THE IMPORTANCE OF FASTING
AND ITS OBSERVANCE TODAY
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Fasting is a divine commandment (Gen
2:16-17). According to Basil the Great,
fasting is as old as humanity itself; it
was prescribed in paradise (On Fasting, 1, 3. PG 31, 168A). It is a great
spiritual endeavor and the foremost
expression of the Orthodox ascetic ideal.
The Orthodox Church, in strict conformity
with the apostolic precepts, the synodal
canons, and the patristic tradition as a
whole, has always proclaimed the great
significance of fasting for our spiritual
life and salvation. The annual liturgical
cycle reflects the entire patristic
teaching on fasting, the teaching on
constant and unceasing watchfulness of the
human person, and our participation in
spiritual struggles. Accordingly, the
Triodion praises fasting as grace that is
full of light, as an invincible weapon,
the beginning of spiritual struggles, the
perfect path of virtues, the nourishment
for the soul, the source of all wisdom,
life imperishable, an imitation of the
angelic life, the mother of all good
things and virtues.
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As an ancient institution, fasting was
mentioned already in the Old Testament
(Deut 9:18; Is 58:4-10; Joel 2:15; Jonah
3:5-7) and affirmed in the New Testament.
The Lord Himself fasted for forty days
before commencing His public ministry (Lk
4:1-2) and provided instructions on how to
practice fasting (Mt 6:16-18). Fasting is
generally prescribed in the New Testament
as a means of abstinence, repentance, and
spiritual edification (Mk 1:6; Acts 13:2;
14:23; Rom 14:21). Since the apostolic
times, the Church has proclaimed the
profound importance of fasting and
established Wednesday and Friday as days
of fasting (Didache 8, 1),
as well as the fast before Pascha
(Irenaeus of Lyons, as cited in Eusebius,
Church History 5, 24. PG 20
497B-508AB). In ecclesiastical practice
that has existed for centuries, there has
always been diversity with regard not only
to the length of the fast before Easter
(Dionysius of Alexandria,
Letter to Basilides, PG
10, 1277), but also the number and
content of other periods of fasting which
became customary under the influence of
various factors, primarily, of the
liturgical and monastic traditions, with a
view to proper preparation for the great
feasts. Thus, the indissoluble link
between fasting and worship indicates the
extent and purpose of fasting and reveals
its spiritual nature. For this reason, all
the faithful are invited to respond
accordingly, each to the best of his or
her strength and ability, while not
allowing such liberty to diminish this
holy institution:
“See that no one make thee to err from
this path of doctrine… If thou art able
to bear the whole yoke of the Lord, thou
wilt be perfect; but if thou art not
able, what thou art able, that do. But
concerning meat, bear that which thou
art able to do”
(Didache 6, 1-3).
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As a spiritual endeavor, the true fast is
inseparable from unceasing prayer and
genuine repentance. Repentance without
fasting is fruitless (Basil the Great,
On Fasting 1, 3. PG
31, 168A), as fasting without
merciful deeds is dead, especially
nowadays when the unequal and unjust
distribution of goods deprives entire
nations of their daily bread.
“While fasting physically, brethren,
let us also fast spiritually. Let us
loose every knot of iniquity; let us
tear up every unrighteous bond; let us
distribute bread to the hungry, and
welcome into our homes those who have no
roof over their heads…”
(Sticheron at Vespers on
Wednesday of the First Week of Lent; cf.
Is 58:6-7). Fasting cannot be reduced to
simple and formal abstinence from certain
foods.
“So let us not be selfish as we begin
the abstinence from foods that is the
noble fast. Let us fast in an acceptable
manner, one that is pleasing to God. A
true fast is one that is set against
evil, it is self-control of the tongue.
It is the checking of anger, separation
from things like lusts, evil-speaking,
lies, and false oaths. Self-denial from
these things is a true fast, so fasting
from these negative things is good”
(Basil the Great, On Fasting, 2,
7. PG 31, 196D). Abstinence from certain
foods during the fast and temperance, not
only with regard to what to eat but also
how much to eat, constitutes a visible
aspect of this spiritual endeavor.
“In the literal sense, fasting is
abstinence from food, but food makes us
neither more nor less righteous.
However, in the spiritual sense, it is
clear that, as life comes from food for
each of us and the lack of food is a
symbol of death, so it is necessary that
we fast from worldly things, in order
that we might die to the world and after
this, having partaken of the divine
nourishment, live in God”
(Clement of Alexandria,
From the Prophetic Eclogae. PG 9,
704D-705A). Therefore, the true fast
affects the entire life in Christ of the
faithful and is crowned by their
participation in divine worship,
particularly in the sacrament of the Holy
Eucharist.
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The forty-day fast of the Lord exemplifies
fasting for the faithful, initiating their
participation in the obedience in the
Lord, that through it
“we might recover by its observance
that which we have lost by not observing
it”
(Gregory the Theologian,
Homily 45, On Holy Pascha, 28. PG
36, 661C). The Christocentric
understanding of the spiritual dimension
of fasting – in particular the fast
of Great Lent – is a general rule in
the entire patristic tradition and is
characteristically epitomized by St
Gregory Palamas:
“When you fast like this you not only
suffer with Christ and are dead with
Him, but you are also risen with Him and
reign with Him forever and ever. If
through such a fast you have been
planted together in the likeness of His
death, you shall also share in His
resurrection and inherit life in
Him”
(Homily 13, On the Fifth Sunday of
Lent, PG 151, 161AB).
