Why do Orthodox Christians fast? Why fast? Should I fast? What should a child give up during Lent?

Archimandrite Nikephoros (Horea) is the rector of the Iasi Monastery in the name of the Three Hierarchs and the administrative exarch of the monasteries of the Iasi Archdiocese (Romanian Orthodox Church).

– Father Archimandrite, why do you need to fast? What benefit do these works bring to us?

– The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke said, conveying the words of the Savior: “Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with gluttony and drunkenness and the cares of this life” (Luke 21:34). Thus, the exhortation to fast comes from the Savior Himself, and the Savior’s word for us Christians is the highest guideline. We, who thirst for eternal life and truth in this world, must make the word of the Lord the norm of our lives.

On the one hand, fasting for us is an ascetic feat performed so that the flesh does not dominate the soul, does not cloud the insight of the mind, spiritual attention, and on the other hand, fasting is the natural state of a person when he sympathizes with the suffering of another or grieves . When the Pharisees reproached the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ for not fasting, they heard this word from the Savior: “Can the sons of the bridal chamber fast when the bridegroom is with them? As long as the bridegroom is with them, they cannot fast, but the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days” (Mark 2:19-20). King David himself, when his child fell ill, fasted for a long time, wanting to express his repentance before God through these deprivations.

– The Orthodox fast can be called the strictest in the entire Christian world. How to explain the fact that in Orthodoxy, unlike other faiths, there has been no adaptation to the spirit of the times, no noticeable weakening of those feats that are required of believers?

– Not only with regard to fasting, but throughout the entire liturgical cycle, the Orthodox Church did not conduct agiornamento; she did not adapt to the changes that occurred with man, did not follow the fashion of the time - but preserved the true guidelines she inherited as a treasure. To a similar question, Father Galeriu answered that wheat, this staple food product, is already so old, but, nevertheless, it will never depreciate, because it will always be the daily bread for man. The entire heritage that we have received from the holy fathers, our entire tradition, is a treasure, and we hope we will not lose it.

Human infirmity can serve as a reason for individual relaxations in fasting under certain conditions - for example, in the case of illness, pregnancy, but in no case can it be normalized, because a person, no matter what time he lives, needs strict fulfillment of all those feats about which the Church teaches that they are the very life full of meaning that we seek. But the Church did not make concessions in fasting because there was no need for it. If, for example, in some regions or under certain living conditions there was no other food other than eggs and feta cheese, then the Church would certainly allow them to be consumed during Lent.

Fasting, which is observed in our Church, does not harm, but, on the contrary, revitalizes the soul and adds health to the body.

– You increasingly come across one feature in last years, and you, your reverence, have probably already been asked about this: doesn’t fasting lose its true meaning if we use special so-called “lenten products” sold in stores? For example, Lenten pate, lean sausage...

– Today we have a lot of “helpers” of all kinds, but at the same time we are faced with more and more new problems, and we find ourselves busier than people of past times. The village mistress, who often had seven or eight children, still managed to prepare everything necessary for fasting. This was part of her household duties, and it was her way of expressing her love both for her family and for Christian teaching. Today, especially in cities, very often both husband and wife are busy beyond measure and are completely exhausted by this daily bustle of affairs.

returning to to the question asked: if we, for example, eat soy paste prepared without any artificial additives or spices, or soy milk to replenish the amount of protein during the fasting period, this does not mean that we do not honor and appreciate fasting. After all, you can, in the end, gorge yourself on potatoes or cabbage and eat them so greedily that it will have nothing to do with the idea of ​​fasting, but you can eat a little soy pate for breakfast, and this is a healthier alternative to a piece of bread with margarine, for example .

- Some say: “I don’t fast because I’m afraid of getting sick from it” - or: “I won’t be able to work all day if I start fasting.”

- There is one place in the Philokalia - by Abba John of Carpathia - where it says the following: “I heard some brethren, constantly sick in body and unable to fast, turn to me with a question: how can we get rid of the devil and passions without fasting? Such people must be answered that not only by abstaining from food, but also by heartfelt contrition, you can defeat and drive out evil thoughts and the enemies who inspire them.”

