The John-Henry Westen Show - The Simple Solution to a Better Life ｜ What Everyone Gets Wrong about Fasting

00:00:01.000 Ave Maria Mutual Funds, seeking the moral high ground for 20 years.

00:00:10.000 Pro-life, pro-family, and Catholic values have guided us to the top.

00:00:30.000 If you look at the victories of God's people in the scriptures going back to the Old Testament as well as with Jesus in the New Testament, whenever God's people fasted and they were doing battle, they won every time.

00:00:46.560 And so, just as God ordained in his wisdom and providence that the laws of gravity would work, he's ordained that there is a law that fasting is required to overcome evil.

00:01:07.300 Hello, my friends.

00:01:09.260 So, we are coming upon the Synod on Synodality.

00:01:13.180 We've had all sorts of warnings from hierarchy in the church about how terrible this is going to be.

00:01:19.440 We've already known from what we've seen at LifeSite, the personal pics of the Pope are some of the most heretical cardinals in the world. 1.00

00:01:28.100 And so, this has been dubbed the Synod on Sodomy by Liz Yore on Faith and Reason.

00:01:35.680 It is looking like something very foreboding for the church.

00:01:40.500 Cardinal Burke just warned last week about the threat that it is to the whole church.

00:01:46.860 So, at LifeSite, we are launching a pledge to pray and fast during the Synod.

00:01:55.500 But, both in reparation to our Lord for the offenses that will be committed there and in pleading with our Lord to save his church.

00:02:07.480 Remember, it's his church.

00:02:08.340 He's still in charge, but he asks us to participate.

00:02:10.880 With me for this episode is the fellow who talks to us most about fasting.

00:02:17.460 His name is Drew Mason.

00:02:19.180 He's the one that LifeSite has partnered with to get families secure in terms of their gold investments,

00:02:27.420 so that gold and silver, but precious metals, to be able to sustain themselves in the times to come.

00:02:32.900 And we're going to be talking about prayer and fasting during this Synod on Synodality in reparation

00:02:40.980 and in begging our Lord to take care of his church.

00:02:44.440 Stay tuned.

00:02:47.600 Hey, my friends.

00:02:48.500 Now is the time to stand up and fight.

00:02:50.900 We are just about to have the Synod on Synodality,

00:02:54.400 and everything that you've seen indicates that it's going to be an absolute disaster.

00:02:59.760 We have Father James Martin as a personal appointee of the Pope speaking at it.

00:03:05.940 We've got Cardinal Cupich, Cardinal Tobin.

00:03:09.180 These picks of the Pope to engage in this Synod are indicative of where we're going.

00:03:16.020 We're going into heresy.

00:03:17.600 And at these times of great crisis, the church, especially those called in the laity to work

00:03:25.460 for the glory of Christ and his church, are called to gather and strategize.

00:03:31.960 Back in 2014, LifeSite launched something called Rome Life Forum.

00:03:35.840 It was a gathering at that point of some 75 life and family leaders from all around the world

00:03:41.520 to strategize as to what we could do.

00:03:44.240 And when we gathered, the majority of people were most concerned about what?

00:03:48.720 About Pope Francis, about what was going on in Rome.

00:03:52.640 But this was 2014.

00:03:54.580 But the life and family leaders saw it first.

00:03:58.980 Now, a decade on, we are confronted with some of the most severe challenges the church has ever faced.

00:04:06.300 And so our tradition at LifeSite is to continue with Rome Life Forum,

00:04:09.760 which has continued every year until we had to take a break over COVID because we weren't permitted.

00:04:15.680 But we're starting it up again.

00:04:17.760 Please come, if you feel so called, to Rome.

00:04:21.300 October 31st and November 1st, the very end of the Synod on Synodality.

00:04:27.840 And we'll be there to strategize with his eminence, with his excellency,

00:04:32.840 and with many life and family leaders from around the world.

00:04:37.240 For LifeSite News, this is John Henry Weston.

00:04:39.420 And may God bless you.

00:04:42.560 Drew Mason, so good to be with you as always.

00:04:45.260 Praise be Jesus.

00:04:46.480 Great to be with you, John Henry.

