Those who came to the Church at a conscious age remember how joyful the fast was at first, how easy it was to keep it. But often, over the years, the joy passes, there comes a chill, and the approach of fasting is frightening. Before the beginning of Lent, Archpriest Alexy Potokin answered in an interview with Pravmir, what are the reasons for this chill and why, even with such an attitude towards fasting, it is better not to break it.
Why is the post not happy?
Father Alexy, many admit that over the years fasting ceases to be a joy, it is perceived almost as a duty. Why is this happening?
The point is that our attitude towards God mirrors our attitude towards people. The Lord commanded us to love God with all our heart and our neighbor as ourselves - these are the first two commandments, and we fulfill them, as well as the other eight, badly.
I'll start with the relationship to your neighbor. When we fall in love or want to make friends with someone, we remember this person day and night, we are ready, it seems to us, to move mountains for him, and during this period we devote a minimum of time to food, as well as to everything that distracts from deep communication. attention. But when another person enters our life as a wife or friend, after a while we do not just get used to him, but he gets bored or even starts to annoy, it seems to us that the relationship has exhausted itself, and it was initially a mistake, we need to look for new friends and a new spouse.
And yesterday's friends, at best, just stop communicating, and sometimes they become enemies, marriages break up, children grow up without fathers. This picture is familiar to everyone. I think that everyone experienced similar feelings more or less often. Forgetfulness, impermanence - the main thing that distinguishes man from God. In our relationship with Him, we are also fickle, and it began with Adam. He sinned because he wanted to have something without his Father, personal, individual, only belonging to him. And the reciprocity between man and God, without which there is no genuine relationship, was violated.
The entire Old Testament testifies that people remembered the lost reciprocity, but rarely was anyone able to restore it. There were flashes of faith, but they both flashed and faded. More often, we see in the Old Testament a chasm between people and God, between brother and brother, father and son.
About which Christ Himself says: "Of those born of wives, no greater John the Baptist rose up" (Matthew, 11, 11), who is rightfully considered the ancestor of monks, spent his whole life in fasting and prayer. Why? He was looking forward to meeting God, and his fast was just a recognition that reciprocity had been lost. By fasting, he reminded us that eating and drinking can be enjoyable, but that is not what makes a person happy. They satisfy the appetite of the body, but not the soul. And the more the soul longs for communion with God, the less food the body requires.
At the heart of any fast is the recognition by a person that he has lost God, lost his neighbors, and even lost himself, because a person recognizes himself only in communication. Fasting for a Christian is a way to meet with a merciful God. But for the meeting to take place, a dialogue with Him is necessary, so fasting is inseparable from prayer. Prayer is not an automatic reading of the rules, but an appeal to God from the depths of a contrite and humble heart.
If I simply abstain from light food and read the prayer rule, but think about the earthly, I continue to indulge in passions, this is not fasting. But the Lord gives the neophytes the opportunity to feel the joy of abstinence, to know themselves. At whatever age a person comes to the Church, at first he is a child for God, a baby - in the spiritual sense. At first, parents do everything for the children, but gradually they teach them to be independent. Not all children like it - we are much more pleased when they are babysitting us, and we are not responsible for anything.
So it is in the relationship with God. Not for our labors, but out of His great love, God gives grace to the new-beginners so that they understand the meaning of spiritual life, but then He invites them to work themselves. Ask any person which is better: riding a wheelchair or walking on their own feet? The answer is obvious. But when it comes not to physical capabilities, but to spiritual life, we do not want to walk, we prefer that God carries us on His shoulders. We want to take, not give. With this attitude, fasting cannot be a joy.
Refusing fasting - choosing in favor of passions
And is it necessary in this case to force oneself to fast, or would it be more honest not to observe what is not joyful? Maybe it is then, not observing fasting, that a person will first feel emptiness, and then the need for fasting?
As you understand, no one can be forced to fast - it is everyone's free choice. We can only try to understand what is more useful for the soul. Again, I will draw an analogy with human relationships. Even in relationships with those closest to you, there are moments of irritation, hostility to the point of hostility - such is fallen human nature. But even in these minutes you can act decently, show a good attitude towards your neighbor - restrain your negative emotions, not raise your hand against a person, not injure him with a bad word.
