De jejunio quattuor temporum
The Rhythms of Penance
The Ember Days are established as a fourfold seasonal discipline to align the body and soul with divine order.
Pope Callixtus established the Ember Days; these fasts occur four times a year, corresponding to the four seasons, and there are many reasons for them. The first reason is that spring is hot and moist, summer is hot and dry, autumn is cold and dry, and winter is cold and moist. We fast in spring to temper the harmful humor within us—that is, lust; in summer, to discipline the harmful heat—that is, greed; in autumn, to discipline the dryness of pride; and in winter, to discipline the coldness of faithlessness and malice. The second reason why we fast four times a year is that the first of these fasts occurs in March, during the first week of Lent, so that vices may wither within us—for they cannot be entirely extinguished—or rather, so that the seeds of virtue may spring up in us. The second fast occurs in summer, during the week of Pentecost, because the Holy Spirit came then, and we ought to be fervent in the Holy Spirit. The third fast occurs in September, before the feast of Saint Michael, because the harvest is gathered then, and we ought to render to God the fruits of good works. The fourth fast occurs in December, because the plants die then, and we ought to be dead to the world; the third reason is that we might imitate the Jews. The Jews fasted four times a year: before Passover, before Pentecost, before the Feast of Tabernacles (that is, before the setting up of the tabernacle in September), and before the Feast of Dedication in December. The fourth reason is that a human being consists of four elements regarding the body, and three powers regarding the soul—namely, the rational, the concupiscible, and the irascible. Therefore, so that these may be moderated in us, we fast four times a year for three days, so that the number four may refer to the body, and the number three to the soul.
Humors and Holy Habits
Further theological and physiological reflections explain how fasting throughout the seasons helps to mortify specific vices and honor the life of Christ.
These reasons come from Master John Beleth. The fifth reason is that, as John of Damascus says, blood increases in the spring, bile in the summer, black bile in the autumn, and phlegm in the winter. We fast in the spring so that the blood of desire and foolish joy may be weakened in us, for the sanguine person is naturally lustful and cheerful; in the summer, so that the bile of anger and deceit may be weakened, for the choleric person is naturally quick-tempered and crafty; in the autumn, so that the black bile of greed and sadness may be weakened, for the melancholic person is naturally greedy and sad; in the winter, so that the phlegm of dullness and laziness may be weakened, for the phlegmatic person is naturally sluggish and lazy. The sixth reason is that spring is compared to air, summer to fire, autumn to earth, and winter to water. We fast in the spring so that the air of pride and arrogance may be subdued in us; in the summer, so that the fire of desire and greed may be subdued in us; in the autumn, so that the earth of spiritual coldness and dark ignorance may be subdued; in the winter, so that the water of fickleness and inconstancy may be subdued in us. The seventh reason is that, just as spring relates to childhood, summer to adolescence, autumn to maturity or the prime of life, and winter to old age, we fast in the spring so that we may be children through innocence; in the summer, so that we may become strong by avoiding incontinence; in the autumn, so that we may become young through constancy and mature through justice; in the winter, so that we may become elders through prudence and an honest life, or rather, so that in winter we may make amends for whatever we have offended the Lord with throughout the other ages of life. The eighth reason is that of Master William of Auxerre. For we fast during the four seasons of the year so that we may make amends for what we have done wrong during those four seasonal periods of the year. And they are held for three days so that we may make amends in the day for what we have done wrong in the month; and they are held on Wednesday, because that is when the Lord was betrayed by Judas; on Friday, because He was crucified; and on Saturday, because He lay in the tomb and because the apostles were sad over the death of their Lord.