00:04:48.360 And happy feast day as we record this.

00:04:50.520 A wonderful day for our lady.

00:04:52.700 Amen to that.

00:04:53.680 So let's begin as we always do, with the sign of the cross.

00:04:57.060 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

00:05:01.560 Amen.

00:05:01.800 Amen.

00:05:01.880 So, Drew, we're coming upon this Synod.

00:05:07.620 Tell us, first of all, the role that prayer and fasting has

00:05:10.540 in terms of being able to avoid calamity and assist.

00:05:15.540 And why God wants this from us, rather than just doing it anyway, himself.

00:05:20.720 Well, John Henry, if you look at the victories of God's people in the scriptures,

00:05:26.420 going back to the Old Testament, as well as with Jesus in the New Testament,

00:05:30.440 whenever God's people fasted and they were doing battle, they won every time. 0.53

00:05:37.140 And so, just as God ordained in his wisdom and providence that the laws of gravity would work,

00:05:44.960 he's ordained that there is a law that fasting is required to overcome evil.

00:05:51.560 And as Jesus very explicitly told us in what I think we would all conclude if we reflect on this,

00:06:00.520 was one of his most important teachings of his entire ministry.

00:06:05.180 And that was to say, hey, Christians, you can pray all day long. 0.57

00:06:10.420 When evil is strong, you're going to lose every time.

00:06:14.140 You will lose, Christians, every time if you stop at prayer. 1.00

00:06:19.420 It doesn't matter what kind of prayer.

00:06:21.700 And then he explicitly told the disciples, when evil is strongest, you must supplement the prayer with fasting.

00:06:29.780 And that teaching was so powerful, as we had talked about on a prior episode,

00:06:35.400 that the bishops had those specific verses removed from the Catholic Bible.

00:06:42.980 So, basically erasing the awareness of Catholics, and it happened in a parallel instance in the Protestant Bibles as well in the 1960s,

00:06:53.420 erasing our understanding of fasting as being necessary to overcome evil.

00:07:00.200 And since we've lost that understanding, look at what has happened to the church, to the world.

00:07:05.140 We've been on our heels, you know, being buffeted and losing battle after battle.

00:07:09.540 So, at this juncture, however, John Henry, people may be really dismayed about what's going on in the church.

00:07:18.800 But I would submit, I think this is a time of great hope, that what has begun to happen is that believers are awakening.

00:07:26.760 The masks that the wolves have been wearing, that made us think they were friendly and cheap, are slipping.

00:07:34.440 And we are realizing who we are dealing with in the leadership of the church is exactly who Jesus warned us and who Paul warned us about in scriptures and who saint after saint in the Catholic Church has warned us about.

00:07:48.540 And Jesus was clear, and Jesus was clear, you will know the Spirit by their fruits, not by what they say, because anyone can talk a good game, but by their fruits.

00:07:58.580 And we brought up this synod we saw previously, Bergoglio led many in pagan prayer in the Vatican.

00:08:09.040 It was a disgrace, and that is what we should expect moving forward.

00:08:17.080 Catholics, don't be upset about this.

00:08:19.680 Just realize this is what Jesus told us was going to happen.

00:08:22.880 And when we're awake to this reality, we can't be ambushed.

00:08:27.220 And we have the tools.

00:08:28.320 He's given us the tools we need, the prayer and fasting to overcome and be able to take back our church.

00:08:33.300 And then we'll be able to take back our nation as well. 0.75

00:08:35.580 Hello, friends.

00:08:39.380 To celebrate the momentous overturning of Roe v. Wade, we at LifeSite have minted just under 10,000 of these brand new limited edition pro-life silver rounds.

00:08:47.700 Now, each round is stamped with the image of the Supreme Court of the United States, featuring the date that the High Court delivered this historic victory.

00:08:55.240 And on the front of our pure silver rounds, LifeSite's logo surrounded by a brilliant sunburst and draped with olive branches.

00:09:01.360 They, of course, commemorate our 25-year anniversary of LifeSite News.

00:09:04.620 We began in 1997 in September.

00:09:07.560 So September of 2022 was 25 years.