One ascetic said: "Sin overcomes a person easily, but it is worth resisting." Evil is stronger than us, but even in the smallest resistance to it there is evidence of faith. "I will take out sin before me (that is, always)", - these are words from Psalm 50, which is included in the morning rule. Whoever reads the rule not automatically, but pondering the words of the prayers, understands his selfishness, love of money, gluttony - his weaknesses - and once he understands, he already becomes different. He is gradually changing, unnoticed for others and for himself, because he is struggling with his passions. It changes, despite the fact that it always suffers defeat in this struggle.
I’m scared to think what I would have done if I had indulged my passions without struggle. They would crush everything and everyone around, and in the end, myself. This is also a path that helps to make sure of your worthlessness, but it is still better to find out the truth about yourself, without going to such extremes.
"I believe, Lord, and I confess that you are truly the Christ, the Son of the living God, who came to the world of sinners to save, from them I am the first",- we read, preparing for communion, and the priest, leaving the altar with the Chalice, repeats these words. Initially, we understand them as hyperbole, but those who have been in the Church for more than one year are convinced that this is the deepest truth, the truth that does not kill, does not lead to despair, but gives extraordinary joy - they have forgiven me so much! Forgiven, because I wanted it, asked for mercy, even half-heartedly, but worked. God does not impose Himself on anyone, but always reciprocates, even a timid attempt by a person to restore relations.
Imagine that I have just met you, and for the first time I enjoy every meeting, every your visit. And then it starts to tire me: come and distract me from TV, computer, other toys. You will immediately feel a change in attitudes and after two or three such meetings, you will stop coming. A little time will pass, and I will feel how lonely, I will understand what treasure I have exchanged for trifles: friendship, reciprocity - for toys. And there is no one to be offended - he made his choice.
Refusal to fast is also a choice in favor of passions. Therefore, it is better not to be tempted, but to resist. There is no prayer and repentance in my heart - I will still read the prayer rule. I don’t want to fast - I will trust the centuries-old experience of the Church, the saints, and I will not eat anything short. Better such a dull Pharisaic work than non-resistance to passions. This work, perhaps not immediately, but will bear fruit, and prayer will again become a deep inner need.
Fasting is a return to life not alone, not selfish, but in reciprocity with another. Avoiding modest food and unnecessary entertainment is only a means, and the purpose of fasting is to restore reciprocity.
Do not deprive yourself of Easter joy
This helps to understand the cycle of Lenten services. But a number of the most important services of Great Lent are celebrated on weekdays, and many parishioners fail to get into either the reading or the 12 Gospels, or the taking out of the Shroud, or the burial of Christ.
Nothing wrong. Work is obedience, and obedience is above fasting and prayer. It is important how a person relates to the fact that because of work he cannot get to the evening Lenten service. If he is worried that he is not in church today, the Lord will reward him. Because he is not in the church for reasons beyond his control, but with his soul he is with the Church, participates in her life.
But when he is happy that for a good reason he does not have to stand for three hours on the 12 Gospels, this, as you understand, is a completely different heartfelt attitude. But even with this attitude, it is possible to restore reciprocity if you sincerely regret your lack of faith and ask the Lord to strengthen you in faith.
Remember the "Announcement Word for Easter" by St. John Chrysostom: "You that have fasted and have not fasted, rejoice today." The Lord accepts everyone: both those who have worked hard and those who are few. Accepts if a person wants the meeting with the Lord to take place. But if he decides not to fast, because fasting has become a burden for him, it is highly likely that he will not want to meet the Lord and will not even come to church on Easter night. The choice is up to the person. Temptations in the spiritual life are inevitable, but let everyone think about whether he wants to deprive himself of the Easter joy.
Interviewed by Leonid Vinogradov
Archimandrite Nikifor (Khoria) - abbot of the Yassy monastery in the name of three saints and the administrative exarch of the monasteries of the Yassy Archdiocese (Romanian Orthodox Church).
- Father Archimandrite, why do you need to fast? How does this work benefit us?
