The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) - Day 334: The Meaning of Fasting (2024)

Episode Date: November 29, 2024

Fr. Mike highlights the importance of prayer and fasting, instructing us how to fast and empty ourselves to feel our spiritual need for Christ. He also discusses faithfulness in vocations and living out the life God has called you to. Today’s readings are from Acts 13, 1 Corinthians 7-8, and Proverbs 28:4-6. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. It is very exciting. Why? Because it's day 334.

We're on the last page. I know I've been building this up for the last three days or however long it's been, but you guys, it's kind of significant. And anyways, that's it. That's all I'm saying. It's significant. Well done.

Congratulations. Day 334, reading Acts of the Apostles, chapter 13. We're reading St. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, chapters seven and eight, as well as the book of Proverbs, chapter 28, verses four through six. As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, 2nd Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. Do you want to download your own Bible in a Year

reading plan? And if you did, you'd know that's on the last sheet, that's all I'm saying. You can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. You can also subscribe to this podcast by clicking on subscribe, receiving daily episodes and updates. It's day 334, reading Acts of the Apostles chapter 13, 1 Corinthians chapter 7 and 8, and as well as Proverbs chapter 28 verses 4 through 6. The Acts of the Apostles chapter 13. Barnabas and Saul commissioned. Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers. Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Mana Manan, a member of the court of Herod the Tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for me

Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Then after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off. The Apostles preach in Cyprus. So being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews, and they had John to assist them. When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jezes.

He was with the procounsel, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elimus, the magician, for that is the meaning of his name, withstood them, seeking to turn away the procounsel from the faith. But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you,

and you shall be blind and unable to see the Son for a time. Immediately, mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. Then the procounsel believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord. Paul and Barnabas in Antioch of Pisidia. Now Paul and his company set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia, and John left them and returned to Jerusalem.

But they passed on from Perga and came to Antioch of Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. After the reading of the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, Brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say it. So Paul stood up and motioning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and you that fear God, listen. The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt,

and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. And for about forty years he bore with them in the wilderness. And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance for about four hundred and fifty years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin for forty years. And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king,

of whom he testified and said, I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will. Of this man's posterity, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. Before his coming, John had preached a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel, and as John was finishing his course he said, What do you suppose that I am? I am not he, no, but after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie. Brethren, sons of the family of Abraham and those among you that fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation.

For those who live in Jerusalem and the rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning him. Though they could charge him with nothing deserving death, yet they asked Pilate to have him killed. And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those

who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this He has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus. As also it is written in the second Psalm, You are my son, today I have begotten you. And as for the fact that He raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He spoke in this way, I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David. Therefore, he says also in another Psalm, you will not let your Holy One see corruption.

For David, after he had served the counsel of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption. But he whom God raised up saw no corruption. Let it be known to you therefore, brethren, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone that believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed

by the law of Moses. Beware therefore, lest there come upon you what is said in the prophets, behold you scoffers and wonder and perish, for I do a deed in your days, a deed you will never believe if one declares it to you." As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. And when the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism

followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to continue in the grace of God. The next Sabbath, almost the whole city gathered together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with jealousy and contradicted what was spoken by Paul and reviled him. And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you, since you thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the uttermost parts of the earth. And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of God, and as

many as were ordained to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord spread throughout all the region. But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, and stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium, and the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. The First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians, Chapter 7, Concerning Marriage. Now, concerning the matters about which you wrote, it is well for a man not to touch a

woman. But because of the temptation to immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not rule over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise, the husband does not rule over his own body, but the wife does. Do not refuse one another, except perhaps by agreement for a season, that you may devote yourselves to prayer. But then come together again, lest Satan tempt you through lack of self-control.

I say this by way of concession, not of command. I wish that all were as I myself am, but each has his own special gift from God, one of one kind and one of another. To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is well for them to remain single as I do. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion. To the married I give charge, not I but the Lord, that the wife should not separate from

her husband, but if she does, let her remain single or else be reconciled to her husband, and that the husband should not divorce his wife. To the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever and he consents to live with her,

she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is consecrated through his wife and the unbelieving wife is consecrated through her husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbelieving partner desires to separate, let it be so. In such a case, the brother or sister is not bound. For God has called us to peace. Wife, how do you know whether you will save your husband? Husband, how do you know whether you will save your wife? Leading the life the Lord has assigned.

Only, let everyone lead the life which the Lord has assigned to him, and in which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised, let him not seek circumcision. For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. Everyone should remain in the state in

which he was called. Were you a slave when called? Never mind. But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity. For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freed man of the Lord. Likewise, he who was free when called is a slave of Christ. You were bought with a price. Do not become slaves of men. So brethren, in whatever state each was called, let him remain with God. More concerning marriage Now concerning the unmarried, I have no command of the Lord, but I give my opinion as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy.

