Question: I have to eat non-Lenten products during the Great Lent due to my poor health. Even so, I refrain from going to concerts, which I love, and I cut back on other things. How can I prepare for Communion, except with prayer?
Answer: It’s your life, and it’s up to you to settle the limits of your ascetic practices. So, it’s the Lenten season now, and you’ve got to consider what you can give up for God’s sake. We can’t do much but we can bring to the Lord the small donation of the poor widow, can’t we? What can you abstain from during the Great Lent for God’s sake? Seek and find something you can fight against. I believe it will be helpful for you. God does not argue with us. We don’t need to bargain with him: you do you, I do me… It is we who need fast, not God. When a person makes an effort and forces himself to do something, he finds the joy and the gracious assistance that he requires. God’s power is made manifest in weakness (Cf. 2 Cor. 12: 9).