00:09:10.060 These one-ounce silver rounds are available from our partners at stjosephspartners.com, where you can fulfill all of your silver and gold needs in this perilous time.

00:09:19.620 May God bless you.

00:09:20.120 Drew, if you can take us through some fasting.

00:09:25.480 There's going to be a lot of people who are going to want to join.

00:09:30.440 If you go to LifeSite, by the way, you can sign up to make a pledge to pray and fast with us during this time of the Synod.

00:09:37.680 But people are going to want to be able to join in, but some of them are going to be intimidated.

00:09:45.440 I know we've talked before about the prime way, if you could say, to fast.

00:09:52.340 And that is on bread and water, as is suggested by the Didache, and as explained to us also by Our Lady of Medjugorje.

00:10:00.440 That prayer and fasting is fasting this way on bread and water on Wednesdays and Fridays is the sort of the preferred way of the church.

00:10:10.820 We're sort of taking that on at LifeSite, where we're suggesting fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays as well for the Synod. 0.76

00:10:19.220 But what are some ways that people can get used to fasting who maybe aren't used to it at all?

00:10:26.840 Perhaps some people with some medical conditions or some business positions that don't allow them a full kind of a fast like that.

00:10:34.760 What can they do?

00:10:35.540 I know also you engaged in an Esther fast that was very, very arduous.

00:10:44.820 So there's all sorts of levels of fasting.

00:10:46.520 If you could take us through some of them, that would be great.

00:10:49.080 Okay.

00:10:49.880 So, yes, the Didache that you referenced and other works by early church founders, fathers, said that Wednesday and Friday fasting is obligatory.

00:11:00.780 Again, Satan has just done so much to confuse us and have us lower our guard, but it is obligatory.

00:11:07.480 And when you first hear that, you think, oh, my gosh, that's going to be so painful, so difficult.

00:11:11.960 But one of the really beautiful teachings that Our Lady had for us in Medjugorje is how actually easy bread and water fasting is.

00:11:21.800 I think Satan wants you to think that in order for a fast to have any merit, it has to be so arduous, so painful that you have to hardly be able to walk or think straight.

00:11:33.260 You're going to have all these physical ramifications from it.

00:11:36.920 And Our Lady explains it's just the opposite. 1.00

00:11:39.680 God is just looking for us to make a little sacrifice, but to do it with joy.

00:11:44.360 So, bread and water fasting, as the first century Christians did it, is such that you need to be able to maintain your strength.

00:11:53.480 If you're a roofer, or if you're a mover, or a craftsman, or if you're a film producer, or whatever your job is in your day-to-day life, if you're a mother, you need to have the strength to continue your duties.

00:12:08.120 And so, by having good bread, 100% whole grain bread, as it used to have, that will be loaded, 100% whole grains, loaded with B vitamins, loaded with protein, and you can add on to it some butter, or some olive oil, or some avocado spread if you need it.

00:12:24.600 You can add something on.

00:12:26.040 And if you're really hungry, have six or seven pieces.

00:12:29.160 Have two loaves of bread.

00:12:30.380 And if you're thirsty, have a gallon.

00:12:32.020 The idea isn't that you're going to be unable to function.

00:12:35.720 It's that you're just saying to God, Lord, this is a tiny sacrifice.

00:12:39.760 Your sacrifice on the cross was immense.

00:12:42.160 This is minuscule.

00:12:43.680 But I make this little sacrifice with joy.

00:12:46.660 I'm happy to do it for you, Lord.

00:12:48.020 Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us as we fast.

00:12:51.540 Because when you're doing that, you're going to be thinking, when you're fasting in that way, you're going to realize it's not that hard.

00:12:57.880 This is a little sacrifice.

00:12:58.760 And viewers, from what Our Lady can share with us, I want to say to you, you will be so happy.

00:13:05.240 I promise you, you will be so happy if you make this effort to go above and beyond what the current church thinks is necessary.

00:13:13.920 If you make this effort to fast, you're going to forget in two weeks what you're going to have for lunch this Wednesday.

00:13:19.640 You won't remember.

00:13:20.300 But in 5,000 years, when we're all dead, you're going to be looking back on this Wednesday's fast.

