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One of OnePeterFive’s hidden gems is The Fellowship of Saint Nicholas, a lay sodality “committed to putting into practice concrete means to save one’s soul and [to] assist the souls of our brethren”. According to similarweb, a website traffic checker, about 185,000 people accessed OnePeterFive last month. However, although The Fellowship has its own header on our home page, it only has 482 members. Thus, for whatever reason, the group goes largely unnoticed.
Speaking from experience, it can be easy to criticize Catholics who fail to live up to their identity as members of the Mystical Body of Christ. At the same time, though, consider the words of Our Lord in His Sermon on the Mount: “For with the same measure that you shall mete withal, it shall be measured to you again” (Saint Luke 6:38; Douay–Rheims Bible). In other words, the standard by which you judge the sins of others will be the same one that God uses upon you during your Particular Judgment.
Moreover, not only will the Most Holy Trinity consider the sins that you’ve committed, but He will also take into account the good that you’ve failed to do as well. Of the three primary spiritual practices mandated by Jesus Christ—that is, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—none is more overlooked by practicing Catholics than fasting. Promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1983, the Code of Canon Law states that, along with every Friday of the year, “abstinence [from meat] and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday”.[1] At a minimum, then, the members of the Mystical Body of Christ must fast and abstain from meat 54 times a year, comprising roughly 7% of the liturgical calendar.[2]
Do you fast and abstain from meat on these days? Regardless of your answer, you should join The Fellowship of Saint Nicholas. Not only do its members comply with the Code of Canon Law’s decrees on fasting and abstinence, but they go beyond them in obedience to Our Lord: “And whosever will force thee [to run] one mile, go with him [the] other two” (Saint Matthew 5:41).
Taking its inspiration from the 1917 Code of Canon Law, The Fellowship requires its members to fast and to abstain from meat on the vigils of various feast days and during the entire season of Lent. Additionally, neither candy nor desserts are to be eaten during Lent. On Sundays during Lent, fasting is abrogated, but abstinence remains mandatory. In accordance with Tradition, the Fellowship’s fast consists of one meal taken after sunset; however, if it’s necessary, this meal can be eaten as early as 3 P.M. Small quantities of food during breakfast and lunch are also allowed. The frustulum is a two-ounce serving substituted for breakfast, while a collation is an eight-ounce meal typically eaten after noon and before 3 P.M.
Now, to be clear, the efficacy of fasting and abstinence comes, not from without, but from within. To quote the Apostle: “And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:3). Just as the heart distributes blood to the body for its preservation, so, too, do the members of the Mystical Body of Christ who are in a state of grace provide spiritual sustenance to souls through their actions. Thus, without the supernatural virtue of charity, the Fellowship cannot function.
Because fasting and abstinence are penitential practices, their chief aim is to make reparation for sins in order to restore the communion lost between Christ and mankind. If you are a frequent follower of Catholic media outlets, then you are well aware of the current crisis within Holy Mother Church. Instead of complaining about it, let’s use what limited time we have in this short life for the glory of God and for the salvation of souls.
Ultimately, the best part about the Fellowship is that it reminds us that, in the midst of the chaos, we are not alone. On the contrary, the Mystical Body of Christ is a family. As a result, every act that we do is communal, meaning that the graces won through penance affects all of us—even those outside of the Mystical Body. With Our Lord guiding us, we have the opportunity to contribute, not only to our own salvation, but to others, as well. Even the souls of the Church Suffering can benefit from our charity! With this in mind, let us close with the words of Dom Prosper Guéranger:
A private work of devotion has neither the merit nor the efficacy of one that is done in company with the Church, and in communion with her public act; for the Church, as bride of Christ, communicates an exceptional worth and power to works of penance done, in her name, in the unity of the social body.
Saint Nicholas, pray for us!
[1] Code of Canon Law, c. 1251, https://fatima.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Canon-Law-Fast-and-Abstience.pdf.
[2] Depending on which country you live in, this number could be smaller. See canon 1253 for an explanation.