I think that in the view of impending distress, it is well for a person to remain as he is. Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek marriage. But if you marry, you do not sin, and if a girl marries, she does not sin. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that. I mean, brethren, the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none,

and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the form of this world is passing away. I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord.

But the married man is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried woman or virgin is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit, but the married woman is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord. If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly

towards his betrothed, if his passions are strong and it has to be, let him do as he wishes, let him marry, it is no sin. But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity, but having his desire under control and has determined this in his heart to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well. So that he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will

do better. A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. If the husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. But in my judgment, she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I have the Spirit of God. Chapter eight, food offered to idols. Now concerning food offered to idols, we know that all of us possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if one loves God, one is known by him. Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that an idol has no real existence, and that there is no God but one. For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords,

yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we exist. However, not all possess this knowledge, but some, through being until now accustomed to idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience being weak is defiled. Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, we are no better off if we do. Only take care, lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For

if anyone sees you, a man of knowledge, at table in an idol's temple, might he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge, this weak man is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food is a cause of my brother's failing, I will never eat meat, lest I cause my brother to fall. The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 28, verses 4 through 6.

Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law strive against them. Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand it completely. Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is perverse in his ways. Father in heaven we give you praise and glory we thank you so much for this day thank you for this opportunity once again to hear your word proclaimed to be able to come to faith and just come to say okay Lord we trust in you and we can see your mighty works thank you for letting us live in this time that is called the age of the church.

Thank you for giving us your Holy Spirit that we can not just hear about and read about the stories of people like Paul and Barnabas, but also we can participate in your story that you continue to write. Lord God, as you sent out Paul and Barnabas please send us out to proclaim your truth your existence your love to people who long to hear about your truth and your existence and your love we ask this in Jesus's name amen in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit amen so in the Acts of the Apostles we have a couple things well one is Saul and Barnabas are commissioned the church in Antioch this is is, I think I wanna highlight this. It says that they were worshiping the Lord and fasting.

And then the Holy Spirit said set apart Saul and Bartabas for a work which I'm called them to. And then it says that after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off. Couple things about this is that fasting accompanies prayer. This is standard for Christians, fasting accompanies prayer. And fasting, yes, I know

there are many people who have issues when it comes to food in their life. They have a broken relationship or a wounded relationship with food. And so fasting does not need to necessarily always involve fasting from food. That's kind of the normal way. But fasting can be anything. Fasting from any kind of thing that we rely upon for comfort, any kind of thing that even we rely upon to function. I mean, we were not meant to hurt our bodies, but fasting from the snooze button is a real thing. Fasting from coffee is a real thing.

Fasting from alcohol is a real thing. That's called abstaining, but still you get what I'm saying. The idea behind this is here are the early Christians here and they're gathered and it seems very very very normal for them to fast and pray So it's that they're not just praying. They're also fasting and God's doing something in that It's not like fasting coerces God into doing something like we're just gonna pray and he doesn't listen to then you fast also and he really listens That's not the case. But when we fast we're doing something really important in Aligning our bodies with our spirits

We need God so much and yet sometimes when our bodies are full we kind of don't feel that need But when we empty ourself when we fast when we deny ourselves Sometimes we even our bodies feel the spiritual need. In fact, it sometimes even opens us up even more to what God has in store for us So I just want to highlight that because it is a common Christian practice going all the way back to Jewish times. Remember the disciples of John would fast and the disciples of Jesus didn't fast and Jesus said, when asked why,

he said, well, when the bride group is with them, they don't fast. But the days are coming when the bride group is taken from them and then they will fast. And so keep that in mind that that's a normal part of our existence again if you have a Wounded relationship with food doesn't have to be fasting from food

It can be anything else other than that but moving on This also chapter 13 is the first time that we heard of a guy named Paul up until now We've called him Saul and now he's now he's gonna be Paul I've heard people say that Saul, you know Shaul would be his Hebrew name and Paul Paulos would be more along the lines of his like Roman name or his name with that as he goes to the Gentiles and this kind of marks that that moment here Even though Peter has already gone to the Gentiles and even though we've already had some of these snapshots It seems like in Antioch in Pisidia

Paul and Barnabas are Saying very clearly that from now on we'll be going to the Greeks or we're going to the Gentiles and That's not like they were exclusive to the Gentiles because the next chapter they go to the Jewish synagogue again in Iconium And so it's not like they're abandoning the mission to the Jews That's not at all what they did but this switch from Saul to Paul is also kind of an indication of this new evangelistic outreach, this new evangelistic outreach that brings the gospel to those who were not raised Jewish,

but to those who, yeah, were not part of the covenant. And so that's what we got today. Today also in First Corinthians, we have chapters seven and eight concerning marriage. Hopefully this is an encouraging word. Here's what I think is what St. Paul's really getting at when he's writing to the Corinthians about marriage. He's saying two things, I think.