The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke spoke, conveying the words of the Savior: "Take care of yourself, so that your hearts are not burdened with gluttony and drunkenness and worldly cares" (Luke 21:34). Thus, the admonition to fast comes from the Savior Himself, and the Savior's word for us Christians is the highest guideline. We, who thirst for eternal life and truth in this world, must make the word of the Lord the norm of our lives.
On the one hand, fasting for us is an ascetic feat, performed so that the flesh does not rule over the soul, does not cloud the insight of the mind, spiritual attention, and on the other hand, fasting is a natural state of a person when he sympathizes with the suffering of another or grieves ... When the Pharisees reproached the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ for not fasting, they heard this word from the Savior: “Can the sons of the bridegroom fast when the bridegroom is with them? As long as the bridegroom is with them, they cannot fast, but the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days ”(Mark 2: 19-20). King David himself, when his child fell ill, fasted for a long time, wishing to express his repentance before God with these deprivations.
Orthodox fasting can be called the strictest in the entire Christian world. How to explain the fact that in Orthodoxy, unlike other religions, there was no adaptation to the spirit of the times, a noticeable weakening of those deeds that are required of believers?
Not only with regard to fasting, but throughout the entire liturgical cycle, the Orthodox Church did not conduct ajornamento; she did not begin to adapt to the changes that had occurred to the person, did not follow the fashion of the time - but retained the true landmarks inherited by her as a treasure. To a similar question, Father Galeriu replied that wheat, this staple food, is already so old, but nevertheless, it will never depreciate, for it will always be the daily bread for man. All the heritage we have received from the holy fathers, our entire tradition is a treasure, and we hope that we will not lose it.
Human weakness can serve as a reason for individual indulgence in fasting under certain conditions - for example, in the case of illness, pregnancy, but in no case should it be normalized, because a person, no matter what time he lives, needs the strict fulfillment of all those deeds that the Church teaches that they are the very life, full of meaning, that we seek. And the Church did not indulge in fasting because there was no need for it. If, for example, in some parts of the world or under certain living conditions there was no food other than eggs and feta cheese, then the Church would certainly have allowed them to be consumed in fasting.
The fast that is observed in our Church does not harm, but, on the contrary, revives the soul and adds health to the body.
One feature is increasingly encountered in last years, and you, your reverend, have probably already been asked about this: does fasting lose its true meaning if we use special so-called "lean foods" sold in stores? For example, lean pate, lean sausage ...
Today we have a lot of all kinds of "helpers", but at the same time we face more and more new problems, and we find ourselves more busy than people of the past. The village mistress, who often had seven or eight children each, still managed to prepare everything needed for the fast. This was part of her household responsibilities, and in this way she expressed her love for both family and Christian teaching. Today, especially in cities, very often both husband and wife are busy beyond all measure and are completely exhausted by this daily hustle and bustle of affairs.
Returning to the question asked: if we, for example, eat soy pate prepared without any artificial additives and spices, or soy milk to replenish the amount of protein during fasting, then this does not mean that we do not honor and do not value fasting. After all, you can, after all, gorge yourself on potatoes or cabbage and eat them so greedily that there will be nothing to do with the idea of \u200b\u200bfasting, but you can eat a little soy pate for breakfast, and this is a healthier alternative to a piece of bread with margarine, for example ...
Some say, "I am not fasting because I am afraid of getting sick from this," or, "I cannot work all day if I fast."
There is one passage in the Dobrotoluby - in Abba John Karpath, where it says the following: “I heard some brethren who were constantly sick in their bodies and could not fast, who turned to me with a question: how can we get rid of the devil and passions without fasting? Those need to answer that not only by abstaining from writing, but also by heartfelt contrition, you can defeat and drive out evil thoughts and enemies that inspire them. "
The attitude to fasting depends on the spiritual condition and faith of each. As a person deepens in himself prayer and faith in God, he receives strength, unknown to him before, he gains comfort and boldness towards God. The Savior said that “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4: 4).