00:13:28.920 And when God revealed all the good that came from your little sacrifice, you're going to be like, I can't believe it, Lord.

00:13:35.440 That was such a little sacrifice.

00:13:37.200 All that good came from it.

00:13:39.260 So you will be so glad that you made this effort for eternity.

00:13:44.100 It's like a bouquet you give to the Lord that never fades.

00:13:46.660 You're still going to be celebrating.

00:13:47.880 So the difficulty is really not that intense.

00:13:51.980 You mentioned John Henry.

00:13:53.140 What about people who have medical conditions?

00:13:55.940 It seems to me every Catholic priest in North America goes to the same doctor, and they all tell him, you can't fast.

00:14:01.460 So what I would suggest that believers do is if a doctor tells you, you can't have whole grain bread with butter, olive oil, or avocado spread, something like that, and water, then to say to him or her, why not?

00:14:16.680 Show me the medical research that says fasting of this type, cleaning out your system that's so physically good for you is so bad for you.

00:14:25.460 And obviously, if they push hard, you have to do what your conscience leads you to believe.

00:14:33.160 But I have yet to see, and I welcome anyone to show me I'm wrong, any medical research that says fasting like this is not good for you.

00:14:40.540 The one last point to your question I want to address, John Henry, is the other ploy that Satan has used around fasting in our day that has blindsided many is to call dieting fasting.

00:14:57.340 The difference between fasting and dieting is enormous.

00:15:03.100 Dieting is when you choose to adjust what you eat for physical health.

00:15:08.200 Your primary objective is to lose weight, to get more muscular, lose fat, whatever the case is.

00:15:14.640 If that's your primary end goal, then that means you're dieting.

00:15:20.400 So they may call it whatever the fast is, but it's not.

00:15:24.920 And I make that clear distinction because you want to say, I'm doing this primarily for the Lord.

00:15:32.720 You're going to get all the physical benefits from it as well.

00:15:35.880 But, and that's another reason to have bread and water. 0.78

00:15:38.240 No one will tell you you want to have a bread diet if you're trying to get in shape, right?

00:15:42.720 I think, John Henry, in years ahead, science will realize what heaven's recommending to us is so good for us physically.

00:15:50.080 But most importantly, that distinction will transition your diet from something that begins to lose its benefit as soon as you take another morsel to a fast where that benefit, again, is eternal for you.

00:16:03.040 And the protection that it brings to your family is addictive.

00:16:07.100 Our lady said that if we will do novenas of fasting, and as you mentioned earlier today, John Henry, of reparation, evil will have to stay far from you.

00:16:17.920 Now, that is an incredible promise.

00:16:19.300 I want any parent who's watching this or anybody who's watching this to just think about somebody they love, who you look at their life, you look at the direction they're going in, and you think, oh, my gosh, it's almost tragic.

00:16:30.060 It's like you can see bad decision after bad decision.

00:16:32.480 You know the influence where that's coming from.

00:16:34.280 They say, if we do novenas of fasting or enunciation, so I would say three days a week is a novena plus, you know, including what we're obligated to, evil will just stay far from you and your family.

00:16:46.380 And how beautiful, powerful, and life-changing that is, John Henry.

00:16:52.080 What a great gift the Lord is holding out to all of us.

00:16:55.480 What do you think of this concept, Drew?

00:16:59.360 So, in my conversations with a number of exorcists and exorcist helpers, I was just on with Father Carlos Martins, with Dan Schneider, and I've spoken with Father Ripperger and others.

00:17:14.420 They mentioned this thing about fathers and the permission, almost the demon has to ask to fathers, because they're the heads of the household, to sort of get to their wives and children.

00:17:30.100 So, I think this call to fasting is particularly for dads, heads of households.

00:17:35.480 And how does that relate to what you're saying about protection for your children?

00:17:42.460 John Henry, what I was thinking about before we started filming, for whatever reason, was the thought came to me of how Satan really does attack fathers.

00:17:54.380 And since you brought this up, one thing I would like to say, I think there are so many dads, fathers who are watching, who may be watching this, who feel like there's such disappointments, maybe even such failures, for whatever reason.

