Today, when the Church reminds us of the need for fasting and prayer, I would like to say that, although Advent and not so strict in terms of external requirements, however, it requires a judicious attitude.
First of all, we must observe it, but, as St. Isaac the Syrian says, there is a measure of fasting. It must be understood that all church institutions must comply with the measure specific person depending on his bodily strength, age, health and other characteristics.
Reverend Isaac says that excessive fasting is more harmful than not fasting at all. This applies, first of all, to those lovers of fasting who want to immediately ascend very high, having great abstinence, not balanced by their internal state. Why is excessive fasting more harmful than not fasting? Because, says the Reverend, a person can still, out of non-observance of fasting, out of ignorance of how one can live spiritually correctly, come to a correct dispensation, and as a result of the distortions that arise from immoderate fasting, such a spiritual disorder can occur, which is already much more difficult to correct.
A post-as-spiritual phenomenon always exposes our perception of both good and evil Therefore, each of us must remember that during fasting, special temptations naturally arise, and we can draw closer to God, or we can especially move away from Him due to the fact that the perception of good and evil is aggravated. Therefore, St. Synclitikia says that external fasting, which does not correspond to the measure of our spiritual work, is more harmful than useful, since it first of all arouses in us vanity, in which all sins are taken together, and exaltation over other people. That is, the mere external observance of fasting does not bring us closer to God and to another person, but, on the contrary, removes us from them. And all other passions - irritation, anger, and everything that is peculiar to us, can flare up especially brightly during fasting.
So, the most important thing is that the Church reminds us of fasting: when we perform bodily abstinence, our body, the fleshy veil that separates us from the invisible world, seems to become thinner, and we become more susceptible to spiritual world. And if our heart is not cleansed, then it is natural that contacts in this invisible world are connected, first of all, with dark forces. Hence all the temptations and passions, which can only increase during Lent.
We know from Holy Scripture, from the history of the Church that fasting can be so graceless that it can become the exact opposite of what it should be. The book of the Acts of the Holy Apostles describes what a fast can be like, when more than forty Jews swore not to eat or drink anything, that is, to keep the strictest abstinence until they kill the Apostle Paul. They were sincerely convinced that they were doing the work of God, and in order to maintain the fire of hatred for this man in themselves, they kept their terrible fast.
Both fasting and self-denial can be dark and disastrous. We know examples of such false spirituality in other religions, when asceticism, abstinence is kept precisely to nourish imaginary spirituality, to maintain an alien fire in the Soul of a person. Exactly the same property can be self-denial, and human heroism. Everyone knows that non-believers are capable of great selflessness and heroism when they are inspired by some false ideology, and are even ready to give their lives for it. In any false religion, this self-denial, this abstinence and this self-giving can reach especially terrible painful states. But in all the tragic cases that can be observed even today (say, in totalitarian sects, where young people come who know nothing about God and are ready to keep any strict fast and sacrifice everything and everyone), we see one feature: if all captives false religion to people who do not know God, but are capable of fatal heroism and selflessness, the true God was revealed, then they would not be so lukewarm, which we often are. The Savior warns about this danger, as the most serious one that threatens us in recent times. And it will be in the Church.
Let's think about it with you. From year to year, we have become accustomed to fasting too outwardly, too formally, often reducing it to observing one diet, without adding prayer and without delving into the awareness of our path to Christ, into the awareness of the mystery that is revealed to us at this time. Christ is actually approaching each of us, so we realize once again that the worst thing that can happen to us is lukewarmness, this is external formal observance of fasting. Let us try from the very beginning (not at the end, as happens when at the general confession we remember everything at the end of the fast, naming this sin first of all) to deepen our fast, drawing closer to Christ not only by reading the Holy Scriptures (especially the prophets), not only reading the Psalter and prayers (this is mandatory) and more frequent visits to the temple (this is essential and necessary), but precisely by communion with the most important thing that is in Christ - His love. His involvement in the suffering and fate of every living person, so that the mystery of Christ's Incarnation becomes our living knowledge during Lent.
The same Saint Theophan the Recluse also points to the convenience of homeopathic treatment. “Homeopathy can help in all sorts of diseases, but you have to guess the right medicine. You can guess by the symptoms or by how the disease manifests itself. Homeopathy can be treated without seeing a doctor - through correspondence.. And in our time and through the phone.
Before the revolution in St. Petersburg there was a very strong community of homeopaths. They published handbooks that are convenient for home treatment. Anyone can use these guides. The holy righteous John of Kronstadt recommended homeopathy as an affordable treatment for poor people.
Many new methods for the treatment of diseases are being developed and proposed. Methods convenient for independent home use. Someone is engaged in cleansing the body, someone is treated with a mono-diet, someone drinks tincture of cinquefoil, someone does breathing exercises, someone is delighted with aromatherapy. And great! If cinquefoil helps you, drink cinquefoil, if it's good from gymnastics, do gymnastics. And if you feel better, don't forget to thank God.
Once upon a time, the practical component of medicine was negligible. There were few medicines, methods of treatment, instruments for examination. The doctor treated, basically, with a word. By the way, the very word "doctor" comes from "to lie", that is, to tell, to speak. In the ancient world, priests healed using various spells. At that time it was impossible for a Christian to consult a pagan or Jewish doctor. It was an appeal for help to mysticism alien to Christianity. But today we use practical medicine, medicines and treatments designed for each person, regardless of his worldview. We can add a mystical, that is, a mysterious, spiritual component to the treatment ourselves with the help of the Church.
Our Orthodoxy should not be an obstacle either to communication or to cooperation with a doctor. And who knows, perhaps, by accepting help and trusting the doctor, who, not without the will of God, was by our side in a difficult time for us, we ourselves will somehow influence his fate, we will lead him to faith. And there were such cases. I know believing doctors whose clericalism was influenced by their patients.
Spiritual component
“Just as medical art should not be completely avoided, it is so incongruous to put all your hope in it”(St. Basil the Great).
A believer has something to add to the art of a doctor. We have already spoken about confession and communion during illness. About prayer. But there are also spiritual means.
It is, of course, holy water. Epiphany in the morning on an empty stomach and water from a prayer service that your relatives can order. For example, from a prayer service to the great martyr and healer Panteleimon. Or the unmercenary doctors Kosma and Damian. Water from a prayer service in illness can be drunk both during the day and after meals. Some use water taken from holy springs. And she, if drunk with reverence, also benefits.
Don't forget prosphora. And there is also a shrine that the Orthodox keep on purpose in case of illness - artos. A piece of blessed bread, which is distributed after Easter, on Saturday of Bright Week, in the church. Grains of arthos with epiphany or baptismal water are consumed, like prosphora, on an empty stomach. Use in the disease and holy oil. This oil is consecrated at holy icons or at relics. There are many cases when the sick received healing by anointing themselves with this oil. It can also be taken orally. One young man had a thyroid disease. The confessor gave him holy oil brought from Jerusalem. The patient daily anointed himself with a cross-shaped throat with the prayers "Our Father" and "Virgin Mother of God, rejoice" and went on the mend. He also did not avoid doctors, but the case was difficult, and, as he believes, without the Jerusalem oil, he would hardly have recovered. Not only oil or water, but also sand taken from a holy place, with our faith, can have a beneficial effect.
“An Orthodox Christian turns his face to the holy icons - the Savior, Mother of God, angels and saints of God - in order to clearly show their faith in their presence, in their closeness to themselves; holy icons realize, carry out our Orthodox faith, and without holy icons, we seemed to be hanging in the air, not knowing to whom we were praying..
Wonderful words of St. rights. John of Kronstadt soon! Spiritual life requires both image and action.
Thus, holy temples, monasteries and places of deeds of the saints of God can also be icons. Many pilgrims travel annually to see the shrine and pray at the holy place. God, of course, is one everywhere, and you can pray to His saints anywhere. Rev. They pray to Seraphim of Sarov in Moscow, and in Kamchatka, and in America, and in China, and in Antarctica, but with what a warm feeling do they eat crackers dried in the Reverend's cauldron, brought from Diveevo! They are like a personal blessing of the saint.
At miraculous icons, at holy relics, in the places of life of saints, they collect and record cases miraculous help. In other places, such records are collected entire volumes.
Here are some testimonies about the miraculous help of St. rights. Simeon of Verkhotursky.
From a letter from the police chief of the city of Petropavlovsk, Nikolai Alekseevich Protopopov, dated November 14, 1878: “My wife had a toothache, no medicine helped, but when she rubbed her gums and teeth with earth taken from the saint’s grave, the disease stopped.” From the message of the girl Melnikova, received in 1880: “1874, on April 28, I went to Verkhoturye to the relics of St. righteous Simeon. At that time, my leg hurt a lot. The pain further and further multiplied more, and this disease is rarely seen; I tied a towel around my leg ... and I could hardly walk on two crutches ... In the morning I got up with great difficulty and went to the village of Merkushinskoye, went to Vespers and prepared to receive the Holy Mysteries, and God allowed it - I took communion. I shed a lot of tears here. I got up in the morning - my swelling was gone, and my leg was not exactly sore. Our contemporaries testify. Zaitsev Vladimir Alexandrovich, a resident of the city of Buzuluk, having heard about St. rights. Simeon of Verkhoturye, in 1997 visited Verkhoturye and the village of Merkushino, drank water from the tomb and, taking it with him, drank it on the road. He had osteochondrosis, which Vladimir Aleksandrovich had been ill with since 1974, before that he had been giving himself painkillers every day.
