On Fasting
by a Monk of the Orthodox Church
The Holy Apostle commands us saying "Let us put on the armor of
light. Let us walk becomingly as in the day; not in rioting and
drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh
to fulfill the lusts thereof." From the time of the Apostles,
Prophets and Fathers till our own day, it is evident from the life of the Church
that fasting is part of our "armor of light"; it is a mighty
weapon against the enemy given into our hands by the Saviour Himself, Who is a
type and example for us in all things and Who fasted in the flesh in order to
teach us to fast. To those weak and ill, it is a medicine and antidote a bath
in which to be washed and cleansed. Armored with holy fasting, St. Elias the
Tishbite withstood Ahab and his army singlehandedly and called down fire from
the heavens. By fasting St. Moses, the seer of God and the elder of Israel,
prepared to ascend the mountain in the desert and behold the Glory of God. By
fasting the Three Children were shown forth to be fairer than the other children
in Babylon in the house of the king, and Daniel was shown forth to be a shepherd
of lions.
Fasting, therefore, should always be understood as a thing most necessary in
our battle with the evil one. Only a man who has lost his mind would put down
his weapons, strip himself naked of his armor and then jump into the line of
fire to do battle with the enemy. Such a one would be committing suicide. A
man who calls himself a Christian and does not fast, is such a man. In the
final analysis he who does not fast does not believe in God, for he does not
really believe in the existence of the enemy and the great victory gifted to
us over him by our Saviour. He who does not fast does not believe in Him Who
said to the enemy, "Man shall not live by bread alone." This
is why Apostolic
and Patristic canons proclaim that all who do not keep the fasts have fallen
away from the Faith (i.e., have become excommunicated), and our Holy Father
St. Seraphim of Sarov instructs us not even to speak with such persons.
Those who fell away from our Holy Faith through schism and heresy, by
distorting
the dogmas and truth of Holy Orthodoxy, in consequence distorted the life of
the Church also, and especially the teaching concerning fasting. Thus, to the
Latins, fasting became primarily a means of atonement, satisfaction,
retribution, payment for sins committed or for earning merits, wages, favor,
etc., when all sins had been paid for. The Protestants correctly abhorred the
use of fasting as "works" which won merits which, in turn, were
banked as
surplus in the treasury of the the Popes to be dispensed to "poor
souls" in
purgatory; the few that continued to fast, however, were not able to free
themselves from the error of Anselm concerning atonement and punishment.
Thus, after some centuries of keeping fasts as "a pious and ancient
custom,'
yet having lost the correct understanding and position of fasting in the life
of the Church, both Latins and Protestants have totally abandoned fasting!
Now we see that even those that were nearer to Holy Orthodoxy in Liturgy and
practice—the Copts, Armenians, Jacobites, etc.in their last gathering
in Addis Ababa have "reformed" their rules concerning fasting. This
was to be
expected, since they have fallen into heresies and are separated from the
Holy
Church. But now we hear even from those who bear the name Orthodox similar
trends and aspirations. For us sinful folk, who nevertheless are still
Orthodox in our Faith, this is one more indication that these people are
despisers of and apostates from Orthodoxy. They are only proclaiming to all
that
have ears to hear that they no longer wish to walk in the way and tradition
of our Saviour, the Apostles, Prophets, and Fathers, but rather wish to make
"provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof." Of
them the Psalms
say, "They mingled with the nations (heathen) and learned
their works"; and
the Holy Apostle says, "They have a form of godliness, but deny the
power
thereof."
St. Abba Isaac the Syrian says, "The Saviour began the work of our
salvation with fasting. In the same way, all those who follow in the
footsteps of the Saviour build on this foundation the beginning of their
endeavor, since fasting is a weapon established by God. Who will escape
blame if he neglects this? If the Lawgiver Himself fasts, how can any of
those who have to obey the law be exempt from fasting? This is why the human
race knew no victory before fasting, and the devil was never defeated by our
nature as it is: but this weapon has indeed deprived the devil of strength
from the outset. Our Lord was the Leader and the first example of this
victory, in order to place the first crown of victory on the head of our
nature. As soon as the devil sees someone possessed of this weapon, fear
straightway falls on this adversary and tormentor of ours, who remembers and
thinks of his defeat by the Saviour in the wilderness; his strength is at
once destroyed and the sight of the weapon given us by our Supreme Leader
burns him up. A man armed with the weapon of fasting is always afire with
zeal. He who remains therein, keeps his mind steadfast and ready to meet and
repel all violent passions."
Those who do not fast, especially those of the clergy—teach that fasting
consists in not thinking and doing evil and quote from our Saviour, the Apostles
and Fathers to support their views. They usually forget that our Saviour, the
Apostles and Fathers all fasted the physical fast as well as the spiritual fast.
When man partakes of the glory of God, he does not partake of it in the spirit
only, but physically also in a complete sense. When one praises God, he does
not praise Him only in the Spirit, but with physical voice also in chant and
prayer. When one worships God, he does not worship him noetically only but
physically also the body participating by standing in prayer, by making
prostrations and using the fingers and hand to seal itself with the sign of the
Cross. When one communicates God, he does not communicate in spirit only but
eats the very Body and drinks the very Blood of the Lord unto healing of soul
and body. Thus one praises God and is united with God not in part, but
completely as one whole soul and body. When one labors in virtue, one labors
not only noetically but physically also, even unto blood, in order not to deny
our Saviour. Our Holy Martyrs did not witness just by words and thought,
resisting evil in their hearts and minds, but gave their bodies up to
torments and their heals to be cut off, that they might remain with our
Saviour. Thus, since we are not just spirits, but "wear flesh and
live in the
world," we cannot possibly fast spiritually only and not fast
physically
also. There is a unity and interaction between the body and the soul. They
cannot be separated while we are still in the body. In the Ladder of
Divine
Ascent, St. John writes "Satiety of food is the father of
fornication; an
empty stomach is the mother of purity." He who always keeps his
stomach full
and he who fasts know the strength of this saying.
A Monk of the Orthodox Church
"The Faith which I was taught by the Holy Fathers, which I taught at all
times without adjusting it according to the times this Faith I will never stop
teaching; I was born with it and I live by it."
—St. Gregory the Theologian) Distributed on the Internet by the Brotherhood of St. Niphon, New York City.
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