Rev. Thomas Ryan
Open your mind and heart and discover how
the sacred art of
fasting can strengthen your spiritual
appetite
Fasting as a religious act increases our
sensitivity to that mystery always and everywhere present to
us…. It is an invitation to awareness, a call to
compassion for the needy, a cry of distress, and a song of joy.
It is a discipline of self-restraint, a ritual of purification,
and a sanctuary for offerings of atonement. It is a wellspring
for the spiritually dry, a compass for the spiritually lost,
and inner nourishment for the spiritually hungry.
—from chapter 9
Though fasting is practiced in some form
by nearly every faith tradition throughout the world, it is
often seen as scary or something only for monastic life. But
fasting doesn’t have to be intimidating. And it
doesn’t have to mean going weeks without food.
The Sacred Art of Fasting invites you to explore the practical
approaches, spiritual motivations, and physical benefits of
this ancient practice by looking at the ways it is observed in
several faith traditions. Inspiring personal reflections,
helpful advice, and encouragement from people who practice
fasting answer your questions, allay your fears, and reveal how
you too can safely incorporate fasting into your spiritual
life.
“A major contribution to a lost art,
discipline, and spiritual practice. It reflects both a
maturation of religion and a radical return to tradition.
Thomas Ryan is teaching us how to refine our
appetites!”
—Richard
Rohr, OFM, founder and director of The Center for Action and Contemplation
“Does an excellent service….
With diverse perspectives of social responsibility, devotion,
ecology, the politics of hunger, and medicine, he explores the
depth of human well-being … dispelling fears, guiding us
with examples.”
—Bhaswati
Bhattacharya, MPH, MD, holistic
physician-author and assistant professor of family practice in
medicine, Weill-Cornell Medical College
“A superbly written guidebook and
practical resource…. Explores with ease and clarity our
deeply rooted fascination with fasting and abstinence….
He writes from a Christian perspective yet compares and
contrasts teachings and practices in other religious traditions
with insight and respect.”
—John
Borelli, Special Assistant to the
President for Interreligious Initiatives, Georgetown University
About the Art of Spiritual Living Series
Because spirituality is much more than what you think—it’s what you do. Explaining little-known or misunderstood spiritual practices from around the world with clear instructions on how you can do it, too.