Priest Mikhail Kudrin said that his youngest daughter Catherine had a severe strabismus. After the prayer of St. rights. Simeon of Verkhotursky, her parents anointed her eyes with oil from the lamp over the tomb, and then did the same several times, until it suddenly turned out that her eyes were no longer squinting, but were looking straight ahead.
Petrukhina Nina Grigoryevna from Moscow reported: “A cancerous tumor appeared, the doctors wanted to remove it. I read a prayer to St. Simeon of Verkhoturye, anointed my forehead and sore spots with oil, applied earth to my head, and once drank water (probably from a tomb). A month later, the result of the analysis came: cancer cells no. The operation was canceled, but the risk of the disease remained. Apparently, it is necessary to be treated and pray right. Simeon..."
There are illnesses that cannot be cured or alleviated by drugs or the efforts of medicine. When only spiritual remedies can improve the condition.
Among the letters of Rev. Macarius of Optina is the answer to the father of a sick daughter. “I already wrote to you that this disease is not subject to physical cures, but one must seek healing in faith, ask God and His saints to send her healing from this disease.” The monk advises at home to serve a moleben with an akathist to St. Mitrofan of Voronezh, and then to visit his relics: “How many healings there were and are there by the prayers of the holy saint of God who resort to him, and God, through his prayers, will heal your daughter too. To the believer, all things are possible."
Another Optina Elder, Rev. Ambrose, who is sick, suffering from a headache and not expecting help from a doctor, advises him to go to the Athos chapel, serve a prayer service for St. Great Martyr Panteleimon, take oil from the lamp and smear it on his head at night. “At the same time, at home, turn to the healing Panteleimon more often and ask for his help. The Lord will give - and it will pass".
In difficult illnesses, it is not uncommon practice to make vows to visit this or that holy place, to go to the relics of the saint. The Orenburg priest Philip Ivanovsky, who lived in the middle of the 19th century, told about himself that when he studied at the seminary, after a severe cold, he had some kind of incomprehensible neuropsychiatric illness. “Some kind of stupidity came over me, combined with incredible, unbearable anguish, unbelief and blasphemous thoughts.” He did not tell the doctor or his comrades about his illness, for fear that he would be expelled from the seminary. “All my consolation, all hope and all medicine consisted solely in the vows I made at the end of the course to go to some miraculous icons and in Verkhoturye.” And what? At the end of the course, when the promises were fulfilled, the disease receded. “There are diseases, the cure of which the Lord imposes a ban, when he sees that the disease is more necessary for salvation than health. I cannot say that this did not take place in relation to me,” wrote St. Theophan the Recluse. It happens to see people sick, as if incurable. Moreover, it is not always a disease from birth, from nature. But something in the nature of a person's character is such that illness, like some kind of bridle, is necessary for him. Another, having fallen ill, remembers God, begins to lead a church life, struggles with his sinful habits; but as soon as he recovers, his efforts gradually come to naught and God is no longer so needed.
Church life, which consists of prayer, fasting, attending Sunday and holiday services, regular participation in the Church Sacraments (that is, Confession and Communion), makes any illness more tolerable, alleviates. This is especially noticeable in relation to neuropsychiatric diseases. Even heavy, hereditary.
A case comes to mind when a young man came to church with a strange illness. He looked sullenly from under his brows, his movements were constrained and cheeky at the same time. He seemed to have no control over his motor skills. The shoulders are brought together, the head is lowered, the speech is similar to croaking. A jerky, not always appropriate laugh. It seemed that this congenital ill health could not be overcome.
But time passed. The young man visited church services, he carefully confessed, often took communion. To the extent possible, he participated in the affairs of the parish. Gradually changed it appearance, the facial expression became softer, the shoulders straightened, the speech became intelligible.
And it was noticeable that during periods when for some reason he could not attend the temple, his illness again intensified. When the church rhythm of life was firmly established, the young man, one might say, simply flourished. His subsequent life went well.
And this is not the only, not a rare case, such stories will be told to you in any parish.
The Gospel mentions a woman who had a spirit of weakness for eighteen years: she was crouched and could not straighten up (Luke 13:11). The devil was named the cause of the disease: “Satan has bound for eighteen years now,” and liberation from the “spirit of weakness” came from the Savior. Thus, from Christ, from union with Him, together with church life, with the Church Sacraments, comes liberation to many people.
D ve thousand years ago, humanity waited with hope for the Savior. However, the majority imagined Him as an earthly king and therefore did not notice the day of His Nativity. Bethlehem slept peacefully, and only a handful of shepherds heard the angelic gospel.
These people believed that the Savior could be born not in the royal palace, but in a cave where sheep are sheltered from bad weather. These people saw the One Whom the whole world was waiting for, because they were pure in heart. And as a reward for everything, the secret of the Embodiment of Love was revealed to them. How often do people hope that life will improve due to external reasons. They do not suspect that the darkness of everyday life can only illuminate the love in their souls. But in order to find it, you need to cleanse your heart.
Fasting days pull a person out of the hustle and bustle of everyday life, demand from him clean life for God. This is a different, non-peaceful time. IN Old Testament required to bring a tenth of their income to the Temple. Fasting is the New Testament sacrifice of Christians to God.
The Advent fast is a winter fast, it serves for us to consecrate the last part of the year as a mysterious renewal of spiritual unity with God and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Christ.
Leo the Great writes:
“The very preservation of abstinence is sealed by four times, so that during the year we would know that we constantly need purification and that when life is scattered, we should always try to exterminate sin by fasting and alms, which is multiplied by the frailty of the flesh and the impurity of desires.”
According to Leo the Great, the Nativity fast is a sacrifice to God for the harvested fruits. “Just as the Lord has generousd us with the fruits of the earth,” writes the saint, “so we should also be generous to the poor during this fast.”
According to St. Simeon of Thessaloniki, “The fast of the Christmas Fortecost depicts the fast of Moses, who, having fasted for forty days and forty nights, received the inscription of the words of God on stone tablets. And we, fasting for forty days, contemplate and accept the living Word from the Virgin, not inscribed on stones, but incarnated and born, and partake of His Divine flesh..
The Advent fast is established so that by the day of the Nativity of Christ we cleanse ourselves by repentance, prayer and fasting, so that with a pure heart, soul and body we can reverently meet the Son of God who has appeared in the world, and in addition to the usual gifts and sacrifices, bring him a pure heart and desire follow his teachings.
Rev. Paisius Velichkovsky
By fasting I call eating one day a little, - while still being greedy to get up from the meal; to have bread and salt for food, and water for drink, which springs themselves bring. This is the royal way of eating, that is, many were saved by this way, as the Holy Fathers said. It is not always possible for a person to abstain from food for a day, two, three, four, five, and a week, but in order to eat bread and drink water every day, it is always possible. Only after eating, one should be a little greedy, so that the body is both obedient to the spirit, and capable of labor, and sensitive to intelligent movement, and bodily passions will be defeated; fasting cannot kill bodily passions as much as meager food does. Some fast for a while, and then indulge in sweet foods; for many begin fasting beyond their strength and other severe deeds, and then weaken from immoderation and unevenness, and seek sweet food and rest to strengthen the body. To do the same means to create, and then to destroy again, since the body, through poverty from fasting, is forced to sweetness and seeks consolation, and sweetness kindles passions.
If, however, one sets a certain measure for himself, how much to take meager food a day, he receives great benefit. However, regarding the amount of food, it should be established how much is needed to strengthen the strength<…>such a person can accomplish any spiritual work. If anyone Furthermore If he fasts, then at another time he rests. There is no price for a moderate feat. For some of the great Fathers took food in moderation and had a measure in everything - in exploits, in bodily needs and in cell accessories, and they used everything in due time and every thing according to a certain moderate charter. Therefore, the Holy Fathers do not command to start fasting beyond your strength and bring yourself into weakness. Make it a rule to eat every day, so you can more firmly abstain; but if someone fasts more, how can he then refrain from being full and overeating? No way. Such an immoderate undertaking comes either from vanity or from recklessness; while temperance is one of the virtues, conducive to the curbing of the flesh; hunger and thirst are given to man for the purification of the body, preservation from bad thoughts and prodigal lust; for every day, eating with poverty is a means to perfection, as some say; and will not in the least humiliate himself morally and will not suffer harm of the soul, who eats every day in certain hour; such are praised by Saint Theodore of Studite in his teaching on the heels of the first week of Great Lent, where he cites in confirmation the words of the holy God-bearing Fathers and the Lord Himself. This is how we should do it. The Lord endured a long fast; Equally Moses and Elijah, but once. And some others, sometimes, asking for something from the Creator, imposed on themselves a certain burden of fasting, but in accordance with natural laws and the teaching of divine Scripture. From the activity of the saints, from the life of our Savior, and from the rules of the life of those who live decently, it is clear that it is wonderful and useful to always be ready and be in feat, work and patience; however, do not weaken yourself by excessive fasting and do not bring the body into inactivity. If the flesh is inflamed in youth, much must be abstained from; if she is weak, then you need to eat enough to satiety, regardless of other ascetics - many or few people fast; look and reason according to your weakness, as much as you can accommodate: each has a measure and an inner teacher is his own conscience.
It is impossible for everyone to have one rule and one feat, because some are strong, others are weak; some like iron, others like copper, others like wax. So, knowing well your measure, take food once every day, except for Saturdays, weeks and sovereign holidays. Moderate and reasonable fasting is the foundation and head of all virtues. As with a lion and a fierce serpent to fight, so it should be with the enemy in bodily weakness and spiritual poverty. If anyone wants to have a firm mind from bad thoughts, let him refine his flesh with fasting. It is impossible to be a priest without fasting; as breathing is necessary, so is fasting. Fasting, having entered the soul, kills the sin lying in the depths of it.
Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk
As you can see, there is a bodily fast, and there is a spiritual fast. Bodily fasting - when the womb fasts from food and drink. Soul fasting - when the soul refrains from evil thoughts, deeds and words.
A good faster is one who keeps himself from fornication, adultery and all uncleanness.
A fair fasting person is one who restrains himself from anger, rage, malice and revenge
A fair faster is one who has imposed his abstinence on the tongue and keeps it from idle talk, foul language, madness, slander, condemnation, flattery, lies and all kinds of slander.
A fair faster is one who keeps his hands from theft, theft, robbery, and his heart from the desire of other people's things. In a word, a good faster is one who shuns all evil.
You see, Christian, fasting of the soul. Bodily fasting is useful to us, as it serves to mortify our passions. But spiritual fasting is absolutely necessary, because bodily fasting is nothing without it.
Many fast with the body, but do not fast with the soul.
Many fast from food and drink, but do not fast from evil thoughts, deeds and words - and what good is it for them?
Many fast every other day, two or more, but they do not want to fast because of anger, rancor and vengeance.
Many abstain from wine, meat, fish, but with their tongue they bite people like themselves - and what good is it for them? Some often do not touch food with their hands, but extend them to bribery, theft and robbery of other people's goods - and what good is it for them?
True and direct fasting is abstinence from all evil. If you want, Christian, that fasting be useful to you, then fasting bodily, fast spiritually, and always fast. As you impose fasting on your belly, so impose your evil thoughts and whims.
May your mind fast from vain thoughts.
May the memory fast from rancor.
May your will fast from evil desire.
Let your eyes fast from the evil vision: “Turn away your eyes, so that you do not see vanity”
(See Ps 119:37) .
May your ears fast from bad songs and slanderous whispers.
May your tongue fast from slander, condemnation, blasphemy, lies, flattery, foul language, and every idle and rotten word.
May your hands fast from beating and stealing someone else's goods.
May your feet fast from going to evil deeds. Turn away from evil and do good
(Ps. 33:15:1; Peter 3:11) .
This is the Christian fast that God requires of us. Repent, and, refraining from every evil word, deed, and thought, learn every virtue, and you will always fast before God.
If you fast in quarrels and strife, and strike with the hand of the humble, why do you fast before Me, as you do today, that your voice may be heard? Nor have I chosen such a fast as the day on which a man humbles his soul, when he bends his neck like a sickle and spreads sackcloth and ashes under him. You will not call such a fast a pleasant fast, not such a fast I have chosen, says the Lord. - But resolve every union of unrighteousness, destroy all debts written down by force, set the broken ones free, tear every unrighteous scripture, crush your bread with the hungry, and bring the poor who have no shelter into the house; when you see a naked man, clothe him, and do not hide yourself from your kindred.
Then your light will open like the dawn, and your healing will soon increase, and your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will accompany you. Then you will call, and the Lord will hear; you will cry out, and He will say: “Here I am! When you remove the yoke from your midst, stop lifting your finger and speaking insulting things, and give your soul to the hungry and feed the soul of the sufferer: then your light will rise in darkness, and your darkness will be like noon” (Is. 58, 4-10).
- Not only the mouth must fast, but let the eye, and the ear, and the hands, and our whole body fast.
(St. John Chrysostom) - True fasting is the removal from evil deeds. Forgive your neighbor an insult, forgive him his debts. “Do not fast in courts and quarrels.” You do not eat meat, but you eat your brother. You abstain from wine, but you do not keep yourself from resentment. You wait for the evening to taste your food, but you spend the day in court places.
(St. Basil the Great) - Are you fasting? Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, visit the sick, don't forget the prisoners. Comfort those who mourn and weep; be merciful, meek, kind, quiet, long-suffering, unforgiving, reverent, true, pious, so that God will accept your fast and give the fruits of repentance in abundance.
(St. John Chrysostom)
- In the coming days of Holy Lent, put yourself in order, reconcile yourself with people and with God. Lament and weep over your unworthiness and your death, then you will receive forgiveness and gain the hope of salvation. A contrite and humble heart God will not humiliate, and without this, no sacrifices and alms will help you.
(From the letters of Abbot Nikon (Vorobiev))
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Holy Fathers on fasting
D ve thousand years ago, humanity waited with hope for the Savior. However, the majority imagined Him as an earthly king and therefore did not notice the day of His Nativity.
Bethlehem slept peacefully, and only a handful of shepherds heard the angelic gospel.
These people believed that the Savior could be born not in the royal palace, but in a cave where sheep are sheltered from bad weather. These people saw the One Whom the whole world was waiting for, because they were pure in heart. And as a reward for everything, the secret of the Embodiment of Love was revealed to them.
How often do people hope that life will improve due to external causes. They do not suspect that the darkness of everyday life can only illuminate the love in their souls. But in order to find it, you need to cleanse your heart.
D no fasting pulls a person out of the hustle and bustle of everyday life, demands from him a pure life for God. This is a different, non-peaceful time. In the Old Testament, you were required to bring a tenth of your income to the Temple. Fasting is the New Testament sacrifice of Christians to God.
Leo the Great writes:
“The very preservation of temperance is sealed by four times, so that during the year we would know that we constantly need purification and that when life is scattered, we should always try to exterminate sin by fasting and alms, which is multiplied by the frailty of the flesh and the impurity of desires.”
According to Leo the Great, the Nativity fast is a sacrifice to God for the harvested fruits. “Just as the Lord has generousd us with the fruits of the earth,” writes the saint, “so during this fast we should be generous to the poor.”
According to St. Simeon of Thessaloniki, "The fast of the Christmas Forty Days depicts the fast of Moses, who, having fasted for forty days and forty nights, received the inscription of the words of God on stone tablets. And we, fasting for forty days, contemplate and accept the living Word from the Virgin, not inscribed on stones, but incarnated and born, and partake of His divine flesh".
The Advent fast is established so that by the day of the Nativity of Christ we cleanse ourselves by repentance, prayer and fasting, so that with a pure heart, soul and body we can reverently meet the Son of God who has appeared in the world, and in addition to the usual gifts and sacrifices, bring him a pure heart and desire follow his teachings.
Rev. Paisius Velichkovsky
By fasting I call eating one day a little, - while still being greedy to get up from the meal; to have bread and salt for food, and water for drink, which springs themselves bring. This is the royal way of eating, that is, many were saved by this way, as the Holy Fathers said. It is not always possible for a person to abstain from food for a day, two, three, four, five, and a week, but in order to eat bread and drink water every day, it is always possible. Only after eating, one should be a little greedy, so that the body is both obedient to the spirit, and capable of labor, and sensitive to intelligent movement, and bodily passions will be defeated; fasting cannot kill bodily passions as much as meager food does. Some fast for a while, and then indulge in sweet foods; for many begin fasting beyond their strength and other severe deeds, and then weaken from immoderation and unevenness, and seek sweet food and rest to strengthen the body. To do the same means to create, and then to destroy again, since the body, through poverty from fasting, is forced to sweetness and seeks consolation, and sweetness kindles passions.
If, however, one sets a certain measure for himself, how much to take meager food a day, he receives great benefit. However, regarding the amount of food, it should be established how much is needed to strengthen the strength<...>such a person can accomplish any spiritual work. If someone fasts more than that, then at another time he surrenders to rest. There is no price for a moderate feat. For some of the great Fathers took food in moderation and had a measure in everything - in exploits, in bodily needs and in cell accessories, and they used everything in due time and every thing according to a certain moderate charter. Therefore, the Holy Fathers do not command to start fasting beyond your strength and bring yourself into weakness. Make it a rule to eat every day, so you can more firmly abstain; but if someone fasts more, how can he then refrain from being full and overeating? No way. Such an immoderate undertaking comes either from vanity or from recklessness; while temperance is one of the virtues, conducive to the curbing of the flesh; Hunger and thirst are given to man for the purification of the body, preservation from bad thoughts and fornication; for every day, eating with poverty is a means to perfection, as some say; and will not in the least be humiliated morally and will not suffer spiritual harm, who eats every day at a certain hour; such are praised by Saint Theodore of Studite in his teaching on the heels of the first week of Great Lent, where he cites in confirmation the words of the holy God-bearing Fathers and the Lord Himself. This is how we should do it. The Lord endured a long fast; Equally Moses and Elijah, but once. And some others, sometimes, asking for something from the Creator, imposed on themselves a certain burden of fasting, but in accordance with natural laws and the teaching of divine Scripture. From the activity of the saints, from the life of our Savior, and from the rules of the life of those who live decently, it is clear that it is wonderful and useful to always be ready and be in feat, work and patience; however, do not weaken yourself by excessive fasting and do not bring the body into inactivity. If the flesh is inflamed in youth, much must be abstained from; if she is weak, then you need to eat enough to satiety, regardless of other ascetics - many or few people fast; look and reason according to your weakness, as much as you can accommodate: each has a measure and an inner teacher is his own conscience.
It is impossible for everyone to have one rule and one feat, because some are strong, others are weak; some like iron, others like copper, others like wax. So, knowing well your measure, take food once every day, except for Saturdays, weeks and sovereign holidays. Moderate and reasonable fasting is the foundation and head of all virtues. As with a lion and a fierce serpent to fight, so it should be with the enemy in bodily weakness and spiritual poverty. If anyone wants to have a firm mind from bad thoughts, let him refine his flesh with fasting. It is impossible to be a priest without fasting; as breathing is necessary, so is fasting. Fasting, having entered the soul, kills the sin lying in the depths of it.
