What is fasting and how to fast correctly. Orthodox fasting: antiquity and modern practice What does it mean to fast?
The tradition of fasting has ancient origins, as evidenced by the Bible. At the very beginning of human existence a shining example Lent was a prohibition for our first parents from eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. The meaning of fasting for Adam and Eve was not only the refusal of a certain type of food, but also obedience to God.
In subsequent biblical history we also find numerous examples of fasting. Famous righteous people Old Testament spent many days in fasting and prayer. Thus, the prophet Moses fasted for 40 days before receiving the Commandments of God. Prophet Elijah, before the Lord appeared to him, also spent time in a 40-day fast.
But not only individual people imposed fasting on themselves. Residents of entire cities spent time in fasting and repentance. The book of the prophet Jonah tells of the repentant fast of the king and citizens of the city of Nineveh, and the fast was imposed on everyone without exception.
The Jews, in times of danger or public disaster, considered it a religious duty to fast, that is, to abstain from food, make special sacrifices and pray intensely. Archimandrite Nikifor (Bazhanov) in his “Biblical Encyclopedia” notes that “fasts were observed by Jews with particular severity, and in general from evening to evening, i.e. 24 hours, and were distinguished not only by abstinence from food, but even from all other sensory needs. At the same time, they usually put on sackcloth, took off their sandals, sprinkled ashes on their heads, and walked around with unwashed hands and an unanointed head; synagogues during fasts were filled with cries full of sadness and repentance.”
The New Testament says that Christ Himself, before entering public service, fasted for 40 days in the desert. The disciples of Christ, the apostles, accompanied many of their actions with fasting (Acts 13: 2–3). It is important to note that fasting is not only an ancient tradition, but also a necessary element of the spiritual life of a believer. The Lord Jesus speaks about the fight against evil spirits: “This generation is driven out only by prayer and fasting(Matthew 17:21).” The holy righteous John of Kronstadt notes: “Whoever rejects fasting takes away both from himself and from others weapons against his many-passionate flesh and against the devil, who are strong against us especially through our intemperance, from which every sin comes.”
Nevertheless, some people believe that fasting in the sense of limiting food is optional, secondary, and the main thing is not to tell a lie or not to offend your neighbor. In this case, they often refer to the words of Scripture: “It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth defiles a person.”” (Matthew 15: 11). This opinion is often encountered, so let’s consider this issue more carefully.
The Lord denounces the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, who pay excessive attention to their own traditions. One of these legends was the obligatory washing of hands before eating, and the amount of water, as well as its time and order, were strictly specified. It was believed that if a person ate with unwashed hands, then he had defiled himself. Researcher Holy Scripture Archbishop Averky (Taushev) notes: “Compliance with these rules was considered so important that those who violated them were subject to punishment by the Sanhedrin, up to and including excommunication.” The scribes blamed Christ and His disciples for failure to fulfill these traditions.
In response, the Lord proves that the Pharisees, in following their traditions, themselves go as far as violating the commandments of God, in particular the commandment to honor father and mother. The fact is that the scribes allowed children to refuse their parents financial support if they declared their property dedicated to God. At the same time, the dedicator himself could continue to use his own property by paying a small ransom to the temple treasury. But for this, he considered himself free from the obligation to take care of his parents, denying them the most necessary things for their life and food. Therefore, the Lord, denouncing the Pharisees for hypocrisy, utters words about what actually defiles a person. Left alone with the disciples, Christ explains: “what comes from the mouth - comes from the heart - this defiles a person, for from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, blasphemy - this defiles a person; is there
with unwashed hands - does not defile a person” (Matthew 15: 18–20). Thus, Christ does not reject fasting, but denounces hypocrisy. Archbishop Averky explains: “The Pharisees did not understand the difference between physical and moral purity, and believed that food, if unclean or taken with dirty hands, could morally pollute a person, making him unclean before God. The Lord shows that what makes a person morally unclean is only what comes from an unclean heart.”
Holy Scripture testifies that “The earth is the Lord’s and what fills it, the universe and everything that lives in it”(Ps. 23:1). The Apostle Paul notes that “Food does not bring us closer to God: for whether we eat, we gain nothing; if we don't eat, we don't lose anything”(1 Cor. 8:8). Therefore, the opinion that food defiles a person is erroneous.
