Jesus Himself fasted and taught His disciples to fast.
And when you fast, do not look dismal like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men, but your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:16-18)
The purpose of fasting is to gain mastery over oneself and to conquer the passions of the flesh. It is to liberate oneself from dependence on the things of this world in order to concentrate on the things of the Kingdom of God. It is to give power to the soul so that it would not yield to temptation and sin. According to St. Seraphim, fasting is an indispensable means of gaining the fruit of the Holy Spirit in ones life (cf. Conversation with Motovilov), and Jesus Himself taught that some forms of evil cannot be conquered without it (Matthew 17:21, Mark 9:29)
Man does not fast because it pleases God if His servants do not eat, for, as the Lenten hymns of the Church remind us, the devil also never eats. (Lenten Tiodion) Neither do men fast in order to afflict themselves with suffering and pain, for God has no pleasure in the discomfort of His people. Neither do men fast with the idea that their hunger and thirst can somehow serve as a reparation for their sins. Such an under standing is never given in the scriptures or the writings of the saints which claim that there is no reparation for man's sin but the crucifixion of Christ. Salvation is a "free gift of God" which no "works" of man can accomplish of merit. (cf. Romans 5:1517, Ephesians 2:8-9)
Men fast, therefore, and must fast, only to be delivered from carnal passions so that the free gift of salvation in Christ might produce great fruit in their lives. Men fast so that they might more effectively serve God who loves them and has saved them in Christ and the Spirit. Fasting without effort in virtue is wholly in vain.
Fasting in the body, 0 brethren, let us also fast from sin. This is the Church's song in the Lenten season of fasting . It is also the teaching of the saints.
The spiritual fathers, as strictly ascetic as they were very clear in their teaching about fasting. They insist with the Lord and the scriptures that men must fast in order to be free from passions and lust. But they insist as well that the most critical thing is to be free from sin, including the pride, vanity and hypocrisy which comes through foolish and sinful fasting.
There are two ways to fast practiced in our Church. Sometimes they are practiced separately; other times they are practiced in tandem. The first type is the total fast in which we simply do not eat or drink anything. We fast in this way to heighten our sense of preparation or expectation, looking forward to what is to come. We fast in this way before receiving the Eucharist, for example, to help us anticipate the heavenly Bread we are to receive. We observe a total fast such as this during fast periods, especially on days when we will be receiving the Eucharist.
The second kind of fast has been called an ascetical fast, in which we refrain from eating certain foods while eating others. We may remember giving up candy or sweets for Lent as children: this was an ascetical fast In the Byzantine tradition it is generally meat, fish, dairy products, oil and wine which are subject to the ascetical fast at one time or another.
While total fasting can only be practiced for short spells, ascetical fasting can be practiced over a long period of time. Monks, for example, often maintain a perpetual fast from meat. This factor of time is clothed with a special importance, because in reality much time is needed to heal a spiritual sickness that one has been accustomed to finding normal. This is why spiritual purification is a long and difficult struggle.
The purpose of ascetical fasting is to teach us that we don't need that steak or ice cream: we live, as Christ said, not by bread alone. We need Him.
This kind of fasting practiced over a long period of time helps us to develop a kind of spiritual strength. By becoming less dependent on satisfying physical needs, our spiritual muscles harden. And so we can do without this or that pleasure, even for a long time, because we know we have the One we really need. And, as Christ said, "if you can trust a man in little things, you can also trust Him in greater" (Luke 16:10).
When we begin to fast in this way, the first thing we realize is how enslaved we have become to pizza or cheeseburgers. We discover that we are not as spiritual as we might like to think. We find ourselves more dependent on Burger King than on the King of all! This is the first lesson of fasting. If we persevere through that initial sensation, we will find that by and large we can get along without this or that and that the discomfort of fasting served to heighten our awareness of the Lord's presence. Vast numbers of people fast in both these ways for health or beauty: we need not fear doing it for an experience of God.
