The advertising world—especially in the United States—aggressively advocates and lauds a trim physique. This emphasis on being thin has had an especially negative impact on young females, who suffer a high incidence of bulimia and anorexia. For an insightful and balanced look at food intake we can turn to Thomas Ryan’s book on the sacred art of fasting.

The introduction explains that this book does not deal with “rational fasting” as the author defines it, “so called because it is understood to foster health through the purification of the body.” Rather, Father Ryan focuses on fasting as a religious act. This word religious precisely defines the theme of the book: fasting as a choice that we make to focus our attention on something more important to us than ourselves or our sensory appetites.

Ryan first explains the Catholic tradition of fasting as he personally experienced it. A major change in this tradition occurred at the time of the Second Vatican Council. Prior to Vatican II, fasting was regulated by rules. Subsequently, the church removed the requirement to fast (apart from Ash Wednesday and Good Friday) and challenged people to rediscover the spirit of penitential practice and to find the forms that would give meaningful expression to the appropriate sentiments of the heart. Church leadership summoned Catholics to be adults in the faith, to act responsibly, deliberately, and with awareness.

History shows that the Christian practice of fasting was centered on mystical union and on the longing for fulfillment. Fasting was also linked to works of charity and justice and promised liberation through penance. As Martha Graham said with reference to dance, “Your goal is freedom, but freedom may only be achieved through discipline. In the studio you learn to conform, to submit yourself to the demands of your craft so that you may finally be free.”

The book then seeks to foster an appreciation for fasting by showing what the world’s major religions teach about the practice. Jewish teaching on fasting is drawn from the Bible and from contemporary practitioners. Although the emphasis may sometimes be on atonement, at other times on purification or mourning, fasting is always about becoming connected to the Holy One. The five minor fasts last from dawn to nightfall, whereas the fasts for Yom Kippur and Tisha B’Av begin at sunset and end the following day. Jewish people also observe private fasts for particular reasons.

The Jewish Experience in Denver, Colorado, and the Jewish Outreach Institute are two centers that are trying to preserve the living tradition of Jewish fasting by emphasizing its purpose. Fasting brings one to repent, and true repentance brings about a change in behavior. Both the physical and the spiritual are intertwined, and we must use both if we are to grow, since the physical is the doorway to the spiritual. Fasting provides a spiritual foundation for charitable giving, prayer, and repentance.

The present-day world is much more aware of Islamic fasting during the month of Ramadan. Many people, though, may not know that it is a time of inner reflection, cultivation of Allah-consciousness, and self-control. Muslims observe Ramadan as a month of worship and welcome it with energy and happiness. Fasting during Ramadan is mandatory for every Muslim who is sane, adult, able and resident. Regulations are detailed, but faithful Muslims never lose sight of the fact that fasting is undertaken in obedience to and out of love for God. The month of Ramadan is thus a time when Muslims act in unison, assisting each other in their task of development. They are taught a litany of spiritual benefits that can be ascribed to fasting. Motivation is fostered.

Anyone who has visited a nation with a high percentage of Hindus has seen the wandering ascetic. For those of us in the Western world, the chapter on Hinduism is probably the most informative in the book. The fact that Hinduism has three main gods—the Hindu trinity of Brahma, the creator, Vishnu, the preserver, and Shiva, the destroyer—is surely of special interest to Christians. In the last century, Gandhi was a vibrant example of how fasting can be utilized to achieve a lofty goal. In Hinduism, the practice of fasting is left to the individual and is not a strict discipline with rules that everyone must follow. The goal is upavasam, to stay near the Lord.

Buddhism has captured the interest of many of our contemporaries. Much is made of the fact that Buddhism is not a religion but a philosophy. However, as Ryan maintains, “When a philosophy becomes a guiding principle for your life, when it gives you a process for transformation, it becomes a religion.” The Buddha learned that extreme asceticism, especially debilitating fasting, did not bring him enlightenment. Hence, the value of moderation is firmly ensconced in Buddhist spiritual practice. All the main branches of Buddhism practice some periods of fasting, usually on full moon days and other holidays. Theravada and Tendai Buddhist monks fast as a means of freeing the mind. Tibetan monks fast to generate inner heat. Some monks and nuns hold that it is necessary to accept whatever the lay donors put in their alms bowls. Others feel that compassion should be the priority and consider it a duty to inform the laity that eating meat breaks the precept against killing.

Surprisingly, there is a special chapter on the practice of fasting in the Church of the Latter-Day Saints. A brief, enlightening history is given of Joseph Smith, The Book of Mormon, and the revelations that Joseph Smith received. One of these was “The Ordinance to Fast.” Smith qualified this ordinance when he said that fasting “is a duty from which we cannot escape; but let it be remembered that the observance of this fast day by abstaining 24 hours from food and drink is not an absolute rule . . . but it is left with the people as a matter of conscience to exercise wisdom and discretion.”

In the final two chapters we learn of the hinge virtues related to fasting and how to prepare to fast. Here Father Ryan garners the wisdom of different religious traditions regarding the sacred art of fasting. This wisdom is needed in today’s world. Looking at a common practice—such as fasting—through the lens of different religions is broadening and fosters understanding of the other. Father Ryan has rendered a notable service in writing this book.