Christ speaks about fasting in the Sermon on the Mount: “Also, when you fast, do not be sad, like the hypocrites, for they put on gloomy faces in order to appear to people as fasting. Truly I tell you that they are already receiving their reward. And you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to men as you fast, but to your Father who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly” (Matthew 6: 16–18). Saint John Chrysostom notes that “the ancients had the custom of anointing themselves during times of joy and gladness, as can be seen from the example of David and Daniel.” At the same time, the saint explains that “Christ commands to anoint the head not so that we certainly do it, but so that we carefully try to hide fasting - this is our own acquisition.” Here the Lord warns us to beware “the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy”(Luke 12:1).
Speaking about the measure of bodily fasting, we can turn to the words of St. Cassian the Roman. He says: “Extremes on both sides are equally harmful - both excess of fasting and satiety of the belly. We know some who, not being overcome by gluttony, were overthrown by immeasurable fasting, and fell into the same passion of gluttony, due to weakness resulting from excessive fasting.” And teaches us general rule abstinence, which “consists in the fact that everyone, in accordance with his strength, state of body and age, ate as much food as needed to maintain the health of the body, and not as much as the desire for satiety requires.”
One of the Old Testament prophets, Isaiah, perfectly expressed the meaning of fasting. The Jews turn to God: “Why do we fast, but You don’t see? We humble our souls, but You don’t know?” The Lord, through the mouth of the prophet, answers them: “Behold, on the day of your fast you do your will and demand hard work from others. So you fast for quarrels and strife and in order to beat others with a bold hand: you do not fast at this time so that your voice is heard on high. Is this the fast that I have chosen, the day on which a man languishes his soul, when he bends his head like a reed and spreads rags and ashes under him? Can you call this a fast and a day pleasing to the Lord? This is the fast that I have chosen: loose the chains of unrighteousness, untie the bonds of the yoke, set the oppressed free and break every yoke; divide your bread with the hungry, and bring the wandering poor into your home; When you see a naked person, dress him and do not hide from your half-blood. Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly increase, and your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will follow you. Then you will call, and the Lord will hear; You will cry out and He will say: “Here am I”” (Isa. 58:3–9). Therefore, the feat of fasting is imputed to nothing by the Lord if a Christian does not at the same time keep God’s commandments about love and mercy towards one’s neighbor. Saint John Chrysostom rhetorically asks: “Do not tell me that “I fasted for so many days, did not eat either, did not drink wine, suffered uncleanness,” but show me whether you became meek, while you were angry and became or humane, while before that you were cruel, because if you are intoxicated with anger, then why do you oppress your flesh?”
This is why fasting for a Christian must be both physical and spiritual. Saint John Chrysostom says: “Whoever limits fasting to abstaining from food alone greatly dishonors him. It’s not just the mouth that should fast; no, let the eye, the ear, the hands, the feet, and our whole body fast.”
Prepared by Archpriest Nikolai Baranov
1. Why is fasting needed? The Holy Fathers instruct that fasting is an irreplaceable means for achieving spiritual renewal and growth; without it, it is impossible for a person to fight passions and temptations and prepare his soul for the action of the saving grace of God.
St. Theophan the Recluse explains the purpose and meaning of fasting by the fact that works of abstinence and good deeds give scope for the action of the grace of the Holy Spirit in us:
“What digging the earth in the material is like feats of self-mortification in the spiritual. What moisture and warmth are in the material are the works of good deeds and piety in the spiritual. God spoke to Noah’s contemporaries: “My Spirit shall not dwell in these men... they are flesh” (Gen. 6:3). Consequently, He will dwell where the flesh is crucified with passions and lusts or where feats of self-sacrifice are carried out. The Apostle writes: “Do not quench the spirit, or: do not offend the Holy Spirit of God, by Whom you are marked on the day of deliverance” (Eph. 4:30) - and then lists the passions that should be avoided, and the virtues in which one should excel; therefore, the Spirit does not fade away there, where there is a struggle with passions and the work of doing good. In another place he teaches: “Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourself in psalms and songs and spiritual songs, making melody and singing in your hearts to the Lord” (Eph. 5:18, 19). Consequently, where there is singing, church and home prayer, and acts of piety in general, there will be the filling of the Spirit or the manifestation of the action of the grace of the Holy Spirit. Feats of self-sacrifice, works of good deeds and piety give scope to the action of the grace of the Holy Spirit in us, and it, hidden, then comes to light and its action shows both the grace bearer and others.”