The attitude towards fasting depends on the spiritual state and faith of each person. As a person deepens his prayer and faith in God, he receives strength previously unknown to him, he gains consolation and boldness towards God. The Savior said that “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

If I fast, but do not immerse myself in the word of God, if I pray little, then of course I will weaken, because I will not have enough faith, and at some point I will feel helpless and afraid. Today many of us, filled with weakness and self-pity, would be ready to give up fasting if it were possible. I myself once had a case when people dear to me, having come to confession, asked: “Father, bless us to fast only in the first and last week, we have fasted like this all our lives.” I answered them: “Very good, but if you have fasted like this all your life, then you don’t know whether you can endure the entire fast. So try to endure it, let's see if you succeed or not. Why fulfill the commandment to fast halfway?”

In between, he explained to them what fasting means, why we fast, and what the fruits of our fasting are. Having mastered everything thoroughly, these people became convinced fasters and then admitted to me that they not only endured the entire fast, but even tried, if possible, to add to their strictness. So only by understanding the meaning of the efforts that we are called to make for ourselves, and not for the sake of anyone else, will we gain the strength to resist the temptations to break the fast.

I know people who have very hard physical work, and they live in extreme poverty, but they observe fasts strictly, like monks. This is an example to us of the fact that God gives those who seek power much greater than we can imagine. People who pray, confess, receive communion, find strength in the Body and Blood of the Lord - this true food and true drink.

– If members of the same family perceive fasting differently, especially when one of the spouses fasts and the other does not, then how can this be done so that this does not affect the relationship between the spouses, for example?

– A husband, wife, and anyone who fasts in general should, first of all, spend the fast in meekness, in spiritual beauty, without tormenting the other with grumbling and without limiting him. Sooner or later he will see the feat of the fasting person, and perhaps a moment will come when he himself will want to fast. And the first will pray for him, and thus the word spoken by the holy Apostle Paul will be fulfilled, that “an unbelieving husband is sanctified by a believing wife, and an unbelieving wife is sanctified by a believing husband” (1 Cor. 7:14). The same applies to any other family member.<…>

– Some people ask: how to endure the ridicule and contempt of colleagues in situations where some events are held at the workplace on fasting days?

“Such a person should understand that in such situations the advantage is on his side. People are used to “solidarizing” when it comes to jokes, irony and everything that can hurt the soul. But our determination to stand steadfast will show others that we are people who believe in what we do and do what we believe in. And if you scratch a little of those who laugh at you, you will see that they also have some kind of faith, but they do not follow it. So who is more worthy of irony and pity? Believing until the end or believing only when the thunder strikes?

It is very important to confess our faith firmly, because our fasting is not just our private matter: in fasting I am united with all the children of the Church who fast. I remain in obedience to the Church, in the confession of my faith, and to depart from my faith by performing such a seemingly small act is already a renunciation.

Even if I go somewhere, to my work colleagues or friends, for example, and they look at me there as if I’m an eccentric because I fast, there will definitely come a moment when, having found myself in some kind of crisis situation, the same colleagues or friends will say about me: “Here he is - a truly believer, he is consistent in his faith to the end. We need to consult with him, we need to ask for his help.”

After all, people cannot stand on lies indefinitely. On the one hand, they may reject what puts limitations on them, but on the other hand, they value those who firmly stand by their faith in God, with all the ensuing consequences. So we can't be warm-cold. Situations where we are looked at with ridicule and contempt are a test of whether we are able or not to practice our faith.

Any religion is inextricably linked with certain restrictions. They may concern both standards of behavior, moral principles, so appearance and food selectivity. For believers, such rules become familiar, since they are introduced from childhood, in the process of upbringing. Those who come to faith in adulthood have to figure out on their own such questions as what fasting is and how to follow the recommendations of the church, what the menu for these days consists of, and what will happen if you don’t follow the prohibitions.

They came up with restrictions on food consumption back in paradise. The Bible says, “You shall eat from every tree; you shall not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in the day that you eat from it you will die.” The fulfillment of fasting for the first people is given as a commandment, the consequence of violating this commandment is death, which is what happened: the spiritual death of the first people, and people are reaping the fruits of this crime to this day.

