Official Website of the
Catholic Diocese of Little Rock
Diocese inviting Catholics to phone fast
Published: April 7, 2017
In addition to fasting and abstaining on Good Friday, the Diocese of Little Rock is inviting people to “fast” from digital media by turning off their cell phones and televisions on April 14. Silencing phones and televisions for all or part of this holy day will give God a chance to call your heart, especially if it is coupled with at least one hour spent in silent prayer while disconnected from the outside world.
Please add this practice to almsgiving, prayer and fasting from food, which are traditional disciplines the Church observes during Lent. Because all of these practices involve sacrifice of one sort or another, it would be especially beneficial to offer the spiritual fruits of the sacrifice for some specific cause — thus giving meaning to the suffering involved and producing greater spiritual benefit.
The diocese recommends offering up the sacrifices of Good Friday for those who are marginalized and neglected, reflecting on Jesus' parable of the Last Judgment in Matthew 25:31-46. Catholics in Arkansas were asked to fast from their cell phones and televisions for the first time on Ash Wednesday, March 1. On that day, the diocese recommended offering up the sacrifice for those who have left or been hurt by the Church.
Share the "I Phone Fast" meme below. Simply right-click, save image as and download to your device to post to Facebook or other social media. Or visit the Facebook pages for the Diocese of Little Rock or Arkansas Catholic to share directly to your page.