00:18:09.820 I think for a lot of people, it's, I haven't, you know, given my family something better.

00:18:14.500 They deserved more.

00:18:15.640 And I feel horribly as a dad, I wasn't able to give them something more.

00:18:20.140 That is Satan trying to discourage all these dads, put it down.

00:18:26.440 One does just say to you, just offer up any disappointments you have to the Lord.

00:18:31.540 You will just crush evil.

00:18:33.780 You will just beleaguer it, manhandle it.

00:18:37.200 And don't feel that way.

00:18:38.440 Recognize that is Satan trying to discourage you.

00:18:42.200 And by fasting, like you're saying, John Henry, the ability to just drive evil from your family is such a powerful tool to be able to take authority, because we do have authority over evil.

00:18:57.680 In one of the translations of scripture, Jesus said, you are easily fooled because you do not know scripture or the power of God.

00:19:07.240 So we're fooled into thinking we have to be on our heels with evil.

00:19:10.940 We see its strength in the world, but that's not true with us.

00:19:15.060 We have the tools to expel evil, to drive it away, to drive it away from your bride and your children.

00:19:22.400 You want to step up, recognize that, that we have those authority from the Lord and bring about this wonderful transformation in your family.

00:19:31.060 I wanted to address, just quickly, for those of you who might not have seen the show before, when Drew was talking about the elimination from the scriptures about fasting, you could actually check this yourself.

00:19:49.020 Drew, what are those verses that were removed, particularly the one in Matthew, that they can look up for themselves?

00:19:55.040 Okay, so the way to find it, the Catholic translation was the Douay-Rheims for years.

00:20:01.800 So in Douay-Rheims, Matthew, and I believe it is chapter 17, and you want to look at maybe verse 19 to 22.

00:20:10.200 And my recollection is it will be verse 21, that in the new current versions that are used at Mass today, or if you look at, I believe it's the ESV, the NIV, as well as the new Catholic Bibles, that verse 21 will be missing.

00:20:26.840 You'll read it in a sequentially, it'll be verse 18, 19, 20, 22.

00:20:31.620 You think, what happened?

00:20:32.300 You go back, you look at the Douay-Rheims, and you see verse 21 says, this is a special case that requires fasting.

00:20:39.520 In Mark, it's chapter 9, and in the Douay-Rheims, it's verse 28, I believe, 9, 28.

00:20:46.680 In the newer versions, it's 9, 29.

00:20:48.600 And you'll see, again, the reference to the need to fast, to overpower, and to win in the face of evil has been entirely eliminated by the Catholic bishops in the 1960s.

00:21:05.820 Yeah.

00:21:06.160 And what's stunning about what you said, too, because it was done simultaneously by the Protestant groups.

00:21:11.760 So, in their traditional version, the King James and the New King James version, it's still there about prayer and fasting when the demons are too powerful, but it's missing in the other, in the NIV and the other Protestant versions.

00:21:27.400 So, it is stunning that this happens, and it's stunning that it's done, and it's interesting, because as you said, it's the weapon when Satan's too strong.

00:21:37.240 The story goes, the apostles couldn't cast out the demon, and Jesus does, and then they go to him afterward and say, Lord, what was all that?

00:21:44.720 And he explains that some can only be cast out by prayer and fasting.

00:21:49.440 And that reference from Mark that you brought up is actually hilarious, and it shows, in addition to how clear it is to show from Matthew, how clear it is, because the verse is actually missing.

00:21:59.720 It goes 20, 22, and you're missing 21 altogether.

00:22:04.340 And if you look at the notes, they'll probably say something about it being missing.

00:22:07.940 But then, in Mark, it's kind of ridiculous, because our Lord says to them there, some can be cast out only by prayer.

00:22:17.200 Like, duh, what do you think we were doing?

00:22:20.620 That is what they were doing.

00:22:21.800 They were doing it with prayer, and it wasn't working.

00:22:24.480 So, anyway, very, very bizarre.

00:22:26.560 It does show some real monkey business.

00:22:29.620 And it's very effective for the devil to, one, to eliminate the very tool that us weak humans can use to get rid of him.

00:22:41.520 And so, it's quite stunning.

