www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology The Deep Meaning of Fasting

FASTING
FOR
ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS
I. Introduction
A. Fasting Days
B. Fasting Seasons
C. Special Times of Fasting
II. Statements of the Holy Fathers About Fasting
A. The Desert Fathers
B. St. Seraphim of Sarov
C. St. John Chrysostom

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Introduction
Fr. John Townsend
Saint Mary of Egypt

All of those who sincerely want to follow Jesus Christ must fast. The Lord Himself made the following statement to the disciples of the Forerunner when they asked why His disciples did not fast: "Can the children of the Bridegroom mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast" (St. Matthew 9:15). We know that the Lord Himself fasted for forty days before He began His public ministry; that Moses, the holy God-seer, fasted also for forty days on Mt. Sinai before he was allowed to see God, receive from Him the Law, and present it to the children of Israel; and that the holy prophet Elias fasted for forty days on Mt. Horeb before he encountered God in the "still small voice" (III Kings 19:12) and proceeded from there to carry out God's commands. Fasting prepares us for communion with God and for His service. It strengthens our souls and puts our flesh on notice that it must be subject to the leading of the spirit. It opens the soul, the heart, the inner being. It cleanses the body and lightens it, giving it a hunger which can be truly satisfied only by the things of God and by God Himself.
Fasting must be conscientious; it must involve sincere effort and not be the mere substitution of one type of food for another. Fasting involves eating more simply, less rich foods, but it also means eating less or, for a time, nothing at all, experiencing real hunger, a hunger that points us toward the Source of our existence. It also involves abstinence from marital intercourse, not because there is anything evil in it --- it is part of God's creation --- but to purify it and to provide us the opportunity to concentrate on the upbuilding of our lives in Christ. Fasting is a means to an end, and the end is greater dependence upon God and openness to His grace. To be an effective means to this end, fasting must be done with strictness and in combination with great efforts. It should also be done under the direction of a competent spiritual guide, this in order to avoid the dangers of being too harsh or too lenient with ourselves. It is important to realize that the discipline presented here is the Church's standard. It has been followed by many generations of Christians. It is not possible for one who is serious about spiritual growth to disregard this fasting discipline of the Church. It should be practiced with the guidance of a wise spiritual guide who is completely committed to the traditions of the Orthodox Church, and it should be modified only at his direction.
Fasting must be done only in combination with efforts in prayer and works of charity, by one who is struggling always to live a righteous life. If fasting is attempted without these efforts, it can easily have disastrous effects. It can open us to the wrong spirits, the evil ones, and point us toward spiritual illness and even destruction. Instead of dependence upon God, it can lead us to pride and spiritual delusion. St. John Chrysostom points out that real fasting means fasting "from sins" as well as from food. To fast and then to indulge the passions is a contradiction which reflects a complete misunderstanding of the Christian life. All parts of this life fit together. Fasting, prayer, charity, and righteous living all constitute one whole. Efforts must be made in all four directions at once. Failure in any area can result in a breakdown on the Christian Way. The good news in all this is that God empowers us to labor and to succeed in all these areas. If we have the desire for life in Him, if we make the efforts, He will help us to keep the proper balance and to move forward, to grow in Him.
There are several types of fasting. We fast on certain days, for specified seasons, and for special preparation.
Certain Days. We fast on most of the Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year from marital intercourse and from certain types of foods, at the same time regulating the amount of food we eat and the number of meals. On these days we normally fast from all meat, meat products, dairy products, fish, wine (and other alcoholic beverages), and olive oil; and we usually eat only one real meal on these days. We fast on Wednesday because it is the day on which Judas plotted with the leaders of the Jews to have the Lord arrested and put to death. We fast on Friday because it is the day on which the Lord of glory died on the Cross for our salvation. Both days are days of the Precious Cross. We also fast on September 14th, the Exaltation of the Precious Cross, on December 24th, the Eve of the Nativity of Christ, on January 5th, the Eve of the Theophany of Christ, and on August 29th, the Beheading of St. John the Baptist. We fast on these days to unite ourselves to the commemoration of the day itself, in the case of the first and last days, or to prepare ourselves for the awesome commemoration of the following day, in the case of the eves of the Feast of Nativity and Theophany.