If I fast, but do not immerse myself in the word of God, if I pray a little, then, of course, I will weaken, because I will not have enough faith, and at some point I will feel helpless and frightened. Today, many of us, filled with weakness and self-pity, would be willing to give up fasting if we could. I myself once had a case when people dear to me, coming to confession, asked: "Father, bless me to fast only on the first and last week, we have been fasting like this all our lives." I replied to them: “It is very good, but if you have been fasting like this all your life, then you do not know if you can sustain the entire fast. So try to withstand it, we'll see if you succeed or not. Why obey the commandment to fast in half? "
In the meantime, I explained to them what fasting means, why we fast and what are the fruits of our fasting. Having mastered everything thoroughly, these people became convinced fasts and then confessed to me that they not only withstood the entire fast, but even tried, if possible, to add severity to themselves. So only by understanding the meaning of the efforts that we are called to make for our own sake, and not for the sake of someone else, we will gain the strength to resist the temptations to break the fast.
I know people who have very hard physical work, and they live in dire need, but they observe fasting strictly, like monks. This is an example to us that God gives the seekers a power much greater than we can imagine. People who pray, confess, receive communion, gain strength in the Body and Blood of the Lord - these are true food and true drink.
If members of one family perceive fasting differently, especially when one of the spouses is fasting and the other is not, then how can we make sure that this does not affect the relationship between spouses, for example?
A husband, wife and, in general, anyone who is fasting, first of all, should fast in meekness, in spiritual beauty, without harassing the other by grumbling and not limiting him. Sooner or later, he will see the feat of the fasting person, and maybe a moment will come when he himself wants to fast. And the first will pray for him, and so the word spoken by the holy Apostle Paul will be fulfilled, that “an unbelieving husband is sanctified by a believing wife, and an unbelieving wife is sanctified by a believing husband” (1 Cor. 7:14). The same goes for any other family member.<…>
Some people ask: how to endure the ridicule and contempt of colleagues in situations when the workplace organizes some activities on fast days?
Such a person should understand that in such situations, the advantage is on his side. People are used to "solidarizing" when it comes to jokes, irony and everything that can hurt the soul. But our firmness in which we stand adamantly will show others that we are people who believe in what we do and do what we believe in. And if you scrape a little those who laugh at you, you will see that they also have some kind of faith, only they do not follow it. So who is more worthy of irony and pity? Believing until the end or believing only when the thunder breaks out?
It is very important to confess your faith firmly, because our fasting is not just our private affair: in fasting I associate with all the children of the Church who are fasting. I am in obedience to the Church, in the confession of my faith, and to deviate from my faith by doing such a seemingly small act is already a renunciation.
Even if I go somewhere, to work colleagues or friends, for example, and there they will look at me like an eccentric, because I am fasting, there will certainly come a moment when, having got into some kind of crisis situation , the same colleagues or friends will say about me: “Here he is - a really believer, he is consistent in his faith to the end. You need to consult with him, you need to ask for his help. "
After all, people cannot stand on a lie indefinitely. On the one hand, they can reject what puts them in limitation, but on the other, they value those who stand firm for their faith in God, with all the ensuing consequences. So we cannot be lukewarm ... Situations when we are looked at with derision and contempt are a test of whether we are able or not able to practice our faith.
1. Why Fasting? The Holy Fathers teach that fasting is an irreplaceable means for achieving spiritual renewal and growth; without it, a person cannot fight passions and temptations and prepare his soul for the action of the saving grace of God.
St. Theophan the Recluseexplains the purpose and meaning of fasting, by the fact that the labors of abstinence and good deeds give scope to the grace of the Holy Spirit in us:
“As the digging of the earth in the material is the exploits of self-mortification in the spiritual. What moisture and warmth are in the material - then in the spiritual works of good deeds and piety. God spoke to Noah's contemporaries: “do not have My Spirit, dwell in these men ... but they are flesh” (Genesis 6: 3). Therefore, He will dwell where the flesh is crucified with passions and lusts, or where feats of selflessness are carried on. The Apostle writes: “do not quench the spirit, or: do not offend the Holy Spirit of God, He is signified on the day of deliverance” (Eph. 4:30) - and then lists the passions that should be removed, and the virtues in which one should succeed; therefore, the Spirit does not fade away where there is a struggle with passions and a work of good deeds. In another place, he teaches: “be filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourself in psalms and song and spiritual songs, singing and singing in the hearts of your Lord” (Eph. 5, 18, 19). Consequently, where there is chanting, church and domestic prayer and, in general, works of piety, there will also be the filling of the Spirit or the manifestation of the action of the grace of the Holy Spirit. The deeds of self-denial, the labors of good deeds and piety give scope to the grace of the Holy Spirit in us, and it, intimate, then comes to manifest and shows its action to the wearer himself and to others. "
St. right. John of Kronstadt:
Eating extensively, you become a carnal person, having no spirit, or soulless flesh, and by fasting, you attract the Holy Spirit to yourself and become spiritual. Take cotton paper not dampened with water. It is light and, in small quantities, floats in the air, but moisten it with water, it becomes heavy and immediately falls to the floor. So it is with the soul. Oh, how one must protect the soul by fasting!