00:22:44.320 So, with regard to the helps that fasting provides in terms of kicking out the devil from our lives, but we're also doing this in reparation to our Lord.

00:22:59.120 Can you explain that for us as we close out?

00:23:02.840 Well, John Henry, I would say, you know, many people will tell believers that fasting, meaning abstaining from TV, let me be clear.

00:23:18.320 Many people will tell believers abstaining from TV is fasting, or turning off the radio is fasting.

00:23:24.040 I would submit to you that that is not biblically supportive, that fasting is only to do with a diet.

00:23:32.460 When you make an incremental sacrifice and you turn off TV, or you kneel down and you pray a rosary and reparation, pray a rosary, you know, doing something extra aside from fasting, that is more of reparation and of penance.

00:23:50.780 It's distinct from fasting.

00:23:52.940 And Our Lady has made that clear.

00:23:56.140 You need the fasting and reparation in order to keep evil far from you.

00:24:01.720 And, you know, we've seen, as you highlight on many occasions, that the great saints would pray in reparation to our Lord, knowing how much he loves us, how much he is hurt by all that he's done for us, right?

00:24:17.560 I mean, imagine dying the death that Jesus did.

00:24:20.320 And to see then people just totally scoffing at the rules he asked us to live by.

00:24:27.340 How hurt would you be if that was something, if it was your son and you gave up like that, and then you saw the whole world essentially just spinning in his face with the way they live.

00:24:36.960 And so the idea of going to the Lord in reparation and just saying, again, my contribution to you, Lord, my prayer, my sacrifices, nothing is like a grain of sand on the beach.

00:24:50.460 But I gladly give it to you, Lord, with joy, hoping that this can be a comfort for your heart and so that you know so many of us are so grateful to you, Lord, for what you've done for us.

00:25:03.740 Amen to that.

00:25:06.720 So thank you, Drew.

00:25:08.260 I want to encourage people, go to lifesitenews.com slash prayer dash pledges.

00:25:13.500 That's where we have all of our prayer pledges.

00:25:16.680 And this one is lifesitenews.com slash prayer dash pledges slash synod.

00:25:22.260 And that's where you can join us.

00:25:24.000 You'll see the link at the homepage at Lifesite News as well.

00:25:28.240 John Henry, one thing before we go, if I could just say one thing to the audience.

00:25:33.040 Don't be discouraged by what's going on with the bishops.

00:25:35.400 We are at the threshold of an extraordinary revival in the Catholic Church.

00:25:40.240 Our future is so bright.

00:25:42.140 Don't be discouraged at all.

00:25:43.220 Just keep praising the Lord because we are going to take back the church and it's going to be a beautiful new day. 0.99

00:25:49.660 Amen.

00:25:51.620 One last and final thing.

00:25:52.980 I want to let you all know as well that at the end of the synod, right at the end, that means the end of the month of October,

00:26:01.080 Lifesite News is hosting our Rome Life Forum, a yearly strategy session for leaders on life, faith, family, and freedom in Rome.

00:26:10.080 We're going to be speaking to what just happened at the synod, and we're going to be strategizing on how we can work together in this crisis of the church,

00:26:19.320 what we can do together to confront it.

00:26:21.420 Go to RomeLifeForum.com to learn more.

00:26:25.940 Thank you so much, Drew, for being with us.

00:26:27.420 God bless you.

00:26:28.780 Thank you, John Henry.

00:26:30.720 And God bless all of you.

00:26:32.600 And we'll see you next time.

00:26:33.480 Hi, everyone.

00:26:44.840 This is John Henry Weston.

00:26:45.960 We hope you enjoyed this program.

00:26:47.600 To see more like it, be sure to hit the subscribe button below to get all the latest content from Lifesite News.

00:26:53.140 Check the links in the description to read more and connect with us on social media

00:26:56.720 so that you can stay up to date with all the latest life, family, faith, and freedom news.

00:27:01.520 Thanks for watching, and may God bless you.

00:27:03.480 Thank you.

The John-Henry Westen Show - September 11, 2023

The Simple Solution to a Better Life ｜ What Everyone Gets Wrong about Fasting

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