St. rights John of Kronstadt:
By eating extensively, you become a carnal man, not having a spirit, or soulless flesh, and by fasting, you attract the Holy Spirit to yourself and become spiritual. Take cotton paper that has not been moistened with water. It is light and, in small quantities, floats in the air, but if you wet 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 through fasting!
What is this Lent? He is a precious gift to us from our Savior, Who Himself fasted for forty days and nights, neither eating nor drinking, a truly precious gift for all those seeking salvation, as a mortifier of spiritual passions. By His word and example, the Lord legitimized it to His followers. ...Fasting with prayer is a sure weapon against the devil and the multi-passionate flesh. Let no one pretend that fasting is not necessary.
It (fasting) pacifies our sinful, whimsical flesh, frees the soul from under its weight, giving it, as it were, wings to soar freely to heaven, and gives room for the action of God’s grace. Whoever fasts freely and correctly knows how light and bright the soul is during fasting; then good thoughts come easily to the head, and the heart becomes purer, more tender, more compassionate - we feel the desire for good deeds; Contrition for sins appears, the soul begins to feel the disastrousness of its situation and begins to lament for sins. And when we do not fast, when thoughts are in disorder, feelings are unbridled 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 quickly makes it clear to everyone who fasts that every person needs very little food and drink and that in general we are greedy and eat and drink much more than what is proper, that is, what our nature requires; 2) fasting helps or reveals all the infirmities of our soul, all its weaknesses, shortcomings, sins and passions, just as muddy, stagnant water beginning to clear itself shows what kind of reptiles are found in it or what quality of rubbish; 3) he shows us the necessity of running to God with all our hearts and seeking His mercy, help, and salvation; 4) fasting shows all the cunning, deceit, all the malice of the disembodied spirits with whom we previously, without knowing, worked, whose cunning, when we are now illuminated by the light of God’s grace, is clearly revealed and who now viciously persecute us for leaving their ways.
It is necessary for a Christian to fast in order to clarify the mind and arouse and develop feelings and motivate the will to good activity. We overshadow and suppress these three human abilities most of all through gluttony, drunkenness and the worries of life (Luke 21:34), and through this we fall away from the source of life - God and fall into corruption and vanity, perverting and desecrating the image of God in ourselves. Gluttony and voluptuousness nail us to the ground and cut off, so to speak, the wings of the soul. And look how high all the fasters and abstinents were! They soared in the skies like eagles; They, earthly beings, lived with their minds and hearts in heaven and heard ineffable verbs there and learned divine wisdom there.
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 are cleansed of them and adorned with humility, meekness, patience, mutual love, purity of soul and body.
For this reason, by the way, the Holy Church established fasts, so that Christians would have a weapon in them against the devil and his countless intrigues.
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 and protected from him. Fasting and prayer are spiritual weapons against the devil, which is why the Lord says that the demonic race comes only through prayer and fasting. The Holy Church, knowing the power of this spiritual weapon, calls us to fast twice every week - on Wednesday and Friday, by the way, in remembrance of the suffering and death of our Savior, and in the year - many times during all multi-day fasts, and Great Lent connects with special touching prayers of repentance. Fasting and prayer have the spiritual benefit that, strengthening our souls, they strengthen our very faith, hope and love and unite us with God.
Rev. Macarius of Optina:
Through alternating food and abstinence, the body and soul are renewed. The Holy Fathers, moved by the Holy Spirit, established fasts for both our mental and physical benefit.
Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin):
“The ancient Christian apologist Athenagoras, in response to a question from his pagan opponent about how a bodily illness can affect the activity of a disembodied 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, then the instrument is silent. But this is just an image. In fact, the connection between body and spirit is immeasurably greater. Body and soul constitute a single human personality.
Thanks to fasting, the body becomes a sophisticated instrument, capable of capturing every movement of the musician - the soul. Figuratively speaking, the body of an African drum turns into a Stradivarius violin. Fasting helps restore the hierarchy of mental forces and subordinate the complex mental organization of a person to higher spiritual goals. Fasting helps the soul overcome passions, extracts the soul, like a pearl from a shell, from the captivity of everything grossly sensual and vicious. Fasting frees the human spirit from amorous attachment to material things, from constant recourse to earthly things.
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 an act of will, and religion is largely a matter of will. Anyone who cannot limit himself in food will not be able to overcome stronger and more refined passions. Promiscuity in food leads to promiscuity in other areas of human life.
