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Objection 1: It would seem that all are bound to keep the fasts of
the Church. For the commandments of the Church are binding even as
the commandments of God, according to Lk. 10:16, "He that
heareth you heareth Me." Now all are bound to keep the commandments
of God. Therefore in like manner all are bound to keep the fasts
appointed by the Church.
Objection 2: Further, children especially are seemingly not exempt
from fasting, on account of their age: for it is written (Joel
2:15): "Sanctify a fast," and further on (Joel 2:16):
"Gather together the little ones, and them that suck the breasts."
Much more therefore are all others bound to keen the fasts.
Objection 3: Further, spiritual things should be preferred to
temporal, and necessary things to those that are not necessary. Now
bodily works are directed to temporal gain; and pilgrimages, though
directed to spiritual things, are not a matter of necessity.
Therefore, since fasting is directed to a spiritual gain, and is made
a necessary thing by the commandment of the Church, it seems that the
fasts of the Church ought not to be omitted on account of a
pilgrimage, or bodily works.
Objection 4: Further, it is better to do a thing willingly than
through necessity, as stated in 2 Cor. 9:7. Now the poor are
wont to fast through necessity, owing to lack of food. Much more
therefore ought they to fast willingly.
On the contrary, It seems that no righteous man is bound to fast.
For the commandments of the Church are not binding in opposition to
Christ's teaching. But our Lord said (Lk. 5:34) that "the
children of the bridegroom cannot fast whilst the bridegroom is with
them." Now He is with all the righteous by dwelling in them in a
special manner [FP, Question 8, Article 3], wherefore our
Lord said (Mt. 28:20): "Behold I am with you . . . even
to the consummation of the world." Therefore the righteous are not
bound by the commandment of the Church to fast.
I answer that, As stated above (FS, Question 90, Article
2; FS, Question 98, Articles 2,6), general precepts are
framed according to the requirements of the many. Wherefore in making
such precepts the lawgiver considers what happens generally and for the
most part, and he does not intend the precept to be binding on a person
in whom for some special reason there is something incompatible with
observance of the precept. Yet discretion must be brought to bear on
the point. For if the reason be evident, it is lawful for a man to
use his own judgment in omitting to fulfil the precept, especially if
custom be in his favor, or if it be difficult for him to have recourse
to superior authority. on the other hand, if the reason be doubtful,
one should have recourse to the superior who has power to grant a
dispensation in such cases. And this must be done in the fasts
appointed by the Church, to which all are bound in general, unless
there be some special obstacle to this observance.
Reply to Objection 1: The commandments of God are precepts of the
natural law, which are, of themselves, necessary for salvation. But
the commandments of the Church are about matters which are necessary
for salvation, not of themselves, but only through the ordinance of
the Church. Hence there may be certain obstacles on account of which
certain persons are not bound to keep the fasts in question.
Reply to Objection 2: In children there is a most evident reason
for not fasting, both on account of their natural weakness, owing to
which they need to take food frequently, and not much at a time, and
because they need much nourishment owing to the demands of growth,
which results from the residuum of nourishment. Wherefore as long as
the stage of growth lasts, which as a rule lasts until they have
completed the third period of seven years, they are not bound to keep
the Church fasts: and yet it is fitting that even during that time
they should exercise themselves in fasting, more or less, in
accordance with their age. Nevertheless when some great calamity
threatens, even children are commanded to fast, in sign of more severe
penance, according to Jonas 3:7, "Let neither men nor beasts .
. . taste anything . . . nor drink water."
Reply to Objection 3: Apparently a distinction should be made with
regard to pilgrims and working people. For if the pilgrimage or
laborious work can be conveniently deferred or lessened without
detriment to the bodily health and such external conditions as are
necessary for the upkeep of bodily or spiritual life, there is no
reason for omitting the fasts of the Church. But if one be under the
necessity of starting on the pilgrimage at once, and of making long
stages, or of doing much work, either for one's bodily livelihood,
or for some need of the spiritual life, and it be impossible at the
same time to keep the fasts of the Church, one is not bound to fast:
because in ordering fasts the Church would not seem to have intended to
prevent other pious and more necessary undertakings. Nevertheless, in
such cases one ought seemingly, to seek the superior's dispensation;
except perhaps when the above course is recognized by custom, since
when superiors are silent they would seem to consent.
Reply to Objection 4: Those poor who can provide themselves with
sufficient for one meal are not excused, on account of poverty, from
keeping the fasts of the Church. On the other hand, those would seem
to be exempt who beg their food piecemeal, since they are unable at any
one time to have a sufficiency of food.
Reply to Objection 5: This saying of our Lord may be expounded in
three ways. First, according to Chrysostom (Hom. xxx in
Matth.), who says that "the disciples, who are called children of
the bridegroom, were as yet of a weakly disposition, wherefore they
are compared to an old garment." Hence while Christ was with them in
body they were to be fostered with kindness rather than drilled with the
harshness of fasting. According to this interpretation, it is fitting
that dispensations should be granted to the imperfect and to beginners,
rather than to the elders and the perfect, according to a gloss on
Ps. 130:2, "As a child that is weaned is towards his
mother." Secondly, we may say with Jerome [Bede, Comment. in
Luc. v] that our Lord is speaking here of the fasts of the
observances of the Old Law. Wherefore our Lord means to say that
the apostles were not to be held back by the old observances, since
they were to be filled with the newness of grace. Thirdly, according
to Augustine (De Consensu Evang. ii, 27), who states that
fasting is of two kinds. one pertains to those who are humbled by
disquietude, and this is not befitting perfect men, for they are
called "children of the bridegroom"; hence when we read in Luke:
"The children of the bridegroom cannot fast [Hom. xiii, in
Matth.]," we read in Mt. 9:15: "The children of the
bridegroom cannot mourn." The other pertains to the mind that
rejoices in adhering to spiritual things: and this fasting is befitting
the perfect.
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