commercially that has done this, though, as far as I can tell. I haven't hopped on the scale today, but I found out yesterday I lost 16 pounds. I also think I'm the first guy to keep a daily blog on Tumblr. Okay, that must be amazing. Could you imagine? Well, it sounds, because it sounds fun, doesn't it? Like, I'm only going to do beer for a minute. But could you imagine waking up and going morning?

Exactly. Yeah, no. I once visited a castle on the Rhine that the tour guide there had said that at one point the castle was under siege, and so their water supply had been cut off, but they had cellars full of barrels of beer. And so for as long as they could hold out in the siege hall, anybody was consuming. was just beer. So it's Germans, right?

I mean, maybe you have to have that heritage. Maybe. I don't think I could try it. All right, let's see. Why does the church, asks Zachary, specify meat as food to abstain from as opposed to other foods? I have no idea. So I am going to ask,

Truthly. Truthly! Let's see. It's because fish don't have feelings. Yes. Historically and theologically, meat has symbolized festivity, strength, and celebration. For most of human history, meat was more expensive, less frequently eaten, associated with feasts, banquets, and abundance. So abstaining from meat wasn't arbitrary. It was a clear communal

way of saying, today is not a feast day. Fair enough. But I do think, I often wonder, though, if Aquinas was living today, I've had this question, and I've always felt like a heretic for asking it, if meat is still the thing that the church should. should be enforcing to abstain from. And we're just strictly talking about nutrition and food. Okay, so I get that it's what is most, it gives you sustenance in a way that other food might. But there's just so many ways to eat, like. It's surprising.

Rice and bananas. Flavor might be the thing that would make most sense today, like in our modern developed world, because, like, you'd be surprised at how much flavoring is just on everything. Like my wife had to do a carnivore diet or an elimination diet, which was pretty much just down a carnivore. And it was just salt and meat. That's my wife, dude. And it was hardcore. It was, yeah, it was intense.

And, you know, just like things like butter, for example, is everywhere in the things that we cook, right? And even that was absent there. So it's like, that's a. serious luxury that we have excessive attachment to it. Peter Joseph says, tell Brian his podcast on church architecture a spot on. Well, thanks. Now that had nothing to do with fasting, Peter, but he receives it well. Stan 076 says, I see this post just as I polish off the last of my pint of ice cream.

Very good. Philip Z says, does the meaning of fast rely on perceived discomfort? it. For example, when you get used to particular fast after years to the point that it feels normal, I think he's saying what the other fellow said about pressing the boundary. Yeah, I think if the goal is to develop a virtue like temperance, you have to build towards it. And as you do so, if it's a true virtue, you will enjoy it once you've achieved it, right? And so what might feel like self-denial at one point will eventually feel like something that can almost be a euphoric. Right? Like exercise has its effect. The first time you go for a run, most people I know will feel like they want to throw up at the end of it if it's a good distance. But if you stick with it, once you get conditioned, there's sort of that high that runners get, right? That can be a good example of that. But no, I think there's more too fasting than just developing those natural virtues.

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I love how honest that question is. Oh, yeah, yeah. There is the natural side of it, and then there's the supernatural side of it. The natural side can benefit from these sort of these practices, which are given to us from a supernatural source. So we can develop natural virtues like temperance. But at the same time, if we offer it up and we unite it with our prayers, we get the spiritual benefits from it too. I don't find personally that that is a distraction from you. Maybe I kind of misunderstood the question.

Well, it's the idea where, like, hey, look at me, I gave up food, but now I'm smoking three packs of cigarettes. Oh, sure. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, that is part of the struggle of the life of virtue, right? And making mistakes as we go is where we learn from those experiences, hopefully. But the virtues all kind of feed each other and so do the vices, too, right? So if you overdo it, yeah, you may see the bottom fallout of some other patch that you had over a bunch of vices. And that will expose you to other areas that you need to address and hopefully do some conditioning and self-denial in it as well.

Well, I think Thomas says in the sumer is not in these words, but essentially it's basically telling the body who's boss when you fast. And I think of the Israelites who were under the whip of the Egyptians. And I think of the Egyptians, like the many passions, disordered passions, I should say, that we have allowed to grow up in our life and in our souls that keep us at our burdens. Things that the world says aren't actually burdensome, but they are. Right. And so I think part of the beauty of fasting, again, Thomas talks about this, is to make it such that our lower passions are under the command of our.

intellect and will. Yeah, and that's where you will find freedom. I mean, people complain about these kinds of moral prescriptions, but at the end of the day, you're either going to be enslaved to your appetites and your passions or to some rational standard that you observe. I would rather be enslaved to my reason that happens to be cooperating with a certain standard or perceived program of virtue rather than just my, my, my base appetites. I mean, that's, at least seems more dignified. It reminds you of that line from the catechism when it's talking about chastity. It says the alternative is clear. Either man governs his passions and so finds peace, or he allows himself to be dominated by them and becomes

unhappy. In the absence of effort, you will become the sum of your appetites. Say that again. In the absence of your effort, in other words, your will, which is hopefully informed by your intellect, you will become the sum of your appetites. C.S. Lewis has a great depiction of that in The Great Divorce, where one of the characters basically just becomes whatever his vice was. There's nothing left of the human being anymore. It's been also consumed by his particular appetite. All right. Let's wrap up with just some encouragement for those who are watching. And we'll do this too. Those who are watching, do us a favor.

In the comment section below, what's excellent advice you've been given in this regard? So we can help each other here. But I would say, I've always, I keep repeating this because I think it's so excellent. Jordan Peterson has that wonderful rule. What's something you could do that you actually would do that would make your life better? It's not enough to ask yourself what you could do because there's any number of things that you could do. Sure. But have you met you?

You're pathetic. You're continually making resolutions only to break them. So, you know, that isn't to say we shouldn't kind of press ourselves a little here. But what's something you could do for Lent? that you, even you, pathetic as you are, might actually accomplish. And so to be really honest about that, I think that's my final piece of advice, which felt perhaps more like abuse, but it was advice.

Well, and then also recognize that just as you may have people that you look up to, that whatever it is that they're doing seems inaccessible to you, there's probably people who look up to you. And so if it's easy to turn in the other direction and see somebody who's just like, giving up something that seems pathetic, I mean, don't, don't assume that they're not pulling their waiter, that they're not doing their best. Thank you.

So last call, the brand new show will be releasing every Thursday, 7 p.m. Eastern, and it will arrive a week early on DailyWire Plus and the DailyWire app if you just can't wait. But otherwise, it'll be on all platforms, Thursdays, 7 p.m. Eastern time. Hope you can be there. Great darkness is falling upon this land. These brothers are our only hope to stand against it. Not our only hope. We need you, Merlin.

Merlin. Merlin. Merlin was a myth before a father was even born. Merlin slewes 70 men with his own hands. You might escape you of such a thing. No mortal man. The Penn Dragon Cycle. Rise of the Merlin. Now streaming.

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