What is this Lent? He is a precious gift to us of our Savior, Who Himself fasted forty days and nights, did not eat or drink, a gift truly precious for all who seek salvation, as a mortifier of emotional passions. By His word and example, the Lord legitimized him to His followers. … Fasting with prayer is a sure weapon against the devil and the multi-passionate flesh. Let no one be smart about not needing fasting.
He (fasting) pacifies our sinful, whimsical flesh, frees the soul from under its weight, imparting wings to it, as it were, for free soaring to heaven, gives place to the action of God's grace. Whoever fasts freely and correctly knows how light and light the soul is during fasting; then good thoughts go into the head easily, and the heart is purer, more tender, more compassionate - we feel the striving for good deeds; sorrow for sins appears, the soul begins to feel the perniciousness of its position and begins to lament over sins. And when we do not fast, when thoughts are in disorder, feelings are not restrained and the will allows itself everything, then you rarely see a saving change in a person, then he is dead in his soul: all its forces act in the wrong direction; the main goal of action - the goal of life - is lost sight of; there are many private goals, almost as many as each person has passions or whims.
Fasting is a good teacher: 1) it soon makes it clear to every fasting person that every person needs very little food and drink and that in general we are greedy and eat, drink much more appropriate, that is, what our nature requires; 2) fasting is good for or reveals all the weaknesses of our soul, all its weaknesses, shortcomings, sins and passions, like a cloudy, stagnant water that begins to purify itself shows what kind of reptiles are found in it or what quality rubbish; 3) he shows us all the need with all our hearts to resort to God and from Him to seek mercy, help, salvation; 4) fasting shows all the cunning, deceit, all the malice of ethereal spirits, which we previously, without knowing, worked, whose deceit, when we are now illumined by the light of God's grace, clearly appear and which now viciously persecute us for leaving their paths.
Fasting is necessary for a Christian in order to clarify the mind and excite and develop feelings and move the will to good action. We overshadow and suppress these three human abilities most of all by gluttony, drunkenness and everyday worries (Luke 21, 34), and through that we fall away from the source of life - God and fall into corruption and vanity, perverting and defiling the image of God in ourselves. Gluttony and voluptuousness pin us to the ground and cut off, so to speak, the wings of the soul. And look what a high flight all the fasting and abstaining had! They soared like eagles in the sky; they, the earthly ones, lived in mind and heart in heaven and heard unspeakable verbs there and there they learned divine wisdom.
Our duty is to prepare for heavenly life and take care of spiritual food, and spiritual food is fasting, prayer, reading the Word of God, especially the Communion of the Holy Mysteries. When we do not care about fasting and prayer, then we are filled with all sorts of sins and passions, but when we feed on spiritual food, then we cleanse ourselves of them and adorn ourselves with humility, meekness, patience, mutual love, purity of soul and body.
For this, among other things, the fasts were established by the Holy Church so that Christians would have weapons in them against the devil and his countless wiles.
Prayer and fasting cleanse, enlighten and strengthen the soul; on the contrary, without prayer and fasting, our soul is an easy prey for the devil, because it is not protected or protected from him. Fasting and prayer are spiritual weapons against the devil, which is why the Lord says that the generation of demons proceeds only through prayer and fasting. The Holy Church, knowing the power of this spiritual weapon, calls us on each week twice to fast - on Wednesday and Friday, by the way, in remembrance of the suffering and death of our Savior, and in the year - many times in all many days of fasting, and Great Lent connects with special touching prayers of repentance. Fasting and prayer have the spiritual benefit that, by strengthening our souls, they strengthen faith, hope and love in us and unite with God.