We touched on the personal aspect of fasting, but there is also another, no less important – the church aspect. Through fasting, a person becomes involved in the rhythms of temple worship and becomes able to actually experience the events of biblical history through sacred symbols and images.
The Church is a spiritual living organism, and, like any organism, it cannot exist outside of certain rhythms.
Fasting precedes 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. More precisely, he can experience aesthetic satisfaction, increased 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 sorrowful events in biblical history: on Wednesday, Christ was betrayed by His disciple, Judas; on Friday suffered Crucifixion and death. Anyone who does not fast on Wednesday and Friday and says that he loves God is deceiving himself. True love will not satiate its belly at the tomb of its beloved. Those who fast on Wednesday and Friday receive as a gift the ability to more deeply empathize with the Passion of Christ.”
Saint Leo the Great:
“After the long holiday of Pentecost, fasting is especially necessary in order to purify our thoughts through it and become worthy of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This celebration, which the Holy Spirit sanctified with His descent, is usually followed by a nationwide fast, beneficially established for the healing of soul and body, and therefore requiring that we accompany it with due goodwill. For we have no doubt that after the apostles were filled with the power promised from above and the Spirit of truth dwelt in their hearts, among other secrets of heavenly teaching, at the inspiration of the Comforter, the teaching of spiritual abstinence was also taught, so that hearts, cleansed by fasting, would become more capable of acceptance of grace-filled gifts... one cannot fight the impending efforts of the persecutors and the furious threats of the wicked in a pampered body and fattened flesh, since what delights our outer man, destroys the inner, and on the contrary, the rational soul is purified the more the more the flesh is mortified.”
Rev. Isaac the Syrian:
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 basis is fasting.
The law of fasting, while outwardly a law for the belly, is in essence a law for the mind.
The mind, this king in man, if it wants 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 rule over the desires of the heart and body; only with constant sobriety can he study the commandments of the Gospel and follow them. The basis of virtues is fasting.
He who does not observe moderation and proper discernment in food, cannot preserve either virginity or chastity, cannot curb anger, indulges in laziness, despondency and sadness, becomes a slave of vanity, the home of pride, which introduces into a person his carnal state, which is most luxurious and well-fed meals.
“Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be burdened with gluttony and drunkenness” (Luke 21:34), commanded the Lord. Overeating and drunkenness impart fatness not only to the body, but to the mind and heart, i.e. They bring a person’s soul and body into a carnal state.
The carnal man is completely immersed in sinful pleasures. He is voluptuous in body, heart, and mind; he is incapable 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.
Christian life is unthinkable without heroism. That is, without the effort that the faithful make, guided and strengthened by the Holy Spirit, to get rid of the yoke of sin and the domination of passions, and to selflessly follow the will of the Lord. To live in Christ and be a living member of His Body, which is the Church.
In this ascetic effort, fasting occupies a particularly significant place. It represents one of the most effective weapons in our spiritual struggle. The word of God testifies to this. This is revealed to us from the lives of the saints. This is what our Church believes and teaches, which perceives fasting as one of its most ancient and sacred institutions.
However, fasting, like other church institutions, especially in our days, is in danger of losing its meaning or becoming useless! And, unfortunately, this also happens among many of those Christians who zealously preserve and strictly fulfill the institutions of the Church.
So, some Christians - either through ignorance or carelessness - underestimate the importance of fasting and do not observe it. Others keep it to some extent, but do it formally. They do not have the necessary understanding of its deep meaning, they have no knowledge of what concerns fasting and what a conscious believer needs to know. Thus, observing fasting turns into a formal action that does not have the deep meaning that is invested in it by the faith and experience of the Church.
Archimandrite Simeon Kutsas
St. Augustine says: “If you are asked: why do you fast and torment yourself? answer: a mad horse that cannot be tamed with a bridle must be pacified with hunger and thirst.”
Fasting as a medicine to curb the evil, proud and proud “I” sitting inside us requires an appropriate dosage. The most ideal dosage is that established by the liturgical regulations of the Church. It is given in the Orthodox church calendar.
The individual dosage of fasting again depends on the measure of our love for other people. The more passions of pride, malice, envy, fornication towards other people in our hearts, the more food is required to restore the energy expended in satisfying these passions. The purer our heart, the more peace and love there is in it, the less our body needs bodily food. That is why the great saints, living in the desert, cleansing their souls of passions, could spend many days without food. They ate very little. Their diet included dry bread, water, plant roots, and some vegetables. The Monk Anthony the Great was even embarrassed to eat in front of others. Anyone who has visited monasteries could not pay attention to the fact that, despite the meager ration of monastic food, it is unusually tasty. It is much better than gourmet restaurant dishes because it is prepared with love.
