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A New Type of Eucharistic Fast:
Sign of Commitment to Feed the Hungry

If there is hunger in any part of the world, our celebration of the Eucharist is in some sense incomplete in the whole world.

In the Eucharist we receive the hungry Christ into our world. He does not come to us alone, but with the poor, the oppressed, those who are hungry. Through him, these people come to us in search of aid, of love expressed in actions.

What is My Commitment Upon Receiving Holy Communion?

We cannot worthily receive the Bread of Life if at the same time we do not provide bread so that those who need it can live, no matter who they are or where they live.

Hopefully Christ, whom we receive in the form of bread, will grant to each of us the courage to not refuse the gift of ourselves. Hopefully we will be as generous with him as he is with us.

There is a strong social dimension to the Eucharist. Members of the early Christian community shared their goods according to needs (see Acts 4: 32-35). St. Paul explains that this means that there is to be no distinction according to race, economic class or nationality (see Gal 3: 28; 1 Cor 12: 13).

The Eucharist teaches us that our neighbor is any person in need, that if one part of the body suffers, the whole body suffers. While suffering, oppression, injustice or hunger exist in any part of the world, we cannot close our eyes and remain indifferent. It is Christ who is suffering again, the same Christ whom we receive. If there is hunger in any part of the world, our Eucharistic celebration is incomplete in all the world (see 1 Cor 12: 12-26; 1 John 3: 17).

What Can We Do?

In the end the poor and hungry await our actions. The fight against hunger needs a commitment from each one of us.

It is for that reason that the Augustinian Secretariate for Justice and Peace, as part of the Augustinian Hunger Campaign, is proposing a new type of Eucharist Fast as a sign of commitment to feed the hungry.

Augustinians and all who would like to share in Augustinian spirituality are encouraged to join in this new Eucharistic Fast.

• Join in a rolling Eucharistic Fast.

  • Select one particular day.

  • Fast from food on the day you have chosen. This fast can take whatever form is appropriate to your circumstances -- for example, eating no food for the entire day OR skipping a meal OR eating a poverty meal of rice and water, etc.

  • With the money saved, provide food for the hungry through a local, national or international program, or through the Augustinian Fund for Africa.

• Give active support to national and international policies that are needed to reduce hunger in our country and in our world. Take three minutes to write a letter to your legislators and government officials.

More about the Augustinian Hunger Campaign

      » Augustinians Promote Hunger Campaign
             International initiative to halve world hunger

       » Hunger x Half: Augustinian Hunger Campaign
             Hunger facts and steps you can take to cut hunger in half

      » A Three-Minute Activity to Fight Hunger
             How you can write a brief, effective letter to government officials

      » Toward a World Without Hunger
             Reflections from Saint Augustine on fighting hunger