Help for fasting on this Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent
I’m including a video teaching from Sister Emmanuel, who has lived in Medjugorje since the 1990s. She is an extremely wise teacher of Our Lady’s messages and has compiled hundreds upon hundreds of miracle stories in her beautiful books on Medjugorje.
May we gain insight from her teaching as we strive to “live the fast” and pray for each other today – knowing that fasting can conquer the demons that are attacking our families, our countries, our Church and our world. May this encourage and strengthen us to choose to fast today in love.
Our Mother, Queen of Peace, pray for us and thank you for being with us to help us and to lead us on this way of peace.
Notes from Sister Emmanuel’s talk:
Of all of our Lady’s messages, fasting is the most neglected…Why don’t we fast?
It’s difficult for us to do anything too costly.
Remember Jesus’ teaching:
“This demon can only be cast out by prayer and fasting.”
Is it more difficult to fast two days a week, or is it more difficult to repair the damage done by the demons who come against our families, our countries, etc?
We live in very serious times…many people are being lost in sin…
Those who have heard the message and know the power of fasting and don’t do it, we are responsible.
Feeling good should not be our goal…
But, rather our goal should be heaven.
For those who don’t know who Sister Emmanuel is, her website shares this about her:
“Sister Emmanuel tells that after receiving her first calling to the
Beatitudes Community in 1976, she received another calling – to serve
Our Lady in Medjugorje. Sent by her community, she initiated the first
branch of the community in Medjugorje in 1989. During the Balkan war in
the 90s, Sister Emmanuel became known for her regular faxes about the
situation in Herzegovina, always related to the mission of Our Lady.
She has had an enormous impact on France, stimulating an extensive
response to Medjugorje among French pilgrims, but her apostolate has
broadened as her books have been translated into 22 languages and she
has traveled widely to make Medjugorje known, particularly in the United
States. Today, “Les Enfants de Medjugorje” and “Children of
Medjugorje, Inc.” allow her to be connected everyday to thousands of
people around the world, who are motivated by and spreading, the
messages of Our Lady in their own humble way. Sister says that her
greatest joy is to be part of a family formed by Our Lady, and being Her
extended heart and hands for her children, especially those who do not
yet know the love of God.”
Sister suggests that we must fast on substantial bread. Here she offers multiple recipes below:
Medjugorje Fasting Bread Recipe
3 cups white flour
4 cups wheat flour
1 pkg. dry yeast – 1Tablespoon or 3 teaspoons of active yeast
½ cup of lukewarm water
2 cups of very hot water
1 beaten egg
1 Tablespoon of Salt
2 Tablespoons of Sugar
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
1 teaspoon of butter
1 cup of Raisins (or fresh apple cut up into small pieces)
1 cup of Almonds or walnuts
1 cup of Plain Oats
Blend flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the flour. After yeast
dissolves in ½ cup lukewarm water (5-10 minutes), add to flour. Mix
flour over yeast mixture making soft balls. Add salt, sugar butter,
oil, raisins (or apple) and nuts, ½ beaten egg to 2 cups of hot water.
Pour over yeast. (Continually add flour and water as needed) Knead the
dough until it comes clean from the bowl. Let it rise 10 minutes
covered. Knead again until it is has spring to it. Place in well
greased bowl preferable 70-80 degrees F until it is double in bulk.
Form into desired shapes. Brush the top with remaining egg and sesame
seeds, oats, or poppy seeds, if desired. Bake at 375 degrees for 35
minutes, until done and golden brown. (Use the “wet knife” test) Makes 2
large or 3 medium loaves.
Chiapati
Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup hot water or as needed
Directions:
1.
In a large bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose
flour and salt. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the olive oil and enough
water to make a soft dough that is elastic but not sticky. Knead the
dough on a lightly floured surface until it is smooth. Divide into 10
parts, or less if you want bigger breads. Roll each piece into a ball.
Let rest for a few minutes.
2. Heat a skillet over medium heat
until hot, and grease lightly. On a lightly floured surface, use a
floured rolling pin to roll out the balls of dough until very thin like a
tortilla. When the pan starts smoking, put a chapati on it. Cook until
the underside has brown spots, about 30 seconds, then flip and cook on
the other side. Continue with remaining dough.
Naan
“A yeast raised East Indian flat bread with a delicious chewy texture.”
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons warm water (110 degrees F
/45 degrees C)
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm milk
1/4 cup plain yogurt, room temperature
4 tablespoons melted butter
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
Directions:
1. Put warm water in a small bowl, add sugar and
yeast and stir until dissolved. Set aside for 5-10 minutes or until
it foams.
2. Blend in the warm milk, yogurt and melted margarine.
In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder and poppy seeds.
Pour in the yeast/milk mixture all at once and work it into the
flour, using your hands. Continue mixing, adding flour or water as
needed, until the mixture leaves the sides of the bowl.
3. Knead
for 6 to 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly oiled
bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and let stand in a
warm place to rise for about 4 hours or until doubled in volume.
4.
Preheat oven to 550 degrees F (285 degrees C) or your oven’s
highest setting and set a rack in the lower third of the oven. Place
a large pizza pan or iron griddle on the rack and preheat. Also
preheat the broiler.
5. Punch the dough down and knead briefly.
Divide into six pieces and shape them into balls. Place them on an
oiled plate and cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Let balls
rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Roll out and stretch each ball until it is
about 10 inches long and 5 inches wide. Remove the pizza pan from
the oven, brush with oil and place one of pieces of bread on it.
6.
