The purpose of fasting is for achieving a certain goal – an improvement in our interior life. We have to fulfil our basic duties to God before fasting will do any good. To fast and yet neglect these more fundamental responsibilities would be to fast in vain. First of all we must have faith in our hearts. Then we must perform works of mercy and practice justice in our dealings with our neighbours. And all of these are to be done in an overall spirit of Christian love.
This mode of spiritual thinking and decent living must be present first. Otherwise, everything else we do of a religious nature will be of little account. Are we needlessly oppressing others by our words, habits or any? If we want God to smile upon us, we must first release our captives. Then we will be ready to move on to other more advanced levels of spirituality. Perhaps at this point we find ourselves unable to fast in a way which is truly pleasing to God. If that is the case, Lent is an excellent time to reform. It is a season of many graces.