8.9 Can I ever do enough penance, fasting and mortification? What if I have anorexia or tend to self-harm?
Supplication - #OnlineSaints
While it can be a great spiritual exercise to deny yourself something, this should never endanger your health or wellbeing. The aim of penance, fasting, and mortification is to demonstrate to God and yourself that nothing is more important to you than your relationship with him.
Father Alphonsus gave everything he had to the poor and led a very simple life, but in his preaching he always opposed excesses and rigorism in spirituality. He considered growing in holiness was the most important thing for everyone. How can you contribute to your growth in holiness?
For more on this saint, scan the picture with the app Online with Saints or click:
Acts of penance, charity, fasting or mortification can help you grow spiritually: you seek to live less for yourself, and more for Jesus. Moderation is important, and self-harm is wrong.