But what about those who are just beginning to comprehend the essence of spiritual life in the Church, who have not yet seen the deep ulcers of sin in themselves, as well as those who have poor physical health?
Such people need to start their fast small. In the beginning, you need to fast (do not eat meat or milk) at least on Friday. Then add another day - Wednesday. During the period of Great Lent, make the fast even more intense - fast the first and last week before Easter. In this way, fasting will gradually turn into a habit. And the soul itself, for the sake of acquiring peace, love, mercy, will thirst for fasting.
In addition to abstaining from fast food, one must sharply limit watching entertaining television programs and listening to modern music. Fasting and prayer are two wings and cannot be separated in any way, because with one wing you cannot fly anywhere. Whoever fasts without prayer, without reconciliation with his neighbors, can greatly harm his health. Every Sunday it is necessary to visit the temple of God and at least once a month to confess your sins and receive Holy Communion. Christ's Mysteries. Every time in the temple, it is as if a meeting of the general staff for the salvation of the soul is held, at which attentive people are given important instructions and grace-filled forces to put these instructions into practice.
What is fasting? Why is it needed and how to observe it correctly? You will learn about this by reading this article.
The purpose of Orthodox fasting
What is fasting? What is it needed for? The goal for a Christian is to destroy harmful mental manifestations and introduce virtue into his life. Believers achieve this through sincere and attentive prayer, and also more often pay a visit to the temple to participate in divine services.
How to fast? What should you give up? During Lent, Orthodox Christians voluntarily abstain from eating meat, dairy dishes, and desserts. They also try to avoid all kinds of pleasures and entertainment. But an Orthodox Christian, first of all, should take care not of his stomach, but of his state of mind. Fasting is wrong to perceive as a diet.
Often, many people, while fasting, become irritable, waiting for it to end as soon as possible, forgetting about the soul. If a person really began to think about his soul, he would certainly begin to rejoice in fasting. After all, his entire essence is aimed at healing the soul.
Thus, for a true Christian, the time of fasting is the best, at this time he becomes closer to God.
What is more important: physical fasting or spiritual fasting?
What is fasting? What is it needed for? Is physical or spiritual fasting more important? It is very important for a Christian to understand that just abstaining from food means nothing without spiritual fasting. Rather, on the contrary, as stated above, it can be harmful. In this case, the harm can consist not only in irritability, but also in the fact that the fasting person can be imbued with a sense of his superiority and excessive piety. But the meaning of fasting lies precisely in the destruction of sins.
What is fasting? What is it needed for? Fasting is medicine. Not always sweet, but effective. It helps you break away from pleasures, collect your thoughts and think about your spiritual health.
If a fasting person, using only instead of repentance and prayer, helping one’s neighbor, and performing good deeds, constantly experiences sinful feelings, then the fast will not be genuine, it will not be spiritual.
You need to understand that when a person fasts, he is not starving. Not a single service of Great Lent mentions it in the usual understanding for people, that is, in not eating meat and tasty food. The Church calls for fasting physically and fasting spiritually.
So, fasting will only have true meaning when it is combined with spiritual work on oneself. An ordinary person living in rhythm modern world, will not be available to the influence of a Higher Power. Fasting softens a person’s callousness, and then he becomes more accessible to the influence of the Upper World.
What does the post make you think about, how to behave correctly?
How to fast correctly? Many people, while fasting, believe that it will be a great sin if they eat, even out of helplessness, something non-fasting, but they are not at all embarrassed by the fact that they neglect and blame their neighbors, for example, they deprive their friends, insult them, or lie to them. This is real hypocrisy towards God. This is a lack of awareness of faith and humility!
It is absolutely obvious that repentance and prayer during fasting should always be accompanied by reflection on one’s own sinful life and, of course, should go along with abstinence from various fun and entertainment: going to dances, to theaters, to see friends. You should try to avoid reading frivolous books, listening to joyful music, and watching television programs for entertainment. If all these activities attract a Christian, then he will have to make an effort on himself in order to rid his soul of all this, at least during Lent. This is exactly the point of this post.