Specified Seasons. A second type of fasting is extended over several weeks which constitute a fasting season. The Church has established four fasting seasons to provide us the opportunity for spiritual growth and to prepare us for the grace of God which is poured out through the glorious events we celebrate at these times: the feasts of Holy Pascha, the Nativity of Christ, the Dormition of the Theotokos, and the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul who proclaimed to us the Holy Gospel which saves us and leads us to eternal life. During these seasons the fasting discipline differs from day to day. Wine, olive oil, and even fish are eaten on some days, while others are much stricter. Two meals may be eaten on some days, and only one on others. On certain days at the beginning of the Great Fast, in Passion Week, and especially on Great and Holy Friday, we eat nothing at all. It is necessary to refer to a traditional church calendar which shows the fasting discipline for each day or to an outline like the one included in this booklet in order to know the Church's traditional discipline for fasting. Again, we abstain from marital intercourse during these seasons, but, as with all other spiritual efforts, this must be done under the supervision and at the direction of a wise spiritual father. On this matter, St. Paul gave us very specific direction:
Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence [the affection due her]: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one the other [Do not deprive one another], except it be with consent for a time, that ye give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency [because of your lack of self-control]. -- I Corinthians 7:3-5
St. John Chrysostom commenting on this passage also warns against abstinence from marital intercourse for too long a time when he says: "Because great evils spring from this sort of continence. For adulteries and fornications and the ruin of families have often arisen from this." (Homily XIX,2,3, on I Corinthians VII.)
Special Preparation. A third type of fasting has as its purpose to prepare us for receiving Holy Communion, or one of the other Holy Mysteries, or to prepare us for special service to God or submission to His will. The fast in preparation for Holy Communion involves abstinence from marital intercourse the day before and a total fast from all food and drink from at least midnight the evening before we receive the Holy Body and Precious Blood of our Savior. In the event that we receive Holy Communion at an evening celebration, like the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, we must fast for several hours, at least from noon, and sometimes earlier at the direction of the spiritual father. Fasting in preparation for special services or for submission to God's will should be done under the guidance of a spiritual father.
In this document, writings of the Holy Fathers on fasting are included, as well as an article on nutritional considerations about fasting written by a Master's Degree prepared Registered Nurse who has done special study of nutrition. The fasting discipline of the Orthodox Church is outlined in detail. The reader who desires more depth of information about fasting is referred to the following excellent article: "The True Nature of Fasting" by His Grace Bishop Kallistos of Diokleia found in The Lenten Triodion, London: Faber & Faber, 1978, pages 13-28.
Fasting must always be accepted freely by a willing and open heart. We should approach it with joy, realizing that it can open our lives more and more to the grace of God. May God bless you as you undertake in humility, and with resolve, this holy effort. May it be always for your upbuilding and for your salvation!
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Selected Sayings of the Desert Fathers On Fasting. The following sayings of the Holy Fathers of the desert put the discipline of fasting in the proper perspective. As the true masters of fasting, they, more than any other Christians, are the ones who can best teach us its true nature.
1. A leader of a community asked Abba Poemen: "How can I gain the fear of God?" Abba Poemen replied: "How indeed can we gain the fear of God when we have bellies full of cheese and jars of salted fish?" Abba Poemen thus teaches us that the ultimate goal of fasting is to help lead us, or to open us, to the fear of God.
2. Another old man came to see one of the Fathers, who cooked a few lentils and said to him: "Let us say a few prayers," and the first completed the whole Psalter, and the brother recited the two great prophets by heart. When morning came, the visitor went away, and they forgot the food. Fasting here witnesses that the true nourishment of Christians is prayer and meditation on the word of God, not the eating of food.