Rev. Makariy Optinsky:
By changing food and abstinence, the body and soul are renewed. The Holy Fathers, moved by the Holy Spirit, established fasting for both our spiritual and physical benefit.
Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin):
“The ancient Christian apologist Athenagoras, when asked by his pagan opponent about how a bodily illness can affect the activity of an incorporeal soul, gives the following example. The soul is a musician and the body is an instrument. If the instrument is damaged, the musician is unable to extract harmonious sounds from it. On the other hand, if a musician is sick, the instrument is silent. But this is only an image. In fact, the connection between body and spirit is immeasurably greater. Body and soul constitute a single human personality.
Through fasting, the body becomes a refined instrument capable of capturing every movement of the musician - the soul. Figuratively speaking, the body from an African drum turns into a Stradivarius violin. Fasting helps to restore the hierarchy of mental forces, to subordinate the complex mental organization of a person to higher spiritual goals. Fasting helps the soul to conquer passions, pulls the soul out, like a pearl from a shell, from the captivity of everything grossly sensual and vicious. Fasting frees a person's spirit from an affectionate attachment to the material, from a constant appeal to the earthly.
Conscious self-restraint serves as a means of achieving spiritual freedom ...
Fasting increases the spiritual potential of freedom: it makes a person more independent from the outside and helps to minimize his lower needs. This frees up energy, opportunity and time for the life of the spirit.
Fasting is a volitional action, and religion is in many ways a matter of will. Those who cannot limit themselves in food cannot overcome even stronger and more refined passions. Promiscuity in food leads to promiscuity in other areas. human life.
We have touched upon the personal aspect of fasting, but there is also another, no less important - the church one. Through fasting, a person is included in the rhythms of temple worship, becomes able to really experience through the sacred symbols and images of the events of biblical history.
The Church is a spiritual living organism, and, like any organism, it cannot exist outside of certain rhythms.
Fasts precede the great Christian holidays. Fasting is one of the conditions for repentance. Without repentance and purification, it is impossible for a person to experience the joy of the holiday. Rather, he can experience aesthetic satisfaction, a rise of strength, exaltation, etc. But this is only a surrogate for spirituality. True, renewing joy, like the action of grace in the heart, will remain inaccessible to him.
A number of posts are dedicated to the mournful events of biblical history: on Wednesday Christ was betrayed by His disciple - Judas; crucified and died on Friday. Anyone who does not fast on Wednesday and Friday and says he loves God is deceiving himself. True love will not nourish its womb at the tomb of a loved one. Those who fast on Wednesday and Friday receive as a gift the ability to more deeply empathize with the Suffering of Christ. ”
Saint Leo the Great:
“After the long feast of Pentecost, fasting is especially necessary in order to purify our thoughts and make us worthy of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The real festival, which the Holy Spirit sanctified by His descent, is usually followed by a nationwide fast, beneficially established for the healing of soul and body, and therefore requiring us to accompany it with due grace. For we do not doubt that after the apostles were filled with the power promised from above and the Spirit of truth entered their hearts, among other secrets of heavenly teaching, at the suggestion of the Comforter, the teaching on spiritual abstinence was also taught, so that hearts, being cleansed by fasting, become more capable of acceptance of blessed gifts ... one cannot fight the forthcoming efforts of persecutors and the furious threats of the wicked in a pampered body and fleshy flesh, because what delights our external person destroys the internal, and on the contrary, the rational soul is purified the more the more the flesh is killed.
Rev. Isaac the Sirin:
The spirit does not submit [to the cross] unless the body first submits to it.
St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov):
The head of virtues is prayer; their foundation is fasting.
The law of fasting, while outwardly the law for the womb, is essentially a law for the mind.
The mind, this king in man, if it wishes to enter into the rights of its autocracy and preserve them, must first of all submit to the law of fasting. Only then will he be constantly cheerful and bright; only then can he dominate the desires of the heart and body; only with constant sobriety can he study the commandments of the gospel and follow them. The foundation of virtues is fasting.