Thus, you need to fast with both soul and body, with joy. It is necessary to learn to combine external fasting with internal fasting. You need to examine your soul and correct your vices. When people cleanse their bodies through abstinence, they must cleanse their souls through repentance and prayer, and then they can gain virtue and humility, love and respect for others. This is precisely what will be a genuine fast, pleasing to God, and therefore saving a person’s soul.
When can you eat fish during Lent?
When do you eat fish during Lent? By general rules This product is allowed on major holidays that fall during Lent.
During Lent, dedicated to the resurrection of the Lord, you can eat fish on the feasts of the Annunciation, Palm Sunday(entry of the Lord into Jerusalem), on Lazarus Saturday.
When else do they eat fish during Lent? This product can also be eaten during Orthodox holidays, which fell during the period of fasting. After all, for example, Lent falls at a different time every year.
During the Dormition Fast, dedicated to the Holy Virgin Mary, fish is allowed on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.
The Nativity Fast is dedicated to the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ; it is not as strict as Lent; fish can be eaten every Saturday and Sunday.
During Peter's Fast, dedicated to the holy apostles Peter and Paul, fish can be eaten on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
However, as stated above, fasting is not a diet. If a person, a Christian, due to his weakness needs to eat fish, then with the blessing of the priest to relax the fast, he can eat fish on any day. After all, the main thing is healing the soul, and not what’s in the stomach. Fasting in food also helps to maintain spiritual fasting, because after eating fatty, tasty food, a person so needs to lie down, sleep, spend time in idleness, he does not want to read prayers, much less go to church. And the food can be prepared in such a way that it will be lean and tasty.
How should an Orthodox Christian fast?
In fact, this question has absolutely no clear answer. Each person should fast to the best of his ability and ability. Someone can, roughly speaking, last the entire fast on bread and water, being in constant prayer, often visiting church, attending the Sacraments weekly, but for some, refusing to watch TV is already fasting. You don’t need to immediately take on the impossible; you need to approach fasting gradually, wisely.
The general rules involve abstaining from meat, sweets, fish (with the exception of a few days); in each fast there are days of dry eating, when you cannot eat cooked and hot food.
But this is the so-called nutritional aspect and is not at all the main one, as mentioned above. The main thing is spiritual fasting.
During fasting, a person cleanses himself of sinful dirt, he tries to get closer to Christ. At this time, you need to read more prayers, read spiritual literature, visit church more often, and during Lent there are always special services, each of which can be observed only once a year, on this church post. This is a miracle of miracles, everyone should experience it for themselves.
About the Sacraments during Lent
During Lent, it is imperative to partake of the Church Sacraments: Confession and Communion.
Confession is repentance for one's sins, where the priest acts as a mediator between God and the Christian. The believer leaves the entire burden of his sins there. And only after this can he begin the Great Sacrament of Communion - eating the flesh and blood of Christ. God Himself enters the human soul through these Sacraments, cleansing and healing it.
And based on the essence and meaning of Orthodox fasting, it is clear why the Sacraments are so useful at this time.
Thus, fasting is not only limiting oneself in food, it is a huge spiritual work, and it is different for each person.
Separately about Lent
Before Easter, Christians observe the longest period, Lent. This is an integral part of the great Christian holiday. You need to fast in order to cleanse your body and soul for the great holiday, the Resurrection of the Lord.
Lent lasts six weeks, the seventh being Holy Week, during which even stricter abstinence is required. This period is the most strict and solemn at the same time. Preparation for it begins three weeks before it starts.
The main goal of Lent, like any other, is repentance, renunciation of habitual, mortal, vain activities and affairs.
During fasting, it is worth remembering that it is not necessary for God, but for man himself. A Christian is not doing God a favor by fasting; he is healing his soul. As mentioned above, Lent consists of 2 parts: Lent is a period of repentance, and Holy Week is a period of cleansing.
It's not without reason Orthodox Church twice during Pentecost, he invites parishioners to read the farewell prayer. It is not for nothing that every week on Saturdays during the all-night vigil in churches they sing: “Open the doors of repentance, O Giver of Life.”
The time of Lent is given to Christians precisely for repentance. If a person does not have a goal of repentance, he should not start fasting - it is a waste of time.
Separately about Holy Semiditsa
Holy Week is also popularly called Holy Week. This is the week leading up to Easter, this is a special time for the Orthodox.