I think he's saying one is be faithful. So if you're married, be faithful. If you're unmarried, be faithful. In whatever state you're in, if you are not a slave, realize that you are a slave of Christ. If you are a slave, realize that you're free in Christ. So just be faithful to your current state. Be faithful to the promises you've made.

Now, another piece of this is, I think it's almost like St. Paul saying, there's no silver bullet or no magic bullet. Maybe silver bullet's the wrong thing. I think it's werewolves. But the magic bullet would be, I think the thing a lot of us are looking for is the thing

just around the corner, on the other side of the fence. The, you know, okay, I'm struggling to follow the Lord right now, or I'm struggling to really find this meaning in my life, if I could just get married, then that'd be great, or if I could just get free, that'd be great, or if I could just be unmarried, that'd be great. You know, I think a lot of times we look at our state

in life, and we say, ah times we look at our state in life, we say, ah, we look at the people around us who are in different states of life, and we say, oh, if I could just be where they are, or if I could just be in that other state of life. And in so many ways, here's Paul saying, no, just wherever you're at, just stay there. And he makes it clear when he's talking about

this is from the Lord and this is just my opinion, but sometimes it's a little mix of both, because I think that the overarching theme in some ways in these chapters has been this has been There is no magic bullet. There is no secret formula There is no special vocation that you'll be exceptionally holy in like maybe you're married to a believer. That's wonderful That's great continue to strive and and love each other. well. Maybe you're married to someone who's not a believer. Well, you can stay married to them. Maybe, who knows, maybe the Lord will save them through your loving them. But this idea that I have to go be somewhere else is, oh gosh, that afflicts so many of us. I have to go be somewhere else because if I'm

somewhere else, then I'll be holy. Then I'll be long to the Lord. Then I'll be able to be the kind of person that God has called me to be. And I think that if there's one thing that St. Paul is really capturing here, amidst all the other things he's saying, he's saying some important things. One thing he's saying is in verse 17 of chapter seven,

let everyone lead the life which the Lord has assigned to him and in which God has called him. And I think that offers us an insight into what holiness is holiness is simply saying yes to God and just never ceasing to say yes and so again let everyone lead the life which the Lord has assigned to him and in which God has called him and yeah just do not seek that magic bullet or that that secret sauce. Last thing I'll say is chapter eight.

It's a very brief chapter, it's only maybe 13 verses. But in it, St. Paul addresses the food offered to idols. And we talked about this a little bit before because St. Paul is saying that, yeah, you go to the temple, you offer your animal as a sacrifice. There's the middle part, which remember cultic prostitution, and at the end you would have the restaurant off the back of the temple. And some people would just go there as a sacrifice, there's the middle part, which remember cultic prostitution, and at the end you would have the restaurant off the back of the temple.

And some people would just go there as a restaurant. But where'd they get the meat for the restaurant? Where they got the meat was from the sacrifice offered to idols, offered to false gods. And so the big issue is, well can you go to those restaurants? And ultimately St. Paul says, you know, it doesn't really matter if you eat that meat

because those gods don't exist I mean, it's not like it's cursed meat kind of a situation you can do that but he says there are people around you who will see you eat that meat and Because their faith is weak. They would say wait. Well, there's So-and-so this Christian who's eating the meat offered to idols here Maybe they're even eating at that restaurant which is connected to this temple prostitution, which is connected to this worship of a false god here in this temple and so maybe they think well that's what Christians do. The Christians can just, they flip back and forth between

worshiping God and worshiping Aphrodite and if that's gonna lead someone to sin then don't do it. You can eat the meat because no big deal. Whatever, that's the idols don't exist. There are no lords, there are no gods. There's one Lord, there's one God. But if you're eating that meat causes someone else to sin, then do not do it. And this is what these called, we talked about it before, the sin of scandal, and it goes to the heart of the fact that we are connected to each other,

and that I could say, well, it's my life, I get to do what I want and Saint Paul kind of says okay yeah you're right on a certain sense but in another sense you're also giving witness and you're bearing witness to something bearing witness to someone you're either helping people around you know and love God better or we're hindering the people around us from knowing and loving God better. And so, yes, while maybe it's not your responsibility to make sure they have faith, you and I belong to each other. And so we need to watch how we act. That's basically what he's saying. Hopefully that makes sense because you and I do belong to each other. And so we pray for

each other. I am praying for you. Please pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.