3. A brother was hungry early in the morning, and he fought his desire so as not to eat before the third hour. When the third hour came, he forced himself to wait until the sixth hour. At that time he broke his loaves and sat down to eat, then stood up again, saying to himself: "Now wait until the ninth hour." At the ninth hour he said the prayer and saw the power of the devil like smoke rising from his manual work, and his hunger vanished.
4. It was said of an old man that one day he wanted a small fig. Taking one, he held it up in front of his eyes, and not being overcome by his desire, he repented, reproaching himself for even having had this wish. Fasting in both of these cases is the spiritual effort which establishes the spirit over the flesh.
5. Abba Joseph asked Abba Poemen: "How should we fast?" And Abba Poemen said: "I myself think it's good to eat every day a little at a time so as not to get full." Abba Joseph said: "Well, when you were young, didn't you used to fast for two days at a time?" And the old man said: "Believe me, indeed I did, for three days, and even a week. But the great elders tried all of this, and found that it is good to eat every day a little less each time. In this way, they showed us the royal highway, for it is light and easy." Abba Poemen teaches us that we should be careful not to undertake efforts too great for us. This gives the proper perspective in relation to the efforts praised in selections 3 and 4 above. It is better to make slow and steady progress with moderate efforts than to become discouraged or to miss the goal altogether with efforts too great for us.
6. Once two brothers went to visit an old man. It was not the old man's habit, however, to eat every day. When he saw the brothers, he welcomed them with joy, and said: "Fasting has its own reward, but if you eat for the sake of love, you satisfy two commandments, for you give up your own will and also fulfill the commandment to refresh others."
7. A brother said to an old man: "There are two brothers. One of them stays in his cell quietly, fasting for six days at a time, and imposing on himself a good deal of discipline, and the other serves the sick. Which one of them is more acceptable to God?" The old man replied: "Even if the brother who fasts six days were to hang himself up by the nose, he could not equal the one who serves the sick." Here we learn that love is above fasting, that we must not presume to put our fasting above "the more excellent way," the "new commandment" to love one another.
8. There was a man who was leading an ascetic life and not eating bread. He went to visit an old man. It happened that pilgrims also dropped by, and the old man fixed a modest meal for them. When they sat together to eat, the brother who was fasting picked up a single soaked pea and chewed it. When they arose from the table, the old man took the brother aside and said: "Brother, when you go to visit somewhere, do not display your way of life, but if you want to keep to it, stay in your cell and never come out." He accepted what the old man said, and after that behaved like the others whenever he met with them. We are reminded here that fasting must be done in secret, not before others, as the Lord has said: "But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly." --St. Matthew 6:17-18
9. It was said about an old man that he endured seventy weeks of fasting, eating only once a week. He asked God about certain words in the Holy Scripture, but God did not answer him. Then he said to himself: "Look, I have put in this much effort, but I haven't made any progress. So now I will go to see my brother and ask him." And when he had gone out, closed the door and started off, an angel of the Lord was sent to him, and said: "Seventy weeks of fasting have not brought you near to God. But now that you are humbled enough to go to your brother, I have been sent to you to reveal the meaning of the words." Then the angel explained the meaning which the old man was seeking, and went away. Along with fasting there must be humility! Fasting opens the way; it is a means to an end; it is not the end itself.
10. I myself once harshly judged a monk whom I saw drinking milk during the Great Fast. He did it so routinely that I thought, "Why, he must think nothing of the ascetic life." It was I who had forgotten the rule of the inner life -- that one judges himself and excuses others. I later learned that the monk was ill and had to have milk to ingest his medication. I learned something about hasty judgments. Here we learn that we must never judge another person.
11. Abba Lot went to see Abba Joseph and said: "Abba, as much as I am able I practice a small rule, a little fasting, some prayer and meditation, and remain quiet, and as much as possible I keep my thought clean. What else should I do?" Then the old man stood up and stretched out his hands toward heaven, and his fingers became like ten torches of flame. And he said: "If you wish, you can become all flame." We must never be shortsighted about the goal of our Christian life with all its efforts. It is nothing less than theosis, union with the Living God, becoming "all flame."


