Fasting is not a diet

During Lent people speak of fasting and we immediately confuse it with a diet or a test of willpower: eating less, holding out. But its meaning is different. Jesus warned about those who fasted rigorously while their hearts remained far from God. Fasting that changes nothing on the inside remains an empty gesture. Depriving yourself a little—of food, screens, or a craving—is worthwhile when it opens room for what matters: praying more, looking at others, letting go of what you cling to too tightly. It trains the small "no" to be free in the great "yes". So do not look only at how much you give up, but why. A meaningful fast does not leave you in a worse mood: it leaves you lighter, more master of yourself, and more attentive to whoever is beside you.