THE IMPORTANCE OF FASTING AND ITS OBSERVANCE TODAY (From the Official Documents of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church)
(From the Official Documents of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church)
1. 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.
2. 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).
3. 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.
4. 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).
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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).
9. 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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