Saint John Chrysostom:
Look now at the beneficial effects of fasting. Great Moses, having spent forty days fasting, was rewarded with receiving the tablets of the law; when he came down from the mountain and saw the iniquity of the people, he threw these tablets, obtained with such an effort, and broke them, considering it incongruous to communicate the commandments of the Lord to the people, drunk and honoring iniquity. Therefore, this wonderful prophet had to fast for another forty days in order to be worthy to receive again from above and bring to the people the tablets broken for their iniquity (see Ex. 24-34). And the great Elijah fasted for the same number of days, and now he escaped the dominion of death, ascended in a fiery chariot, as it were, into heaven, and to this day has not yet experienced death (see 1 Kings 19:8). And the man of desires [Daniel], after having spent many days fasting, was rewarded with a wonderful vision; he also tamed the fury of the lions and turned it into the meekness of the sheep, not changing their nature, however, but changing their disposition, while their brutality remained the same (see Dan. 10, 3). And the Ninevites with fasting rejected the Lord’s decree, forcing dumb animals to fast along with people, and thus, having lagged behind all evil deeds, disposed the Lord of the universe to philanthropy (see Jonah 3, 7-8). But why else should I turn to slaves (after all, we can count many others who became famous for fasting in both the Old and New Testaments), when you can point to our universal Lord? For our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, after already forty days of fasting, entered into a struggle with the devil and himself set an example for all of us, so that we too would arm ourselves with fasting, and, having been strengthened by it, would enter into a struggle with the devil (see Matt. 4, 2). But here, perhaps, someone - a person with a sharp and lively mind - will ask: why does the Lord fast for as many days as the slaves, and not more than them? This was done not without a reason and not without a purpose, but wisely and according to His inexpressible love of mankind, so that they would not think that He appeared on earth in a ghostly way and did not take on flesh or did not have human nature, for this He fasted for the same number of days, and not more, and thus stops the shameless mouths of the hunters for disputes ...
Therefore, I ask ... that, knowing the benefits of fasting, you do not lose it due to negligence, and when it comes, do not be sad, but rejoice and rejoice: because, as blessed Paul says, if our external person smolders, then our internal one from day to day is renewed (2 Cor. 4:16). In fact, fasting is food for the soul, and just as bodily food fattens the body, so fasting strengthens the soul, gives it an easy flight, makes it able to rise to a height and think about heavenly things, and puts it above pleasures and amenities. real life. Just as light ships cross the seas more quickly, and those burdened with a large load drown, so fasting, making our mind lighter, helps it quickly cross the sea of present life, strive for heaven and heavenly objects and not respect the present, but consider shadows and sleepy dreams as insignificant. .
Great blessings come from two virtues: prayer and fasting. For he who prays as he ought, and fasts moreover, does not ask for much, and he who does not demand much will not be a money-lover, and he who is not a money-lover loves to give alms. Whoever fasts, he becomes light and inspired, and prays with a cheerful spirit, quenches evil wishes, propitiates God and humbles his arrogant spirit. That is why the apostles almost always fasted. Whoever prays with fasting has two wings, the lightest of the wind itself. For such a one does not sleep, does not speak much, does not yawn and does not relax in prayer, as happens with many, but he is faster than fire and higher than the earth, therefore such a one is especially an enemy and a fighter against demons, since there is no stronger than a man sincerely praying. If a wife could bow down to a cruel leader who neither feared God nor was ashamed of people, then all the more can one bow down to God who constantly stands before Him, tames the womb and rejects pleasures. If your body is weak to fast without ceasing, then it is not weak for prayer and for neglecting the pleasures of the womb. If you cannot fast, then at least you can not be luxurious, and this is not unimportant and not far from fasting and can tame the fury of the devil. For nothing is so kind to the demon as luxury and drunkenness - the sources and mother of all evils.
The Lord, common to all of us, as a child-loving father, wishing to cleanse us from the sins we have committed at any time, and gave us healing in holy fasting. So, no one grieve, no one be sad, but rejoice, rejoice and glorify the Trustee of our souls, who opened this wonderful path for us, and accept his approach with great joy! Let the Hellenes be ashamed, let the Jews be put to shame, seeing with what joyful readiness we welcome his advance, and let them know by the very fact what a difference there is between us and them. Let them call drunkenness, every kind of unbridledness and shamelessness, which they usually produce at the same time, holidays and celebrations. But the Church of God, in spite of them, calls fasting a feast, contempt (of the pleasures) of the worm, and then all kinds of virtues that follow. And this is a true holiday, where the salvation of souls, where peace and harmony, from where all worldly splendor is banished, where there is no scream, no noise, no running of cooks, no slaughter of animals, but instead of all this, perfect calmness, silence, love, joy reign. , peace, meekness, and innumerable blessings.
I wish you, having cleansed your soul and said goodbye to fun and all intemperance, accept with open arms the mother of all blessings and the teacher of chastity and all virtue, that is, fasting - so that you also enjoy great pleasure, and he (fasting) brought you the proper and appropriate medicine for you. And doctors, when they intend to give medicine to those who wish to purify their rotten and spoiled juices, order to abstain from ordinary food, so that it does not prevent the medicine from acting and exerting its strength, all the more so when we are preparing to accept this spiritual medicine, i.e., the benefits that occur from fasting, we must purify our mind by abstinence and lighten the soul, so that it, mired in intemperance, does not make fasting useless and fruitless for us.
As intemperance in food is the cause and source of innumerable evils for the human race, so fasting and contempt (pleasures) of the womb have always been for us the cause of untold benefits. Having created man in the beginning and knowing that this medicine is very necessary for him for spiritual salvation, God immediately and at the very beginning gave the following commandment to the primordial: from every tree in the garden you will eat; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, do not eat from it (Gen. 2:16-17). The words: “eat this, but do not eat this,” concluded a kind of fast. But the man, instead of keeping the commandment, transgressed it. Yielding to gluttony, he showed disobedience and was condemned to death.
The one who fasts most of all needs to curb anger, accustom himself to meekness and condescension, have a contrite heart, cast out impure desires by presenting that unsleeping fire and impartial judgment, be above money calculations, show great generosity in almsgiving, expel all malice against his neighbor from his soul ...
See what true fasting is. We will perform such and such a fast, not considering it, like many, only in order to stay without food until evening. This is not the main thing, but that we combine with abstinence from brashen and abstinence from what is harmful (for the soul) and show great concern for the performance of spiritual deeds. A fasting person should be calm, quiet, meek, humble, despising the glory of this life. As he despised his soul, so he must despise vain glory, and look only at the One who tests hearts and wombs, with great zeal to make prayers and confessions before God, and, as much as possible, help himself with alms.
In addition to abstaining from food, there are many ways that can open for us the doors of boldness before God. Whoever eats food and cannot fast, let him give the most abundant alms, let him pray fervently, let him show intense zeal for hearing the word of God - here bodily weakness does not hinder us in the least - let him reconcile with enemies, let him banish from his soul all remembrance of malice . If he does this, he will make a true fast, such as the Lord requires of us. After all, He commands the very abstinence from food so that we, curbing the desires of the flesh, make it obedient in fulfilling the commandments. And if we decide not to accept help from fasting because of bodily weakness and indulge in greater carelessness, then, without knowing it, we will inflict the greatest harm on ourselves. If even during fasting we have a lack of the above-mentioned good deeds, then we will all the more show negligence when we do not use the medicine of fasting... he thanks God for having had enough strength to bear fasting labor, and the eater also thanks God, because this will not harm him in the least in the salvation of his soul, if he wants to.
The philanthropic God has opened to us an innumerable number of ways in which we, if we only want to, can achieve the highest boldness (before God).
Saint Barsanuphius the Great:
Fasting bodily means nothing without spiritual fasting the inner man, which consists of protecting oneself from the passions. This fasting of the inner man is pleasing to God and will reward you for your lack of bodily fasting.
Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt:
How great is the power of fasting and prayer! No wonder: during fasting, the soul becomes dominant over the lusts of the body, generally subordinates it to itself, and the devil very often acts through the flesh; a fasting person overcomes, therefore, both the flesh and the devil - which means that then he is close to God in his moral state and can most easily do the powers of God. If prayer is added to this, which brings down to us the blessing and help of heaven, then a person can really command not only material nature, but also fallen spirits. How did the Lord Himself defeat the devil? Fasting and prayer.
In fasting, especially a priest, one must leave the sweetness that irritates the flesh and not please it, but grieve it: sleep not for long, teach the people the Word of God, unfeigned, fruitful repentance, arouse hatred for every sin, explain how it is unnatural to us and disgusting to God, how he (sin) contrary to nature has become related to it and acts in it imperiously, insatiably and fatally.
Where does fasting and repentance lead? Why work? It leads to the cleansing of sins, peace of mind, to union with God, to sonship, to boldness before the Lord. There is something to fast and confess with all my heart. The reward will be invaluable for conscientious work.