Read the original Latin
Jejunia quattuor temporum a Calixto papa instituta sunt: fiunt autem haec jejunia quater in ammo secundum quattuor tempora ipsius anni, et hujus multiplex est ratio. Prima est, quoniiin ver est calidum et humidum, aestas est calida et sicca, auctumnus frigidus et siccus, hyems frigida et humida. Jejunamus igitur in vere, ut noxium humorem, id est luxuriam, in nobis temperemüs; in aestate, ut noxium calorem, id est, avaritiam in nobis castigemus , in autumno, ut castigemus ariditatem superbiae; in hyeme, ut castigemus frigus infidelitatis et malitiae. Secunda ratio est, quare scilicet quater in anno jejunamus, quoniam prima hujusmodi jejunia fiunt in Martio, scilicet in prima septimana quadragesimae, ut in nobis marcescant vitia, non enim omnino possunt exstingui, vel potius nt in nobis virtatum germina oriantur. In aestate fiunt secunda, ut in septimana pentecostes, quia tunc venit spiritus sanctus et nos debemus esse ferventes in spiritu sancto. In Septembri fiunt ante festum sancti Michaelis, id est tertia jejunia, quoniam fructus tunc colliguntur et nos debemus Deo reddere fructus bonorum operum. In Decembri finnt quarta, quoniam tune moriuntur herbae, et nos debemus mortificari mundo, Tertia ratio est," ut Judaeos imitemur. Judaei quidem quater in anno jejunabant, ante pascha, ante pentecostes, ante scenophegiam, id est ante infixionem tabernaculi in Septembri, et ante encaenia, id est, ante dedicationem in Decembri, Quarta ratio est, quoniam homo constat ex quattuor elementis quantum ad corpus et tribus potentiis, scilicet rationali, concupiscibili- et irascibili quantum ad animam, Ut ergo haec modereniur in nobis, quater in anno per tres dies jejunamus , ut quaternarius referatur ad corpus, ternarius vero ad animam.
Et hae ràtiones sunt magistri Johannis Beleth. Quinta ratio est, quoniam, ut dicit Johannes Damascenus, in vere augmentatur sanguis, in aestate colera, in auctumno melancolia, in hyeme flegma. Jejunamus igitur in vere, ut in nobis debilitelur sanguis concupiscentiae et ineptae laetitiae, sanguineus enim est libidinosus et laetus; in aestate, ut debilitetur colera iracundiae et fallaciae, colericus enim est naturaliter iracundus et versutus; in auctumno, ut debilitetur melancolia cupiditatis et tristitiae, melancolicus enim est naturaliter cupidus et tristis; in hyeme, ut debilitetur flegma hebetudinis et pigritiae, nam flegmaticus naturaliter est hebes et piger. Sexta ratio est, quoniam ver comparatur aéri, aestas igni, auctumnus terrae, hyems aquae. Jejunamus igitur in vere, nt in nobis edometur aër elationis et superbiae, in aestate, ut in nobis edometur iguis cupiditatis et avaritiae, in autumno, ut edometur terra frigiditatis spiritualis et tenebrosae ignorantiae, in hyeme, ut edometur in nobis aqua levitatis et inconstantiae, Septima ratio est, quoniam ut ver refertur ad pueritiam, aestas ad adolescentiam, auctumnus ad miataritatem sive virilem aetatem, hyems ad senectutem, jejunamus igitur im vere, ut simus pueri per innocentiam, in aestate, ut efficiamur fortes vitaudo incontinentiam, in autumno, ut efficiamur juvenes per constantiam et maturi per justitiam, in hyeme, ut efficiamur senes per prudentiam et honestam vitam, vel potius in hyeme, ut satisfaciamus, quidquid per ) alias aetates dominum offendimus. Octava ratio est magistri Guilielmi Altissiodorensis. Ideo enim in quattuor anni temporibus jejunamus, ut emendemus, quae in illis quattuor anni tempestatibus deliquimus. Et fiunt per tres dies, ut satisfaciamus in die, quod deliquimus in mense, et fiunt in feriarum quarta, quia tunc dominus a Juda traditus fuit, in sexta feria, quia crucifixus fuit, in sabbato, quia in sepulchro jacuit et quia tristes erant apostoli de nece sui domini.
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