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According to the Orthodox Tradition, the
“measure of spiritual perfection is the
measure of the stature of the fullness
of Christ”
(Eph 4:13), and all who want to attain
this should strive and grow accordingly.
For this very reason, ascesis and
spiritual struggle, like the refinement of
the perfect, are endless in this life.
Everyone is called to strive, to the best
of his or her abilities, to reach the
lofty Orthodox standard, which is the goal
of deification by grace. Indeed, while
they should do all things that they were
commanded, they should nonetheless never
vaunt themselves, but confess that
“they are unprofitable servants and
have only done that which was their duty
to do”
(Lk 17:10). According to the Orthodox
understanding of the spiritual life, all
people are obligated to maintain the good
struggle of the fast; however, in a spirit
of self-reproach and humble recognition of
their condition, they must rely upon God’s
mercy for their shortcomings, inasmuch as
the Orthodox spiritual life is
unattainable without the spiritual
struggle of the fast.
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Like a nurturing mother, the Orthodox
Church has defined what is beneficial for
people’s salvation and established the
holy periods of fasting as God-given
protection in the believers’ new life in
Christ against every snare of the enemy.
Following the example of the Holy Fathers,
the Church preserves today, as she did in
the past, the holy apostolic precepts,
synodal canons, and sacred traditions,
always advancing the holy fasts as the
perfect ascetic path for the faithful
leading to spiritual perfection and
salvation, while proclaiming the necessity
to observe all the fasts throughout the
year, namely, the fasts of Great Lent,
Wednesdays and Fridays, testified in the
sacred canons, as well as the fasts of the
Nativity, the Holy Apostles, and the
Dormition of the Theotokos; there are also
the single-day fasts on the Feast of the
Exaltation of the Holy Cross, on the eve
of the Epiphany, and on the day
commemorating the Beheading of John the
Baptist, in addition to the fasts
established for pastoral reasons or
observed at the desire of the faithful.
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The Church, however, has also established,
with pastoral discernment, boundaries of
philanthropic dispensation
(oikonomia) concerning the rules
of fasting. In this regard, the Church has
considered physical infirmity, extreme
necessity, and difficult times where she
has ordained the application of the
principle of ecclesiastical
oikonomia, through the
responsible discernment and pastoral care
of the body of bishops in the local
Churches.
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It is a fact that many faithful today do
not observe all the prescriptions of
fasting, whether due to faint-heartedness
or their living conditions, whatever these
may be. However, all these instances where
the sacred prescriptions of fasting are
loosened, either in general or in
particular instances, should be treated by
the Church with pastoral care,
“for God has no pleasure in the death
of the wicked; but that the wicked turn
from his way and live”
(Ezek 33:11), without, however, ignoring
the value of the fast. Therefore, with
regard to those who find it difficult to
observe the prevailing guidelines for
fasting, whether for personal reasons
(illness, military service, conditions of
work, etc.) or general reasons (particular
existing conditions in certain regions
with regard to climate, as well as
socioeconomic circumstances, i.e.,
inability to find lenten foods), it is
left to the discretion of the local
Orthodox Churches to determine how to
exercise philanthropic
oikonomia and empathy, relieving
in these special cases the “burden” of the
holy fast. All this should take place
within the aforementioned context and with
the objective of not diminishing the
importance of the sacred institution of
fasting. The Church should extend her
philanthropic dispensation with prudence,
undoubtedly to a greater extent when it
comes to those fasts, on which the
ecclesiastical tradition and practice have
not always been uniform.
“It is good to fast, but may the one
who fasts not blame the one who does not
fast. In such matters you must neither
legislate, nor use force, nor compel the
flock entrusted to you; instead, you
must use persuasion, gentleness and a
word seasoned with salt”
(John of Damascus,
On the Holy Fasts, Homily 3, PG
95, 68 B).
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Fasting for three or more days prior to
Holy Communion is left to the discretion
of the piety of the faithful, according to
the words of Saint Nicodemus the
Hagiorite:
“… fasting before partaking of
Communion is not decreed by the divine
Canons. Nevertheless, those who are able
to fast even a whole week before it, are
doing the right thing” (Commentary of the 13th canon
of Sixth Ecumenical Council, Pedalion – English translation 307).
However, the totality of the Church’s
faithful must observe the holy fasts and
the abstinence from food from midnight for
frequent participation in Holy Communion,
which is the most profound expression of
the essence of the Church. The faithful
should become accustomed to fasting as an
expression of repentance, as the
fulfillment of a spiritual pledge, to
achieve a particular spiritual end in
times of temptation, in conjunction with
supplications to God, for adults
approaching the sacrament of baptism,
prior to ordination, in cases where
penance is imposed, as well as during
pilgrimages and other similar instances.
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