They say: it’s not important to eat modest in fasting, fasting is not in food; it is not important to wear expensive, beautiful clothes, to go to the theater, to evening parties, to masquerades, to get magnificent expensive dishes, furniture, expensive carriages, dashing horses, to collect and save money and so on; but because of what does our heart turn away from God, the Source of life, because of what do we lose eternal life? Is it not because of gluttony, is it not because of precious clothes, like the gospel rich man, is it not because of theaters and masquerades? Why do we become hard-hearted towards the poor and even towards our relatives? Is it not because of our addiction to sweets, in general to the womb, to clothes, to expensive dishes, furniture, carriage, money and other things? Is it possible to work for God and mammon, to be a friend of the world and a friend of God, to work for Christ and Belial? Impossible. Why did Adam and Eve lose paradise, fall into sin and death? Is it not because of a single poison * (* Is it not because of a single poison - Is it not only because of food.)? Take a good look at why we do not care about the salvation of our soul, which cost the Son of God so dearly, because of which we add sins to sins, we fall incessantly into opposition to God, into a vain life, is it not because of addiction to earthly things, and especially to earthly sweets? What causes our heart to harden? Because of what we become flesh, and not spirit, perverting our moral nature, is it not because of addiction to food, drink and other earthly goods? How, after this, to say that eating fast in fasting is not important? This very thing that we say so is pride, superstition, disobedience, disobedience to God and separation from Him.
Eating extensively, you become a carnal person, not having a spirit, or soulless flesh, but by fasting, you attract the Holy Spirit to yourself and become spiritual. Take cotton paper not soaked in water. It is light and, in small quantities, is carried 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 to protect the soul with fasting!
Post - good teacher: 1) he 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 well renders or reveals all the infirmities of our soul, all its weaknesses, shortcomings, sins and passions, just as muddy, stagnant water that begins to clear itself shows what reptiles are found in it or what quality rubbish; 3) he shows us the need to resort to God with all our hearts and seek mercy, help, salvation from Him; 4) fasting shows all the cunning, deceit, all the malice of the incorporeal spirits, whom we previously worked without knowing, whose deceit, when illuminated, now clearly turns out to be the light of God's grace, and who now viciously persecute us for leaving their ways.
Whoever rejects fasting forgets what caused the fall of the first people (from intemperance) and what weapon against sin and the tempter the Savior showed us when he was tempted in the wilderness (fasting for forty days and nights), he does not know or does not want to know that a person it falls away from God most often through intemperance, as it was with the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah and with Noah's contemporaries - for all sin in people comes from intemperance; whoever rejects fasting takes away from himself and others weapons against his many-passionate flesh and against the devil, who are strong against us especially through our intemperance, he is not a warrior of Christ, for he throws down his weapon and voluntarily surrenders himself into captivity to his voluptuary and sin-loving flesh; he, finally, is blind and does not see the relationship between the causes and consequences of deeds.
If you eat and drink greedily, you will be flesh, but if you fast and pray, you will be spirit. "Do not be drunk with wine... but be filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18). Fast and pray and you will do great things. A well-fed person is not capable of a great deed. Have the simplicity of faith - and you will do great things: for "everything is possible to him who believes" (Mark 9:23). Have diligence and diligence - and you will accomplish great things.
If there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:10), then what a joyful time for good angels God's Great Lent, and in particular - the days of repentance and communion: Friday and Saturday? And how much the priests contribute to this joy of theirs, carefully, paternally confessing their spiritual children! But, on the other hand, there is no sadder time for demons than the time of fasting, which is why they become especially ferocious during fasting and with special ferocity attack priests who contribute to sincere repentance for the sins of God's people, and with special force they chill in the temple and at home to pious Christians who are zealous for prayer, fasting and repentance. Which of the pious priests and laity does not know the demonic fury directed at them during the very celebration of the Sacrament of Penance? - The slightest oversight on the part of the priest-confessor, the slightest unrighteous movement of the heart, and they, with all their demonic ferocity, enter the heart of the priest and torment him for a long, long time, if he does not soon expel them, uninvited guests with the most fervent prayer of repentance and living faith.
The fast of Moses is for the intemperance of the Israelites. The suffering of the saints is for our effeminacy; their fasts and deprivations - for our intemperance and luxury; their fervent prayers are for us, lazy to pray. The fast of our Lord Jesus Christ is for our intemperance. The stretching out of His hands on the Cross is for our stretching out of hands to the forbidden tree and to everything forbidden by the commandments of God. The sanity of our prayers for others is to justify those for whom we pray; the sanity of our deeds and virtues for others, for example, prayers and alms for the dead and for the living. So, the prayers with tears of mother Augustine for her son saved Augustine.
It is necessary for a Christian to fast in order to clarify the mind and arouse and develop feelings and move the will to good activity. We overshadow and suppress these three abilities of a person most of all by overeating, drunkenness and worldly cares (Luke 21:34), and through this we fall away from the source of life - God and fall into corruption and vanity, perverting and defiling the image of God in ourselves. Overeating and voluptuousness nail us to the ground and clip, so to speak, the soul's wings. And look how high the flight of all fasters and abstinences was! They, like eagles, soared in the sky; they, the earthly, lived with their minds and hearts in heaven and heard inexpressible words there, and there they learned divine wisdom. And how a man humiliates himself by gluttony, overeating and drunkenness! He perverts his nature, created in the image of God, and becomes like the dumb cattle and even becomes worse than him. Oh, woe to us from our addictions, from our lawless habits! They prevent us from loving God and our neighbors and keeping the commandments of God; they root in us criminal carnal selfishness, the end of which is eternal perdition. So a drunkard, for the pleasure of the flesh and the stupefaction of himself, does not spare a lot of money, but spares a penny for the poor; the tobacco smoker throws tens and hundreds of rubles into the wind, and spares the poor the kopecks that could save his soul; those who like to dress luxuriously or hunt for fashionable furniture and utensils spend a lot of money on clothes and furniture with utensils, and beggars are passed by with coldness and contempt; those who love good food do not spare tens and hundreds of rubles for dinners, while the poor are spared pennies. And therefore it is necessary for a Christian to fast, because with the incarnation of the Son of God, human nature is inspired, deified, and we hasten to the heavenly Kingdom, which is not food and drink, but truth and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14, 17); food for the belly, and the belly for food: but God will destroy both (1 Corinthians 6:13). Eating and drinking, that is, having a passion for sensual pleasures, is peculiar only to paganism, which, not knowing the spiritual, heavenly pleasures, delivers all life in the pleasure of the womb, in much eating and drinking. That is why the Lord often denounces this pernicious passion in the Gospel. And is it reasonable for a person to live unceasingly in gastric fumes, in gastric vapors rising inside from the incessant cooking of food and its fermentation? Is man only a walking kitchen or a self-propelled chimney, which can justly be likened to all those engaged in incessant smoking?
We, Christians, as new people, are commanded to fast, so we should not worry much about nourishing the womb, excesses in food and drink, about delicacies, because all this hinders the achievement of the Kingdom of Heaven. 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 mind and body.
“When you fast, do not be gloomy, like hypocrites, for they do not take on gloomy faces in order to appear to people who are fasting” (Matthew 6, 16).
At present, there are very few people who, out of hypocrisy, would want to appear to others during fasting as great fasters in order to earn fame for themselves from people. Most likely there will now be people who neither want to be nor appear to be fasters; because they consider fasting to be useless and superfluous for themselves, and to seem like fasters to others is a stupid and ridiculous thing.
Is fasting necessary, that is, abstinence not only from certain foods that are not used in fasting, but also refraining from using them in in large numbers? Is fasting necessary as abstaining from the pleasures of gross sensuality? Is fasting necessary as abstaining from disorderly thoughts and movements of the heart and disapproving actions? But do you want, beloved, to inherit blessed eternity, or the Kingdom of Heaven, which also undoubtedly exists, as it is certain that we now live on earth, because God the Word incarnate Himself, His prophets, apostles and all the saints assures us of this His? How not to want! There, according to the faithful and immutable Word of God, righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit live forever and ever (Rom. 14:17), God is there, blessed spirits are there, righteous people are there, and on earth - for not much more than seventy years only you can almost see sins, turmoil and calamities - everywhere. If you want, then you must certainly fast: since flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Cor. 15:50), because the Kingdom of God is not food and drink (Rom. 14:17).
Is fasting necessary as abstaining from disorderly thoughts and movements of the heart and disapproving actions? If you agree that God is your Legislator and righteous Judge, Who knows how to punish the violators of His laws, if your conscience tells you that your soul, out of order, has violated order more than once moral life, out of obedience to the laws of the Creator, then you must necessarily agree that you need to restore the order of your moral life, bring your thoughts into the correct order from disorderly fermentation here and there, force your heart to tear itself away from unworthy objects, to which, due to your inattention and oversights, clung so strongly that she forgot about the first object of her love - God; behave in such a way that it would not be a shame to put your actions before the court of your conscience and at the court of people and God. You know that an abomination to the Lord is an unrighteous thought (Prov. 15:26), that God asks Himself of your heart, which you have given to the will of the passions, that every evil one (Ps. 5:5) and unclean will not dwell with Him. If you want to be with God, if you want to be eternally prosperous, then you must agree that you need to fast with your soul, collect your mind, correct your thoughts, cleanse your thoughts, instead of the rags of unrighteous deeds, adorn yourself with precious clothes of good deeds. The bodily fast is established in order to make it easier for the soul to fast.
For this, by the way, 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 purify, 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 race of demons proceeds only through prayer and fasting. Holy Church, knowing the power of this spiritual weapons, calls us twice every week to fast - on Wednesday and Friday, by the way, in remembrance of the suffering and death of our Savior, and in a year - many times in all multi-day fasts, and combines Great Lent with special touching prayers of repentance. Fasting and prayer have that spiritual benefit that, by strengthening our souls, they strengthen faith, hope, and love in us and unite us with God.
The time of Fortecost is a time of struggle, exploits against invisible enemies, against all sins and passions that possess us. This is how it should be according to the meaning of the Church. Fortecost was established in imitation of our Savior, who gave us an image and example in everything, and during fasting He was tempted by the devil and defeated him by the Word of God.