He who does not observe moderation and due discernment in food, cannot preserve either virginity or chastity, cannot curb anger, indulges in laziness, despondency and sorrow, becomes a slave to vanity, a dwelling place of pride, which is introduced into a person by his carnal state, which is the most luxurious and well-fed meals.
“Listen to yourself, but not when your hearts are burdened with gusto and drunkenness” (Luke 21:34), the Lord bequeathed. Gluttony and drunkenness impart stupidity not only to the body, but to the mind and heart, i.e. lead a person to a fleshly state of mind and body.
The carnal person is completely immersed in sinful pleasures. He is voluptuous in body, heart, and mind, he is not capable not only of spiritual pleasure and the acceptance of Divine grace, but also of repentance. He is generally incapable of spiritual pursuits: he is nailed to the ground, drowned in materiality, alive - dead in soul.
Saint Theophan the Recluse. Letters on the Christian Life:
IN recent times fasting has become quite popular. From year to year, more and more people limit themselves to food for the purpose of physical recovery and spiritual cleansing. Believers certainly know very well how to fast. Our article is intended for those who are going to fast for the first time, we will tell you about what is the meaning of fasting, what it is for, how to fast, what you can and cannot eat during fasting, and also about who is allowed to relax the fast. ...
Should you fast?
First of all, it should be said that the meaning of any post, according to orthodox Church, consists in cleansing the spirit and body from earthly passions, anger and hatred. Jesus Christ himself in his sermons said that fasting should be an impulse of the soul, which seeks tranquility, peace and harmony. In no case should you observe the fast for show in order to impress others. Fasting should be dedicated only to God, and it should be done with joy and with all the heart.
People have long been fasting before doing something important, when they especially needed strength and wisdom from God. You should also fast in order to humble your soul before God and to cleanse your heart, drawing closer to him. Only such a fast is accepted by God, only such a fast is pleasing to God, and only in such a fast will he accept and hear a person's sincere prayers, giving him the strength to do good deeds.
The answer to the question: "Is it necessary to fast?" each person gives himself. It is important that you really want it, that it is a sincere desire of your soul.
According to the Bible, fasting is not even a reduction in the diet with the elimination of mild foods from it, it is complete abstinence from food, sometimes with abstinence from drinking, and also with refusal from sexual intercourse for a period of time. This is the time during which a person humbles and crushes his pride before God and gives himself up to his power and mercy. According to the Bible, one should fast only out of love for God and only in front of him, without pretense and hypocrisy.
The second popular question related to fasting is: "Is it possible not to fast under certain circumstances in life?" The Bible says that the most important thing is spiritual fasting, and only then bodily fasting. Those. during the period of fasting, you must necessarily live in humility and chastity, read prayers, receive communion, and you can observe a fast and not too strict. Compliance requires only the first and last 7 days of fasting. The Church officially allows not to fast:
- pregnant women and nursing mothers
- travelers
- old people
Doctors add to this list:
- patients with cancer
- adolescents who need a large number of protein, vitamins and minerals
- people with blood pressure problems, gastrointestinal diseases, heart failure
- people engaged in hard physical labor
- people living in extreme climatic conditions
Generally on church rules Each person sets the degree of severity of the fast for himself after a conversation with his spiritual mentor: the more a person feels himself to be a sinner, the more strict the fast he should observe, and most importantly, the more sincerely he should want to observe it!
How to fast fast
Now let's talk about how to fast in fasting. Great Lent is coming, how to fast? First of all, you should think about spiritual cleansing and, in this regard, reduce watching TV, using the Internet and listening to music. In addition, you should spend more time at home with your family, avoid noisy companies and other entertainment. It's great if you can reduce the amount of intimacy during the fast, it is strictly prohibited in the first and last weeks of fasting. Fasting without prayer has practically no meaning; it is also necessary to make peace with all neighbors during fasting, attend church every Sunday, and at least once a month to confess and receive communion.
We have dealt with spiritual fasting. Now let's talk about. The most severe days of fasting are the first four days, as well as the entire last week before Easter. At the same time, on the first Monday of Lent (Clean Monday) and on the last Friday before Easter (Good Friday), you cannot eat or drink anything at all. The rest of the days, dry food is allowed (fruits, nuts, seeds, salted, fresh or pickled vegetables).