“Passion” translated from Church Slavonic means “trials and suffering.” This week got its name because it remembers last days that Jesus Christ spent on earth, his suffering, betrayal, the pain of crucifixion, burial and resurrection.
During the Holy Week of Lent, Christians observe the strictest abstinence, especially in spiritual matters. The number of services in churches is increasing, each of which carries its own special, deep meaning.
Every day of Holy Week is special at services in churches; clergy read separate chapters from the Gospel, which tell Christians about the events that happened in Jerusalem two thousand years ago. Every day during Holy Week, Christians remember what happened then.
The most special days are Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Maundy Thursday
On Thursday Orthodox Christians remember Last Supper, when the Savior gathered his disciples for the last time, gave them communion, and gave them instructions. He had already said that one of his disciples would betray him, and each of them denied it, including Judas.
Good Friday
On Friday the betrayal took place, and on the same day Christ was crucified. In all Orthodox churches the shroud (coffin) is taken out. The removal takes place after two o'clock in the afternoon, at the hour of the death of the Savior crucified on the cross.
On this day, the service carries a special, tragic meaning; it tells about the torment and suffering that Christ endured on the cross.
Holy Saturday
On Holy Saturday, the Orthodox Church remembers the burial of the Savior and his descent into hell for the salvation of the human race and the resurrection of the dead.
On the night from Saturday to Sunday, Christians rejoice and celebrate the Great Holiday - the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. So the bright Easter has come. The post is over. You can also taste non-lenten food.
About prayers during Lent
During Lent, prayer needs to be given a little more attention and time than is usually the case.
It is also advisable to devote as much time as possible to the services that will be attended during Lent. If it is difficult to keep track of the words that the priest reads, you can take a book with the texts of prayers to the temple.
It is worth carrying out with special care and diligence prayer rules, both morning and evening.
In the morning you can wake up early, and in the evening you can finish your work early in order to start reading prayers, adding some more, at your discretion.
During fasting, you should read a prayer daily St. Ephraim Sirina. On the way to work, school or on errands, you can listen to the Psalter using headphones or read it in transport, if it is convenient.
Prayers read during Lent help to completely cleanse the soul and body, earn forgiveness and receive blessings.
It is also useful to resist the innumerable temptations that befall a person during Lent with prayer: one must respond to anger, rage, sadness, envy, laziness, and sinful thoughts with a short answer to oneself.
The rules for observing Orthodox fasting are intended to ensure that believers undergo the necessary preparation for entering the Heavenly Kingdom. This tradition of abstaining from fast food and limiting sexual life is a special form of asceticism that exercises the spirit and leads to the salvation of individual consciousness. Directions for fasting vary depending on the age and health of people.
The meaning of fasting in Orthodoxy
Today, disdain for this tradition is common. Some people think that fasting is only an unpleasant monastic activity that can cause harm to the body. This consideration of the issue is completely wrong, since an Orthodox follower must think about his own soul, and not about his earthly shell.
The meaning of fasting in Orthodoxy
He who raises his consciousness and faith in God rejoices in abstinence and easily endures conventional physical difficulties. The prudent parishioner should make the best use of this time. It is with this that it is customary for true Christians to congratulate on the onset of a period of cleansing from the material and vain.
Important! A simple change in the composition of food is not fasting if the desire to abstain and repent of inevitable sins through sincere prayer does not arise in the mind.
Spiritual limitation stands next to the physical, but rises above it. If a person surrenders completely to the first, the Lord instills the necessary strength to overcome the secondary difficulties of the physical shell. John Chrysostom authoritatively confirms: “Let all parts of your body be involved in fasting through reliance on a strong and persistent mind.”
Lenten cuisine recipes:
Today's life sometimes incorrectly considers the essence of tradition - many people see here only the deprivation of material reinforcement through punishment. Orthodox (and any) fasting is the greatest way to achieve the desired result in serving God. By exhausting his own body, the believer removes the dark veil from the soul and opens a mystical path that makes it easier to approach the Heavenly Kingdom.
Abstinence cannot be called hunger, to which all beings are subjected for certain offenses. This tradition acquires religious value only when combined with exercises for the soul (repentance, destruction of vices through prayer).
Fasting is the thinning of the physical flesh, which allows one to get closer to the effects higher powers and become filled with grace. The Church speaks of abstinence to remind us of the necessary healing of a seriously ill soul, mired in the bustle of everyday life. Certain days in the religious calendar are reserved for such cleansing procedures. They are pure abstinence and balance between the shells, which should restore the primacy of the mind (soul) over the body.