Bake at 550 degrees F (285 degrees C) for about 4 to 5 minutes
until bread is puffed and has brown spots, then transfer to a wire
rack, returning pizza pan to oven to keep hot. Place bread under
broiler until ‘charcoal’ dots appear on the surface. Wrap finished
bread in a towel while baking the remaining loaves. (If your pizza
pan is big enough, try baking two loaves at the time.)
Indian Naan II (Exotic Ingredients)
Ingredients:
2/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup ghee
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 teaspoons kalonji (onion seed)
Directions:
1. Whisk the warm water with the yeast and sugar
until the yeast is dissolved. Cover and let stand in a warm place
for 10 minutes.
2. Sift flour and salt three times into a large
bowl add the yeast mixture, half of the ghee and all the yogurt. Mix
into a soft dough then knead on a floured surface for about 5
minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a large
greased bowl, cover and let stand in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours
or until the dough is doubled in size .
3. Punch down dough then knead for 5 minutes. Divide dough into 6 pieces. Roll each piece out into 8 inch round naans.
4.
Cover an oven tray with foil and grease the foil. Brush the naan
with a little of the remaining ghee and sprinkle with some of the
kalonji. Cook naan one at a time under a very hot grill for about 2
minutes on each side or until puffed and just browned.
Easy St. Phanourios Bread
Fasting (with oil)
Preheat oven to 350.
1. 1 cup sugar
2. 1 cup oil
3. 2 cups orange juice
4. 3/4 cup raisins
5. 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
6. 1 tsp. baking soda
7. 4 cups flour
Mix oil and sugar, and beat until it’s a creamy yellow. This may take a long time.
Put the baking soda IN the orange juice, and stir until dissolved.
[NB: this can be spectacularly dramatic if you use a two cup measuring
cup with two cups of o.j. in it. (Please don’t ask how I found out.) It
might be easier to hold a two cup measuring cup OVER the bowl full of
oil and sugar and pour in *one* cup of o.j., mix in 1/2 tsp. baking
soda, watch the fireworks, pour it into the bowl, and again mix *one*
cup of o.j. with 1/2 tsp. baking soda, stir and pour again. If you don’t
dissolve the baking soda completely, you get lumps of it in the cake.
So, stir well.]
Add the flour, then the raisins and nuts.
Pour the batter into an ungreased 9″x13″ pan and bake at 350 degrees
F. for 45 minutes (or until a clean toothpick dipped in the cake emerges
clean.)
I use a bundt pan instead of one 9″ x 13″, and my kids prefer this
with chocolate chips in the place of the raisins and nuts. It doesn’t
really need a frosting, but if you wanted to drizzle a stiff glaze made
out of, say, powdered sugar and lemon juice and a little water over it,
that would be okay, too.
If you wanted to put spices in the batter, I’d go with a tiny amount (1/4 tsp. or less) of ground cloves.
EZEKIEL FASTING BREAD
Combine the following whole grains:
* 2-1/2 cups hard red wheat
* 1-1/2 cups spelt or rye (Biblically spelt was used, Ezekiel 4:9)
* 1/2 cup barley (hulled barley)
* 1/4 cup millet
* 1/4 cup lentils (green preferred)
* 2 Tbs. great northern beans
* 2 Tbs. red kidney beans
* 2 Tbs. pinto beans
Stir the above ingredients very well. Grind in flour mill.
(NOTE: all of these grains and beans can be ground in the GrainMaster Whisper
Mill with no problems).
Measure into large bowl or DLX:
* 4 cups lukewarm water
* 1 cup honey
* 1/2 cup oil
Add to liquids:
freshly milled flour from the above mixture of grains
* 2 tsp. salt
* 2 Tbs. yeast
Stir or knead until well kneaded about 10 minutes. This is a batter type bread and will not form a smooth ball.
Pour dough into greased pans. You may use 2 large loaf pans (10x5x3)
or 3 med. loaf pans or 2-9×13 brownie pans. Let rise in a warm place for
one hour or until the dough is almost to the top of the pan. If it
rises too much it will over flow the pan while baking. Bake at 350o for
45-50 minutes for loaf pans and 35-40 minutes for brownie pans.
*For fasting divide bread into 8 equal parts weighing 1/2 pound each.
Eat a 1/2 pound cake and drink a quart of water every day. For fasting I
do not alter the recipe.
Beckers Bread and Roll recipe
This is a very sweet, moist,
cake-like bread. For a more traditional bread texture I have used this
combination of grains in The Beckers Bread and Roll recipe. Replacing
the 7 cups of flour with the 9 cups of flour from the milled grains in
this recipe. You may also add fruits and nuts or use the flour made from
this mixture in other favorite recipes. This healthy combination of
grains and beans is worth experimenting with. Combining grains and beans
makes a complete protein.
Ingredients Convert Measures
* 1/2 c. rolled oats
* 3/4 c. boiling water
* 5 tbsp. butter
* 3 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 c. honey
* 3 c. 7 grain mix
* 3 tbsp. yeast
* 1/3 c. dry lowfat milk
* 2 c. hot water
* 1 c. gluten flour
* 3 to 4 c. white flour
Directions
1. You may grind 7 grain in a blender or possibly use as is. In
small bowl, pour boiling water over oats. Add in butter, salt and honey.
In large bowl, put 2 c. 7 grain mix, 1 c. gluten flour, 3 Tbsp. yeast
and dry lowfat milk. Mix and add in oat mix plus 2 c. hot water. Add in
remaining 1 c. 7 grain and mix. Add in sufficient white flour till dough
loses stickiness. Knead 8 to 10 min. Place in greased bowl to rise.
Divide into 2 loaves. Let rise. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 min. Makes 2
loaves.
© Janet Moore. 2019. All Rights Reserved.