There are a number of traditional fasting days in the Eastern Churches, some of which have been observed from the first century. There is no obligation connected with observing them, other than the one which you may feel in your own heart as you strive to give your domestic church the fullest experience of our Byzantine tradition:
Every Wednesday and Friday (except for the weeks immediately following Easter, Christmas, Theophany, the Sunday of the Pharisee and the Publican, and Pentecost: it is forbidden to fast on these days).
The Great Fast (40 days before the Great and Holy Week).
The Great Week (especially the last three days before Easter).
The Christmas Fast (November 15 to December 24, but abbreviated in many churches to December 10-24).
The Fast of the Theotokos (August 1 to August 14, in preparation for the feast of the Dormition).
Fast of Peter and Paul (All Saints Sunday to June 28).
The general custom in our tradition on these days is to observe a total fast from midnight until noon and then to maintain an ascetical fast for the rest of the day (i.e. do not eat meat, etc.). People who have never fasted may find even these observances too strict for them. In that case they may attempt to fast on a certain level and grow year by year into a more complete observance of the fast. A Book for Prayer suggests the following degrees:
BEGINNING LEVEL - On Wednesday and Friday do not eat any meat and offer brief prayer several times throughout the day. During fasting seasons, such as the Great Fast or the Fast of the Theotokos attend at least one Lenten service each week. Before the Presanctified Liturgy, during the Great Fast, do not eat anything for several hours.
A DEEPER LEVEL - On fast days do not eat anything before noon and no meat there after. Keep additional fast day(s) during the fasting seasons. During the Great Fast, avoid dairy products also. Attend two Lenten services weekly and strive to perform some act of sharing each day.
A FURTHER LEVEL - In addition to the above, keep each day in fasting seasons a fast day. Attend all services during fasting seasons. Replace entertainment (TV, movies, etc.) with spiritual reading and acts sharing.
Fasting is counterproductive to spiritual growth unless it is coupled with prayer and almsgiving. Simply not doing something can create a vacuum, and so the time and energy usually devoted to eating or entertainment needs to be redirected. Just not eating will probably not draw us closer to the Lord.Increasing your religious activity can mean attending divine services more frequently, reading, using religious video or audio cassettes or devoting time to charitable concerns, such as working in a shelter for the homeless. Many people keep a container on their dining table and place in it the cost of the foods they are giving up, to be used for charitable purposes. By maintaining the link between prayer, fasting and almsgiving, we increase the possibility that we will be sincerely fasting in the spirit as well as in the body.
Our society teaches constant and unchecked consumption: if you want it, get it now! Children quickly absorb this principle from television, especially from the commercials aimed at them during children's programming. By teaching them to fast we provide a check on the untrammeled spirit of acquisition our culture endorses.
Teaching children to fast can also help in another way. By enabling them to do without pizza or cheeseburgers, we are preparing them to say no to drugs or illicit sex. If we insist that they cannot survive without kind of food when so many other kinds available, can we reasonably expect them say no in the back seat of a Pontiac?
While we may not want to deprive children of something nutritious such as milk, there are a number of foods from which would do well to abstain (candy, cookies artificial breakfast cereals, soft drinks and the like, i.e. junk food). Not only foods but entertainment has been a traditional subject for fasting. Young people could be brought fast from TV or the stereo and replace them with the bible games and videos mentioned above. Many people regulate these items a anyway; certainly fast times are ideal for suggesting such activities to honor the Lord.
If you are interested in observing the fasts a bit more strictly, you may need to increase your repertory of meatless, dairy-less dishes. The cuisine of traditional Eastern countries include a vast number of fasting recipes. Some of the older member of your parish community could supply recipes for pumpkin kibbey, or meatless grape leave. You can find a wider variety of recipes in the Lenten Cook Book (St. Nectarios Parish, Seattle WA) and in Food for Paradise (St. John's Parish, Ipswich MA). Both available from the Holy Transfiguration Monastery Bookstore.
Holy Transfiguration Melkite Greek-Catholic Church · 8501
Lewinsville Road · McLean, Va. 22102 · 703 734-
9566
For questions or comments
about our site, contact the
Webmaster