Selected Sayings of St. Seraphim of Sarov on Fasting
� On Fasting.
o "Prayer, fasting, vigils, and all other Christian practices, however good they are in themselves, do not constitute the goal of our Christian life, although they serve as a necessary means to its attainment. The true goal of our Christian life consists in the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God. Fasting, vigils, prayers, alms-giving and all good deeds done for the sake of Christ are but means for the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God. But note, my son, that only a good deed done for the sake of Christ brings us the fruits of the Holy Spirit. All that is done, if it is not for Christ's sake, although it may be good, brings us no reward in the life to come, nor does it give us God's grace in the present life."1
o "It is not suited to everyone to follow a severe rule of abstinence from everything, or to deprive himself of everything which can serve for the easing of weakness."
o "One should make use of food daily to the extent that the body, fortified, may be the friend and assistant of the soul in the practice of virtue. Otherwise, the soul may weaken because it is exhausted."
o "On Wednesdays and Fridays, especially during the four fasts, eat once a day, and the angel of the Lord will remain with you."2
� On the Active Life
o "The way of the active life consists in fasting, abstinence, vigils, prostrations, and other bodily practices, which constitute the narrow and painful way that leads, according to the saying of God, to life eternal" (Matt. 7:14).3


St. John Chrysostom on Fasting
(from his Homilies on the Statues)
o When the fast makes its appearance, like a kind of spiritual summer, let us as soldiers burnish our weapons, and as harvesters sharpen our sickles, and as sailors order our thoughts against the waves of extravagant desires, and as travelers set out on the journey towards heaven. Lay hold of the pathway which leads towards heaven, rugged and narrow as it is. Lay hold of it, and journey on.
o I speak not of such a fast as most persons keep, but of real fasting; not merely abstinence from meats, but from sins as well. For the nature of a fast is such that it does not suffice to deliver those who practice it unless it is done according to a suitable law. So that when we have gone through the labor of fasting we do not lose the crown of fasting, we must understand how and in what manner it is necessary to conduct the business since the Pharisee also fasted, but afterward went away empty and destitute of the fruit of fasting. The Publican did not fast, and yet he was accepted in preference to him who had fasted in order that you may learn that fasting is unprofitable unless all other duties accompany it.
o Fasting is a medicine. But like all medicines, though it be very profitable to the person who knows how to use it, it frequently becomes useless (and even harmful) in the hands of him who is unskillful in its use.
o For the honor of fasting consists not in abstinence from food, but in withdrawing from sinful practices, since he who limits his fasting only to abstinence from meats is one who especially disparages fasting.
o Do you fast? Give me proof of it by your works. If you see a poor man, take pity on him. If you see an enemy, be reconciled with him. If you see a friend gaining honor, do not be jealous of him. And let not only the mouth fast, but also the eye and the ear and the feet and the hands and all members of your bodies.
o Let the hands fast by being pure from plundering and avarice. Let the feet fast by ceasing from running to unlawful spectacles. Let the eyes fast, being taught never to fix themselves rudely on handsome faces, or to busy themselves with strange beauties. For looking is the food of the eyes, but if it be such as is unlawful or forbidden, it mars the fast and upsets the whole safety of the soul. But if it be lawful and safe, it adorns fasting. For it would be among things most absurd to abstain from lawful food because of the fast, but with the eyes to touch even what is forbidden! Do you not eat meat? Feed not upon lasciviousness by means of your eyes! Let the ear fast also. The fasting of the ear consists in refusing to receive evil speakings and calumnies. It is written, "You shall not receive a false report" (Exodus 23:1).
o Let the mouth also fast from disgraceful speech. For what does it profit if we abstain from fish and fowl and yet bite and devour the brothers and sisters. The evil speaker eats the flesh of his brother and bites the body of his neighbor. Because of this Paul utters the fearful saying, "If you bite and devour one another take heed that you are not consumed by one another" (Gal.5:15). You have not fixed your teeth in his flesh, but you have fixed your slander in his soul and inflicted the wound of evil suspicion, and you have harmed in a thousand ways yourself, him and many others, for in slandering your neighbor you have made him who listens to the slander worse, for should he be a wicked person, he becomes more careless when he finds a partner in his wickedness. And should he be a just person, he is tempted to arrogance and gets puffed up, being led on by the sin of others to imagining great things concerning himself. Besides this, you have struck at the common welfare of the Church herself, for all those who hear you will not only accuse the supposed sinner, but the entire Christian community....
o And so I desire to fix three precepts in your mind so that you may accomplish them during the fast: to speak ill of no one, to hold no one for an enemy, and to expel from your mouth altogether the evil habit of swearing.
o For as the harvester in the fields comes to the end of his labors little by little, so we too if we make this rule for ourselves and in any manner come to the correct practice of these three precepts during the present Fast and commit them to the safe custody of good habit, we shall proceed with greater ease to the summit of spiritual wisdom. And we shall reap the harvest of a favorable hope in this life, and in the life to come we shall stand before Christ with great confidence and enjoy those unspeakable blessings of which, God grant, we may all be found worthy through the grace of Jesus Christ our Lord, with whom be glory to the Father, and to the Holy Spirit unto ages of ages. Amen!
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1. Cavarnos, C., and M.B. Zeldin, (1980). Modern Orthodox Saints: St. Seraphim of Sarov. Belmont, MA: Institute for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, pp. 94-95.
2. Ibid, p. 136.
3. Ibid, pp. 138-139.