During the fast, you cannot smoke, drink alcohol (with the exception of red wine on weekends and on holidays that fall during this period), meat, fish, eggs, milk and all products containing them. You can't eat vegetable oil yet, it's only allowed on weekends.
You should eat no more than once a day if you are fasting, and no more than two times a day if you are not fasting.
Meals during fasting are built according to the schedule:
- monday, wednesday, friday - dry food (water, bread, fruits and vegetables, dried fruits, honey, nuts)
- tuesday, Thursday - hot food without oil is allowed (tea, coffee, cereals, thermally processed vegetables)
- saturday, Sunday - you can eat any food 2 times a day, except for meat, plus vegetable oil
On the feast of the Annunciation Holy Mother of God and Palm Sunday you can eat fish, and on Lazarev Saturday - fish caviar.
Tip: Drink throughout the fast more waterto prevent dehydration. Remember that the smells of cinnamon or cloves can help fight hunger.
How to fast before the sacrament
And the last thing in the context of fasting is the fasting before the sacrament. Few know how to fast before the sacrament. It is imperative to fast before communion for those people who do not observe fasts during the year and receive communion only once a year, for example, on Easter. In this case, you should fast for a week before Communion, and one day before Communion itself, you should completely refuse food and water.
If you observe fasting throughout the year and fast on Wednesdays and Fridays, then the Eucharistic fast will be enough for you, i.e. communion on an empty stomach.
In addition to fasting, before the sacrament, one should read the rules, canons and prayers before the sacrament, which are found in any prayer book.
Remember that the most important thing in fasting is not eating restrictions, but cleansing the soul. It is worth giving up not so much food as from the passions of earthly life, which weigh on our souls. Then fasting will be a joy.
Christian fasting is recognized today by Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestant churches. But everyone observes it differently. Some, taken during the 40 day period that precedes, eat once a day. Others go hungry on Friday during Holy Week. Some abstain from meat, fish, eggs and dairy products during Lent.
Many believers believe that Jesus started fasting. The Bible actually records how he fasted for 40 days after. But he did not institute a ritual to follow. This conclusion can be drawn from what is told about his first followers. The Bible does not say anywhere that the early Christians observed Great Lent. Lent was first observed in the 4th century A.D. - this is already almost 4 centuries after Christ. And the custom of fasting was borrowed from paganism, like many others.
Well, if Great Lent is really an imitation of Jesus, then why is it observed in the days when Jesus is believed to have resurrected, and not baptized? Before he died, Jesus did not fast. On the contrary, there are reports in the Bible that before his death, Jesus and his disciples took food. And on the night before his death, Jesus ate an Easter supper with his disciples.
But the fact that Jesus fasted after his baptism can be very beneficial for us. After baptism, Jesus had to start a very important business, serving God. Therefore, Jesus had to think carefully about everything, pray to God, ask him for help and guidance. Therefore, we can conclude that fasting will be beneficial if done with the right motives and in the right occasion.
When Fasting Can Benefit
A person who has committed a sin may not want to eat for a while. And this may not happen because he wants to impress others, but because he is tormented by his conscience for a committed misconduct. And abstaining from food itself, of course, does not improve the relationship between the sinner and God. However, sincere repentance that he sinned against God and against some people can lead to the fact that a person will fervently pray to God and all this will suppress the desire to eat.
King David experienced something similar. He was very afraid of losing a newborn child, and therefore he concentrated all his strength on prayers to God, asking for salvation for the child. David put all his feelings and strengths into prayers, so he fasted. Today, too, there can be such difficult situations when a person may find eating food inappropriate.
The Bible also describes times when God's servants had an important decision to make, and so they fasted.
Fasting or not fasting is everyone's personal business. You should never condemn another in this matter, or impose your point of view. You shouldn't give up food just to appear righteous in front of people. But it is also not necessary to attach such importance to food that it would interfere with important tasks. The Bible makes it clear that God does not require us to fast, nor does he forbid us to fast if we feel it is necessary.