Whoever truly fasts must inevitably endure the sorrow of the flesh, the stubborn struggle of the spirit with it, and, to top it all off, the intrigues of the devil acting on our soul through various thoughts that cause great sorrow, especially those who are not yet firm and imperfect in Christian life.
We now have Great Lent, which lasts forty days. What is this Great Lent? He is a precious gift to us of our Savior, Who Himself fasted for forty days and nights, did not eat or drink, a truly precious gift for all those who seek salvation, as a mortifier of spiritual passions. By His word and example, the Lord legitimized him to His followers. And with what love, with what divine, gracious powers the Lord serves all those who truly fast! He enlightens them, cleanses them, renews them, strengthens them in the struggle against passions and invisible enemies, against principalities and authorities and world rulers of the darkness of this age; teaches every virtue and elevates to perfection, to incorruption and heavenly bliss. All those who truly fast have experienced and are experiencing this. Fasting with prayer is a sure weapon against the devil and the many-passionate flesh. Let no one be clever that fasting is not needed.
It (fasting) pacifies our sinful, whimsical flesh, frees the soul from under its weight, giving it, as it were, wings for free soaring to heaven, gives a place for the action of the grace of God. Whoever fasts freely and correctly knows how light and bright the soul is during fasting; then good thoughts easily enter the head, and the heart becomes purer, more tender, more compassionate - we feel the desire for good deeds; is contrition for sins, the soul begins to feel the fatality of its position and begins to lament over sins. And when we do not fast, when thoughts are in disorder, feelings are not curbed, and the will allows itself everything, then you rarely see a saving change in a person, then he is dead in his soul: all her forces act in the wrong direction; the main goal of action - the goal of life - is overlooked; there are many private ends, almost as many as every person has passions or whims. A strange work is going on in the soul, the result of which seems to be some kind of creation: you see the materials for construction, the beginning, middle and end of the work, but in fact the end of everything comes out - nothing. The soul goes against itself, against its own salvation with all its might: with the mind, and will, and feeling. Whoever fasts in a Christian way, reasonably, freely, according to the unfalse promise of the Lord, is rewarded for his feat from the Heavenly Father. Your father, the Savior said about a true faster, who sees in secret, will reward you openly (Matt. 6:4). And this reward, no doubt, is always generous, truly paternal, serving to our most essential benefit.
Or they consider it a sin to eat, even due to bodily weakness, on a fast day something modest and without a twinge of conscience despise or condemn their neighbor, for example, acquaintances, offend or deceive, weigh, measure, indulge in carnal impurity.
O hypocrisy, hypocrisy! O misunderstanding of the spirit of Christ, the spirit of the Christian faith! Is it not inner purity, meekness and humility that the Lord our God requires of us first of all? Shouldn't the inner pots and dishes be cleaned so that the outer one is clean? Is not external fasting given to help inner virtue? Why do we pervert the divine order?
Saint Ignatius (Bryanchaninov):
But what is a post in essence? And is there not self-deception among those who consider it necessary to fulfill the fast only by the letter, but do not love it and are weary of it in their hearts?
And is it possible to call fasting only the observance of some rules about not eating fast food on fast days? Will fasting be fasting if, apart from a certain change in the composition of food, we think neither about repentance, nor about abstinence, nor about cleansing the heart through fervent prayer?
Fasting is not a diet. The apostle remarks that “food does not bring us closer to God” (1 Cor. 8, 8). “There is no perfection in the visible abstinence of the flesh, and even the unbelievers may have it, out of necessity or hypocrisy,” says Reverend John Cassian the Roman. Abstinence in food is only the basis for further construction, it "preserves our mind in due purity and sobriety, in due subtlety and spirituality our heart."
Saint Theophan the Recluse:
Fasting on Wednesday and five is enough. There is no need to add anything else to this. Lean more on streamlining thoughts and feelings. It is enough to keep the body in continence.
Fasting children, if health does not allow, is not necessary. But it’s a pity that, having got used to it from childhood, then they won’t arrange for a post.
I also congratulate you on the beginning of the soul-saving post. The great blessing is this time. God, through the Holy Church, has beneficially established it for us, the weak, the incapable and the incapable of good fasting all the time of our lives, although we realize that all of it, not excluding a moment, must belong to the Lord and be turned to His glory. This is also according to our very creation, and even more so according to redemption, in which we are bought at a priceless price, which is why we should not belong to ourselves, but to the one who bought us, who by virtue of this became our Master, lawfully demanding that we betray ourselves and others to Him. masters did not call upon themselves, which, due to our oversight, are innumerable.
This began the week of preparation for fasting, and at the very beginning - the Meeting, which very significantly indicates that those who wish to meet the Lord can achieve this only through fasting labors, publican humility, sincere repentance at the direction of the prodigal, in memory of the Last Judgment, weeping for the fall in Adam and for our own sins and crying, "Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me!"
Please stand at the beginning of this path, look it all into the distance ... and then set out, to the best of your ability, to go through it, as the Lord desires.
Congratulations on St. Forty days. Help you, Lord, to spend it in good health and for the salvation of the soul. You can serve all the services with bows at home ... and go to mass on Saturday and Sunday.
You can also pray at home without going to church. When fasting, it’s good to force yourself. And on other weeks you can pray at home, only go to the Presanctified. And at home, then read the aftermath, as expected, or even with bows alone, you can get off.
With the eve of fasting!... You have heard: open the doors of repentance!... The merciful Lord again stands at His open doors with open arms. Let us fall into His arms and weep before the Lord, Who created us and in every possible way arranges our salvation by His providential actions for us.
Regarding food during treatment: you can take it according to the prescription of doctors, not for the sake of the flesh, but as an aid to a speedy recovery, meaning, after the cure, be more strict with this matter, with food, i.e. You can observe this severity when taking fast food food, namely to take it in smaller quantities. But although this is possible, however, those who abstain and keep a fasting table during fasting, although weak, do better: as I advise you ... They refused the operation, and it turned out better; it will be better if you refuse here too, for the fear of God. All food is useful, as long as it is not spoiled, but fresh and healthy ... As the elders of God lived for more than a hundred years, eating only bread and water ...
Abstinence from passions is better than all medicines, and it gives a long life.
Not from food alone, the stomach ... or health, but from God's blessing, which always overshadows the one who betrays himself into the will of God when he lifts burdens on the path of fulfilling the commandments of God.
You congratulated me on the new year, and I congratulate you on the post. The words are different, but the deed is one: for whoever does all that is done in St. fasting as it should, he will truly enter the new year of life. This is what I wish you. Of course, you are new for a long time; but our news is such that it often requires updating. We flow along the path of life among rags, which, under our feet, and on the sides, and in front, and behind, and above, and below, and from the inside, and from the outside, envelop us and crowd us, and it is very difficult or impossible that which of them does not stick and did not remain on us and in us, as it is impossible for him to walk along high road don't get dusty. So the merciful Lord arranged a fast for us, which, on the one hand, is a review, or an inspection, where there are some dust particles, rags, on the other, a bathhouse for washing everything that is dilapidated, plain, dirty, so that, having passed both, we are brand new , clean and pleasing to God and people, like a tree in spring, again covered with leaves and flowers. I wish you all this from the bottom of my heart.
Where did they find such a rule about fasting? Wherever spiritual fasting is spoken of, it is not mentioned that there is nothing to worry about about bodily fasting, you can do without it, and it is only reminded not to be limited to bodily fasting alone. Great Lent and the Dormition are significant, but one cannot conclude from this that other fasts can be turned into non-fasts. It is necessary to be correct in the church charter completely, without reservations.
Fasting is not to eat your fill, but to leave yourself a little hungry, so that neither thought nor heart are burdened.
Having bothered with fasting, you give yourself consolation. It's okay. Only less carnal consolation, but more spiritual. And it is fitting to inspire the carnal with thanksgiving, dimensional dimensionality and spiritual comprehension. You seem to be doing just that. In the general course of your life, you see yourself surrounded by the graces of God more than others - and thank the Lord. Dobre! This thanksgiving is the strengthening of the possession of these graces. Move from the joyful to the expectation of the sad - and also get ready to give thanks: for everything is from the Lord for our good - eternal.
The type of food in the restoration of strength is a side matter ... The main thing is fresh food (not spoiled), the air is clean ... and most of all, peace of mind. Restless spirit and passion spoil the blood - and significantly harm health. Fasting, and fasting life in general, is the best means of maintaining health and its prosperity.
With post! Help you, Lord, to spend it soul-saving. Don't push yourself too hard. There is not enough strength to obey and to fulfill the rule. Everything in moderation. Pay more attention to the inner and more strictly analyze everything that happens there, in the light of the word of God with fatherly indications. A small crookedness there threatens with a big disaster.
Nowhere is it written without a special need to take on too much post. The post is an external matter. It must be undertaken according to the demand of the inner life. What is your need for such excessive fasting? And so you eat a little. The measure that has already been established could be kept in fasting. And then you constantly great post. How about spending whole days without food? It could also be done on the week when they were preparing to partake of the Holy Mysteries. The whole post is so torturing yourself for what? And they would put to eat a little every day. Your thought would always consider you a poison and a drinker, but now, it is true, it magnifies you - and it is necessary to fight. At times, delight in one’s achievement will also break through, and for this, God’s punishment follows, usually manifested by a decrease in warmth and composure. In view of this evil, I cannot call your fasting good. Get it in moderation. On this Pentecost, hold the table according to the Rule or in relation to it. And for the rest of the time, lighten the post. You don't need this at all. I feel sorry for you; but I say this about fasting not out of pity, but out of confidence that you will not benefit from it in any particular way, and self-delusion is close - a great and great misfortune!
