The Purpose of Fasting

The Purpose of Fasting Fasting from meat, or from other foods during Lent, continues to hold a certain fascination for non-Catholics and, indeed, for nonbelievers. Many people take up this practice simply as a way of losing weight or becoming more healthy. These motivations are not to be dismissed, but they fall short of the biblical spirituality of fasting. They are not the purpose of the “religious fast,” which helps us grow in holiness.