The following prayer was written by one of our other forum members, 70x7. I think that during this time of the Nativity Fast or Advent, that it would be appropriate to post it.

In IC XC,
Father Anthony+

From the Byzantine Forum, November 30, 2005

Prayer on a Day of Fasting

O Lord Jesus Christ, my God, You established days of fasting and abstinence by Your Law and the prophets, as a way for mortification and repentance. In the fullness of time, You came into the world born of a woman, under the Law to redeem us and to give us adoption as Your brethren. During Your fast of forty days and nights, You sanctified the practice of fasting by commanding us to follow Your most-perfect example.

Today, when I feel hungry, remind me that You too hungered; when I thirst, remind me that You too became thirsty; when I am tempted, remind me that You too experienced temptation. Enable me to begin this day of fasting with peace of soul, a repentant heart, an undistracted mind, humility rather than hypocrisy, fervent and frequent prayer, and contriteness.

May my ascetical acts loosen the bonds of wickedness, undo the thongs of the yoke of sin, let the oppressed go free, and break every bondage of oppression. May I never forget to feed the hungry, extend a helpful hand to the homeless, clothe the naked, give charity to the poor, and offer an encouraging word to others.

Strengthen me by the power of Your all-holy Spirit; that I may be protected from the snares of my spiritual enemies, bridle my fleshly members, and abstain from every form of sin. May I become more conscious of Your grace within me, and always put my faith into action. For You are the merciful and gracious Lover of mankind and to You we render glory, thanksgiving and worship, with Your eternal Father, and Your All-holy, Good and Life-giving Spirit, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

70X7

From the Byzantine Forum, November 30, 2005

Prayer on a Day of Fasting

O Lord Jesus Christ, my God, You established days of fasting and abstinence by Your Law and the prophets, as a way for mortification and repentance. In the fullness of time, You came into the world born of a woman, under the Law to redeem us and to give us adoption as Your brethren. During Your fast of forty days and nights, You sanctified the practice of fasting by commanding us to follow Your most-perfect example.

Today, when I feel hungry, remind me that You too hungered; when I thirst, remind me that You too became thirsty; when I am tempted, remind me that You too experienced temptation. Enable me to begin this day of fasting with peace of soul, a repentant heart, an undistracted mind, humility rather than hypocrisy, fervent and frequent prayer, and contriteness.

May my ascetical acts loosen the bonds of wickedness, undo the thongs of the yoke of sin, let the oppressed go free, and break every bondage of oppression. May I never forget to feed the hungry, extend a helpful hand to the homeless, clothe the naked, give charity to the poor, and offer an encouraging word to others.

Strengthen me by the power of Your all-holy Spirit; that I may be protected from the snares of my spiritual enemies, bridle my fleshly members, and abstain from every form of sin. May I become more conscious of Your grace within me, and always put my faith into action. For You are the merciful and gracious Lover of mankind and to You we render glory, thanksgiving and worship, with Your eternal Father, and Your All-holy, Good and Life-giving Spirit, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

70X7