Self-indulgent and stubborn in everything across! You don't want to listen to anything. Well, live as you wish. This rhyme of your crappy will not lead to good. There are already the beginnings of self-deception, but you don’t see it. Look at what you write: "I'm not what I used to be." This is called self-conceit. Say further: “And if you don’t say anything against a trip to Voronezh and Zadonsk, I won’t listen.” This is called willfulness. Finally, about prayer, that "it's better for you to pray this way and that way." This means following your tastes. Of these three: self-taste, self-will and conceit - the pernicious spirit of delusion is composed. He is in your firstfruits; but if you do not take heed, and all act in the same rank, he will grow up and destroy you. And it's all the fault of the post! He sticks out at you - not at all in place.
Who is against fasting? Fasting is one of the first deeds of a monk and a Christian. But it is impossible not to rebel against immoderate fasting. This one is detrimental. Only empty rumor excites outside and vanity inside. Your elders are rightly grumbling: here we have an ascetic, she eats one prosphora, she does not make a fire. And you are getting stronger and stronger. They talk about trifles, and in you they give birth to a worm of vanity and a high opinion of themselves: “Now I’m not the same.” Your tongue sometimes speaks humble speeches, but it lies in your heart that you have ascended high and, tea, have surpassed everyone. It always happens. Start striking at external exploits, you will immediately fall into spiritual pride. And the enemy needs something. Well, mother, add, add. And mother of all strength! He thinks that he pleases God, but in fact he amuses the enemy and the boil of vanity inflates and expands. I am writing you all this unsweetened stuff for the sake of the danger you are in.
Look around and while there is time, fix things.
You think I want to feed you. Not at all. I want to direct you to moderate fasting, which would keep you in humble feelings. And then you don't know where you're going. Talk about it with whoever you want, everyone will say the same. It doesn't take long to distort your inner self with an unreasonable outer one, but to fix it properly again - you won't suddenly fix it. This bad feeling will begin to deepen in you, that you are no longer what you were before; warmth, tenderness and contrition will decrease. When the heart grows cold, then what? Beware of this. The path of humble, moderate action is the most reliable.
Again I repeat: who is against fasting? But post a fast, and at least drop another. That is what yours is. And I consider him so not for his own sake, but for the reason that he leads you into self-conceit, as your entire past letter was filled with. So it is impossible not to rise up against him as the cause of such a dangerous mood of the spirit. Fasting itself is blessed. Eating less and sleeping less is a good thing. Still, in moderation. And besides, the soul must be protected by deep humility. Writing as he wrote, he had one thing in mind - to arouse in you apprehension and vigilant observation of the suggestions of the enemy, with which he knows how to approach so skillfully that you will not even notice. He will begin with a subtle thought and will lead to great deeds according to his kind. Look, for the Lord's sake, disgrace yourself. May the Lord help you to deepen your feelings of self-abasement and humility!
Congratulations on your holy post. Bless you, Lord, to see him soul-saving. Yes, look, do not upset your health. If you don't feed the horse, you won't be lucky. Of course, you must wish that what you started never changes and turns into the law of life. Bodily exploits are handy to us because the body can get used to everything. Until he gets used to it, he screams, and when he gets used to it, he will be silent. That's the limit of work on the body. The body is an obedient slave, but it must be trained. Well school, only in moderation. Work on the soul has no end.
With regard to fasting, act with complete freedom, applying everything to main goal. When to weigh down, when you can lighten, depending on the need. Fasting is not an end, but a means. It is better not to bind yourself in this respect by an invariable decree, as if by bonds: when it is so, when it is otherwise, only without benefits and self-pity, but also without cruelty, leading to exhaustion.
You're all messing around with your penny fasting. Well, do as you have planned: just do not consider this important. It is important to pay attention to the movements of the heart and purify them by repentance every minute. Do this more. At the same time, to see the Lord and be in mortal memory - these are important things!
Do not regret the fact that you had to add something from food. One should not even be attached to the holy rules, but keep oneself in relation to them with complete freedom, disposing of them reasonably. It does not matter if you add something else, only not for the sake of the flesh, but out of need.
But here is the fast: let us fast, brethren, with a pleasant fast. Woe when fasting is not pleasing to us or to God. Since we have become weak! .. And all because we are righteous ... A sinner will not feel sorry for himself, and when he feels sinfulness - then hold on, sinful flesh!
There are so many rumors about fasting, how they rise up against it and say: “Why is fasting so strict, when the Lord Himself says that what does not enter into a person defiles, but comes from the heart, and the apostle teaches: “Let not the eater condemn the one who eats” * (*...who does not eat, do not condemn the one who eats.) (Rom. 14, 3), and St. Chrysostom on St. Pascha calls everyone to rejoicing, both those who have fasted and those who have not?
Poor post! How much he suffers reproaches, slander, persecution! But everything, by the grace of God, is worth it. Yes, and how else? Support is strong! The Lord fasted, the apostles fasted, and, moreover, not a little, but, as the apostle Paul says about himself, “there are many in fasting,” and all the saints of God kept a strict fast, so that if it were given to us to survey the abodes of paradise, we did not find there would be not a single one who would shy away from fasting. So it should. By breaking the fast, paradise is lost - the lifting of a strict fast should be among the means to return the lost paradise.
Our mother, Holy Church, compassionate, is it our stepmother? Would she place such a heavy and unnecessary burden on us? But it imposes! It's true, it can't be otherwise. Let us submit... Yes, and everyone who wants to be saved submits... Look around. Little by little, someone who cares about the soul will start to fast now, and the stronger his care, the stricter he fasts. Why would it? “Because during fasting, things go more successfully and it is easier to control the soul. Whoever dissuades from fasting, it is true, salvation is not dear to him. Where the womb writes the laws, there God is the womb. To whom God is the womb, that is the enemy of the Cross of Christ. Whoever is an enemy of the Cross is an enemy of Christ, our Savior and God. Here is how you proceed: when someone begins to rise up against some ascetic ordinance of God, start asking him what kind he accepts besides this rejected one? For example, who rejects fasting, ask: “Well, is it necessary to go to church? do i need to keep home prayer rule ? do I need to confess? and so on... and you will surely find that he will renounce everything. And it will be clear to you that he is not good at fasting, but about any cramped conditions in general... He wants to live widely... Well, let him live! Only by all means read him the definition of the Judgment of God on a wide path! It is the duty of anyone leading this definition! After all, when you ask everything, it turns out that such a sage is of a completely different kind of faith. And tell him then; tell me that you, brother, have a different god, other laws, other hopes! apostles, shepherds and teachers of the universe - all fasters and legislators of fasting! So we can't do it any other way. And you go your own way. Don't you think to convince such people?.. Where are we going! Their forehead is copper and the neck is iron! What will you do with them? Do not think that they have any solid reasons. No. They just have a lot of persistence. Those false interpretations that you have heard, it is true, are considered lofty ideas among them. And look what is there? They say: what does not enter the mouth defiles ... Who argues against this? Do those who fast abstain from food because they are afraid of being defiled by it? God have mercy! Nobody thinks so. And it is the cunning worldly who weave lies in order to somehow cover themselves with plausibility. Those who break the fast defile themselves, only not with food, but with the violation of the commandment of God, disobedience and stubbornness. And those who fast and do not keep their hearts pure are not considered pure. Both are needed: both bodily fasting and spiritual fasting. So it is said in the teachings, so it is sung in the Church. Whoever does not fulfill this is not to blame for fasting! Why, then, refuse from the post under this pretext? Would you like to ask those who do not want to fast whether they keep their hearts pure? The thing is incredible! If during fasting and other ascetic deeds it is hardly possible to control our kind heart, then without fasting, there is nothing to say. Remember how one old man met a young monk who was leaving the tavern and said to him: “Hey, brother! It's not a good thing to come here!" He answered him: “Go! If only the heart was pure...” Then the elder said with amazement: “For how many years I have been living in the wilderness and fasting and praying, and rarely go out anywhere, but I have not yet acquired a pure heart; and you, young one, walking around the taverns, managed to acquire a pure heart. Wonder!” The same must be said to anyone who refuses to fast! And the fact that it says further: “Let not the one who eats not condemn the one who eats”, does not lead to anything. After all, this is an instruction! Putting ourselves among those who fast, let us thank for the advice or reminder. But the one who does not fast is not freed from the obligation to fast and from the responsibility for not fasting. Whoever condemns a non-faster sins, but the non-faster does not become righteous through this. And let's not judge. Let everyone to himself, as he knows. And it is necessary to stand for the rule or the law of fasting and not allow freestyle wrestlers to insidiously weave lies. Finally, the indulgence of Chrysostom to those who did not fast means only the kindness of his heart and the desire that on the Bright Sunday of Christ everyone rejoices and there is not a single sad face. Such is the desire of the holy father, but whether it comes true in practice - God knows! Say to the patient: be healthy, be healthy... Will he be healthy from this? The same is there. Everyone is invited to rejoice, but is everyone truly rejoicing? Where is the conscience to go? Noise and din is not joy. Joy is in the heart, which does not always rejoice at external amusements.
Help you, Lord, to fast for salvation, to speak and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ properly. And take care of yourself, and put things in order, and enjoy the peace of God - the grace of the Lord our Savior, when you are more sincerely able to receive Him into yourself.