Christ fasted for forty days in the desert
The apostles said that before the advent of fasting, man lost to passions and the devil. Christ set an example of 40 days of abstinence and received the power of the Holy Spirit. Every believer is obligated to follow the example of the Sinless Son and attack his own weaknesses. One who is in fasting has an unshakable mind and is capable of any accomplishment.
On a note! The rules for observing Orthodox fasting are described in the Typikon (book of the Divine Rule), Nomocanon (Byzantine collection of church instructions), Menaion and other similar works.
The practice of abstinence is incredibly developed in the Christian world - the number of fasting days sometimes reaches up to 200. The severity of fasting described in these books differs for monks and lay people.
Features of godly abstinence
The feat of repentance and prayerful petition must be accompanied by thoughts about individual sinfulness. The believer must also abstain from pleasure trips, watching inappropriate programs, reading “light literature,” etc. If these categories do not let go of the mind, a person is obliged to make a mental effort and break the bonds of meaninglessness.
Depending on the preparedness of the body and health, abstinence differs into five degrees:
- For the sick, elderly or beginners, the first type is suitable, avoiding only meat foods.
- Next comes giving up dairy products.
- Denial of fish.
- In the penultimate position is a complete refusal of oil.
- Fasting without consuming any food at all for a certain period of time is a step accessible to believers with unshakable faith and titanic health.
There is no fasting when the believer leaves the place of the meal with a burdened stomach and a feeling of satisfied satiety. There are practically no sacrifices or hardships, which alone give abstinence great value.
Some Orthodox Christians exchange physical abstinence for “spiritual”, which is understood as restraining irritability, criticism of other people and all sorts of quarrels. However, such an attitude does not advance the believer towards true righteousness, since goodwill is inherently implied at all times. Therefore, relaxation in food intake is only self-deception, devoid of benefit.
Lenten food
If a person is unable, for health reasons or financial insufficiency, to comply with the traditional rules of fasting, he must give up entertainment, sweets, and abstain at least on Wednesday and Friday. Communion begins with a small thing - the denial of meat.
Interesting! Previously, in Russian families, fasting was extremely revered and performed with a pure heart. Some princes observed the rules of abstinence better than many monks. The monks of Egypt echoed the 40th post of Moses and Christ. The monks of the Optina Hermitage in the Kaluga region ate only grass and were famous for their longevity.
Individual periods of abstinence
In Orthodoxy, there are one-day and multi-day fasts. Believers fast before church holidays or significant days for Orthodoxy.
One-day posts
Weekly fast days include Wednesday and Friday. Fast days have their own symbolic essence, which the Christian soul does not dare to pass by indifferently.
Relaxations exist during the following periods:
- week after Trinity;
- Christmastide period (from Christmas to Epiphany);
- on Maslenitsa (meat food is prohibited, dairy products are allowed)
There are also special one-day posts:
- Day of the beheading of John the Baptist (September 11).
- Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 27).
Multi-day posts
- Church opinion
Religion claims that fasting is an effective method of transforming the Wrath of God into His mercy. Life in asceticism and asceticism is pleasing to the Lord; it is like a pure crystal that has thrown off the shackles of dirty sin and slavery to materiality.
- Abstinence is practice for a great undertaking. It is easier to perform any action if you pacify your own flesh.
- By reducing costs for himself, an Orthodox person has the opportunity to put more on the altar of mercy. The food will be more useful to the orphan, widow or homeless person who will pray for salvation.
- Abstinence allows you to remain with the Church, to commune with the apostles, Christ and the Father. It opens best qualities and brings you closer to the deepest mysteries.
- However, excessive abstinence is similar to satiety of the belly: there were examples when fanaticism acquired negative qualities and became gluttony. A believer must know his own strengths and be prudent.
- A person should eat as much food as is necessary to maintain bodily functioning. By starting from scratch and falling into fanaticism, the neophyte will harm himself excessively, and for a long time will not be able to recognize the right direction.
- The main condition is not to violate the rules of spiritual fasting if you have to give up the rules of consumption. There were examples when future saints ate modest foods, but their minds did not move away from the contemplation of the greatness of the Lord.
- If a believer notices exhaustion in the body, an inability to offer prayer, this indicates an incorrect method. The guidance of experienced confessors who have experience in conducting Lent helps here.
Watch a video about the meaning of fasting in Orthodoxy