3.29 Warum fasten wir in der Fastenzeit 40 Tage lang?
Die Fastenzeit beginnt am Aschermittwoch, der nach der Asche benannt ist, die an diesem Tag auf unsere Stirn (in Form eines Kreuzes) gezeichnet wird. Jesus fastete vierzig Tage in der Wüste (Mt 4,1f)Mt 4,1f: Dann wurde Jesus vom Geist in die Wüste geführt; dort sollte er vom Teufel versucht werden. Als er vierzig Tage und vierzig Nächte gefastet hatte, hungerte ihn., und wir folgen seinem Beispiel, indem wir in der Fastenzeit fasten.
In der Fastenzeit möchten wir uns daran erinnern, dass wir ohne Gottes Hilfe und Gnade dem Geschenk des Opfers Jesu am Kreuz nicht würdig sind.
What do we learn from the temptations of Jesus in the desert?
The temptations of Jesus in the desert recapitulate the temptation of Adam in Paradise and the temptations of Israel in the desert. Satan tempts Jesus in regard to his obedience to the mission given him by the Father. Christ, the new Adam, resists and his victory proclaims that of his passion which is the supreme obedience of his filial love. The Church unites herself to this mystery in a special way in the liturgical season of Lent. [CCCC 106]
Why was Jesus led into temptation? Could he really be tempted at all?
Jesus was truly human, and as part of that he was truly susceptible to temptation. In Jesus Christ we do not have the sort of redeemer “who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sinning” (Heb 4:15). [Youcat 88]
In the Church’s tradition, this journey we are asked to take in Lent is marked by certain practices: fasting, almsgiving and prayer. Fasting means abstinence from food but includes other forms of privation for a more modest life. However, all this is not yet the full reality of fasting: it is an outer sign of an inner reality, of our commitment, with God’s help, to abstain from evil and to live by the Gospel. Those who are unable to nourish themselves with the word of God do not fast properly. [Pope Benedict, General Audience, 9 Mar. 2011]