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 feast, which the Holy Spirit sanctified by His descent, is usually followed by a nationwide fast, beneficially established for the healing of the soul and body, and therefore requiring that we see it off 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 dwelled in their hearts, among other mysteries of the heavenly teaching, at the suggestion of the Comforter, the teaching was also taught about spiritual abstinence, so that the hearts, cleansed by fasting, would become more capable of acceptance of grace-filled gifts... it is impossible to fight the forthcoming efforts of the persecutors and the furious threats of the wicked in a pampered body and fattened flesh, since that which delights our outer man, destroys the inner, and vice versa, the rational soul is the more purified, the more the flesh is mortified.
Rev. Isaac Sirin:
The spirit does not submit [to the cross] unless the body first submits to it.
Rev. Efrem Sirin:
The Kingdom of God is now close to everyone who serves God in righteousness; because the days of pure fasting have come for the one who really fasts in purity.
Therefore, beloved, let us keep this fast with zeal and with a pure heart; because it is sweet and pleasant for those who spend these holy days. Let us use this holy fast for wrestling with the devil; because without fasting and prayer no one can overcome the evil one. Let us use this fast, beloved, to ask and pray for mercy from the All-Good and Merciful, Who does not reject the one who asks. This fast, beloved, opens the door of heaven, because it lifts us from the earth and raises us to the heights.
... With the help of this holy fast, a person ascends to heaven and soars into paradise, if only he fasts in perfect purity. With this holy fast, a person glorifies God, and to everyone who zealously observes the fast, He opens the door of mercy.
So much has already been said about fasting, about its meaning, about its goals and methods, measure and understanding, both by the holy fathers of our Orthodox Church and by our good mentors, pastors-carers, that there is practically nothing to add. Therefore, I dare to speak not about the fast itself, but about the auspicious time during which it falls, and how we should not lose ourselves in this time ...
Is the unity of all with all bad?
For more than a year now, those who have been making considerable efforts to forget the covenants and heritage of our mentors who are firm in the faith, to please the world, try not to change themselves for the Church, but to change the Church for themselves, strong recommendations have been issued on the transition to a new calendar. How wonderful it would be, they say in unison, if we celebrated the Nativity of our Lord before the New Year! Then all Orthodox could share the joy of this bright holiday with the whole country, with Catholics, and in general with the whole world!
How wonderful it would be if we celebrated Christmas before the New Year!
And the truth is, is such a unity of everyone with everyone bad?
But it happens that it happens badly, because you should always first consider around what and for what this unity occurs.
And I propose to consider this issue just on the example of these two holidays: the Nativity of Christ and the New Year.
Orthodox Christians have a holiday almost every day! They even sometimes laugh at us, they say - look at these people, they greet each other almost every day like this: “Happy Holidays!”. Indeed, there is almost no day that the Holy Church does not honor the memory of one of the martyrs, or the righteous, or saints, or apostles.... Not to mention Sundays, about the holidays of the Great.
But among all these holidays, I would especially single out two: the Bright Resurrection of Christ and. The first is generally called the Feast of Feasts, and the second is one of the Great Twelfth. Let's talk about the second...
It is difficult for us to imagine the degree of humility of the Lord
Nativity. What happened? Why does this event overshadow almost everything in the universe?
But the fact is that if this event, this great mystery - the Incarnation - had not happened, there would have been no salvation for people, that is, for us.
Here is what Rev. Justin Popovich writes:
“Truly, God, as a man, was born on earth! Why? - That we may receive life through Him (1 John 4:9). For without the God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ, human life is wholly and completely suicidal nonsense, death is truly the most obvious and most terrible nonsense on earth. To comprehend death means to comprehend life in all its depths, heights, infinities. And this is done only by the All-human-loving Lord, Who through immeasurable love becomes a man and forever remains the God-man in human world. Human life only as God-life, life in God, acquires its eternal meaning. And outside of God, life is the most absurd nonsense, full of resentment and bitterness.
It is difficult for us to imagine and understand the degree of the Lord's humility. How we argue:
- Well, a baby was born, well, yes, in a barn, in fact, with cattle. But are there few people among people who were born in such poverty, and perhaps even more?
The Lord Almighty humbled himself to the point that he took on our flesh
Oh, you miserable man! Yes, then a person is born from a person - and then he grumbles! And then the Lord Almighty! He humbled himself to the point that he took upon Himself our flesh, not for Himself - for the sake of us, for the sake of the creature, created by Him, disobeying Him and often cursing Him, betraying Him, forgetting Him, our Creator! And how did He come to become a man? Not a king, not a high priest, not a great ruler... a small, defenseless baby! Just imagine - a lump that fits on the palms, where you put it - it lies there, as you swaddle it, it will accept it - and this is the One Who created everything with His Word!
The Virgin today gives birth to the Substantial,
and the earth brings a den to the Unapproachable;
Angels with shepherds glorify
the wolves travel with the star,
for us, for the sake of being born young,
eternal God
(Kontakion, voice 3).
Such a day awaits us, such a Feast at the end of the field of fasting! This is the celebration we are preparing for – the meeting of the Lord of the Universe, who has taken our flesh upon Himself so that we can be deified!
It would be better if the holiday was postponed so that New Year don't fast
What do our Orthodox brothers and sisters, among other things, tell us?
- It would be better if the Holiday was moved earlier so that on New Year's Eve there would be no fasting ...
And, it would seem, what bad would happen?
But I will say that bad things would happen, and even such reasoning itself has an unkind root.
Celebrations about the Christmas tree are valued no less than the Feast of the Nativity of Christ
Such sadness about the need to observe fasting on the New Year suggests that celebrations about the New Year tree are valued, if not higher, then certainly no less than the Feast of the Nativity of Christ. Indeed, if the New Year had not been felt important in comparison with the Christmas holiday, then there would have been no frustration and lamentations. It would pass unnoticed, like some day of lovers exhaust gases or cardboard boxes... But no, they have high New Year's celebrations! And so high that it causes dissatisfaction and irritation with the fact that they fall on fasting days.
And what is sadness for? Is this day particularly worthy in a series of other days? No, unless the person himself makes it special, then it will not stand out among the days of others. A person will show mercy to someone - and create this day good for himself, indulge in festivities and idle rejoicing - and create evil.
“Have you not heard the words of Paul: you look at days, and months, and times, and summers. I'm afraid about you, in vain I labored in you (Gal. 4, 10-11)? Extremely crazy one by one happy day expect the same for the whole year; and not only from madness, but also from the influence of the devil comes the idea that in the affairs of your life you must rely not on your own zeal and activity, but on the daily circulation of time. A happy year will be for you in everything, not when you drink on the first day, but if on the first and every day you do what is pleasing to God.
So, if you want to benefit from the beginning of new months, then do this: at the end of the year, thank the Lord that He has kept you until this limit of years; break with your heart, count the time of your life, and say to yourself: the days run and pass; the years are ending; we have already made a lot of our way; what good have we done? Shall we leave here without everything, without any virtue? Judgment is at the door, the rest of life tends to old age.
It is not for nothing that the evil one incites a person, especially an Orthodox one, to spend New Year's Eve in idleness, eating abundant food and drinking wine. On New Year's Eve, the Holy Church commemorates the martyr Boniface, to whom we all pray for deliverance from addiction to alcohol, from drunkenness. Is it possible to imagine a greater absurdity on the verge of insanity than an Orthodox drunk, at a hearty meal, on the feast of this saint? Wouldn't it have been more natural for him to meet this day at a divine service in the church (especially since the day and many subsequent days are free from work)?
Our whole fast consists in the fact that we refuse fast food.
Rejoicing at the onset of fasting, I want to speculate a little more about the features of the calendar ...
We should not be sad that New Year's celebration falls on the days of fasting, but rejoice! In this I see the special mercy of God to us, unworthy of such mercy.
Is one of us capable of, I won’t say, great, but at least some feats? We almost do not consider ourselves, we do not study, we do not educate the will that lies in the mire of our passions, entangled in them and unable to lift even the top of its head from under these nets. Our entire fast, at best, consists in the fact that we for the most part refuse the modest, yes, maybe someone else will take on the feat of adding a canon, or an akathist, or a kathisma to the daily rule. Actually, this is not a post at all. But we believe that we are fasting and that we are working.
We won't eat humble (maybe), but we'll deceive ourselves with lean mayonnaises and soy meat and other “tricks”, instead of simply excluding the taste sensations familiar to us from the diet (as from the same mayonnaise, meat, and the like), and even this will not be a real fast yet.
But the merciful Lord sees through us. And, like a child-loving Father, He loves us and wishes us salvation in every possible way. And arranges it for us where we do not even know - if only they would not grumble, if only they would listen to Him and follow His Holy Will! And the fact that the New Year's holiday is coming before the Feast of the Nativity of Christ is also arranged according to His good Providence!
We are unable to bear the feats and labors, even small ones, but the Lord gives us this opportunity. He arranged these days in such a way that we, if not out of our own zeal, then perhaps out of shame in front of our brothers and sisters, will be forced to refrain from the New Year's frenzy and fun!
We are not ready for confession, but, by the grace of God, perhaps only for the sake of shame in front of the views of other Orthodox, better than us, we will force ourselves, at least to a small extent, to disunite the world and reject some of what it offers on this day, namely - indulge in unbridled joy, a hearty meal, drunkenness of wine and nightly orgies.
Perhaps, if not the desire for arbitrariness and zeal for the Lord, then shame before the priest (I’m talking about the remembrance of the coming Confession on Christmas Eve) will force the Orthodox on this day not to submit themselves to the world, but to save for the perception of spiritual joy from the mother of all holidays - the Feast of the Nativity of Christ!
Let's fast with a pleasant post!