Let's look at examples of observance of such prohibitions by people of the Old Testament period:

From the Old Testament

We see that fasting consists of crying and sobbing; people dressed in sackcloth - old (work) clothes and sprinkled ashes on their heads. When they wanted the Lord to help them, they also began to fast and then only began to pray and turn to God for help. And so we begin to see that observing restrictions is not only bodily deeds or feats, refusal of this or that food. First of all, this is an internal mood, heartfelt feelings and a broken spirit. People who fasted at that time were in critical situations. They spoke from the very depths of their hearts with all their souls something like this: “Help us, you see that we ourselves cannot overcome this difficulty. You yourself take it and save us. We are guilty, we have sinned, we have violated Your commandments, but have mercy on us, forgive us and help us. Save us from our enemies."

And also before a serious business or journey, people fasted and turned to God with all their hearts. They asked for help, companionship on the road and protection from enemies. Because the people themselves did not know what would happen to them there and what awaited them along the way, as if they were completely surrendering themselves into the hand of God, their entire lives and all their affairs. So we see that observing food prohibitions is a kind of preparation for effective prayer, focusing a person’s spirit and understanding that a person himself can do little without God’s help.

Fasting helps people humble themselves before God and ask for his help. With such a feeling of contrition and powerlessness, in the hope only of the Lord’s help, they asked for mercy, and if it does not come, then the person will not be able to cope. In those days, fasting meant an absolute refusal of food, complete starvation, and people themselves were in such a situation that they had not thought about food before, but cried out to God for help, because enemy troops were approaching the city and everyone was in danger of death.

They cried out to God to save their lives and save them from death. And imagine, if we found ourselves in such a situation, we would then think about food or beautiful clothes, then there would really be crying and a plea for salvation. This is how the people of the Old Testament, who lived before our era, fasted.

Useful video: Orthodox fasting, its purpose and content

Fasting in the New Testament

During the New Testament, Jesus Christ himself shows us how to fast. Before he enters earthly service, he goes into the desert, leaves people, secludes himself and fasts there for 40 days without eating food.

This was the first Lent V Orthodox Church, and the Lord himself showed us, there he was tempted by the devil. When at the end Jesus became hungry, Satan said to him: “If you are the son of God, then tell these stones and let them turn into bread.”

Christ answered: “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Then the devil lifted him onto the roof of the temple and said to him: “Throw yourself down, for it is written that the angels will carry you in their hands, and you will not dash your foot against a stone.”

The Lord answered: “Do not tempt the Lord your God.” Then Satan in an instant showed Christ all the kingdoms of the earth. And he said that he would give them to him if he bowed to him. But Jesus refused and said that one should bow only to God and serve him alone.

This is how Christ defeated Satan and set an example for all Christians, showing that we should do the same and what we should strive for. Do not think about your daily bread, do not test God, do not think much about yourself, do not strive for earthly riches and earthly power, but seek God with all your heart, seek the fulfillment of the commandments and thus serve Him. Since then, all members of the Orthodox Church have observed periods when certain types of food are prohibited, and through this they try to get out, protect themselves from the power of the devil and get closer to grace.

In honor of this event, people still fast for 40 days every year; this time is called Great Lent, and it is the most important for the Orthodox. Everyone who follows it undergoes, as it were, an exam for their entire year, checking in what ways they have changed during this year, what passions they have overcome in their hearts, what bad habits they have left behind, and which ones still need to be fought. The test lasts 48 days, 40 days in memory of the Lord's fast in the desert, and the last week Lent - Passion Week, the last days of Christ's life and suffering.

All this time you are not supposed to eat food of animal origin: meat, milk and everything that is made from it, eggs, fish. You should refrain from entertainment events, noisy feasts, visits to theaters, circuses, watching series, television shows and similar pastimes.

The Church these days calls for more frequent
visits to divine services, reminds us of prayer at home, encourages us to begin church sacraments, the main ones of which are Confession and Communion (Holy Eucharist), reading holy scripture, lives of saints and spiritual literature that tells about the very meaning of repentance.

If you decide to fast, how to prepare yourself to observe the prohibitions? The main thing is to learn first of all God’s commandments and test yourself to fulfill them. Understand the concepts of sin, what it is, where it occurs and whether there are sins.

Note! In church shops there are always books and brochures that help beginners test themselves - “Help for the Penitent” or “Diary
penitent." They will allow you to figure out which commandments have been violated throughout your life, you can write everything down and go to confession, ask the priest for a blessing for the test, and discuss health issues with him if you have illnesses.

Many people ask how to fast correctly, meaning first of all what food is allowed to be cooked during fast days, while forgetting that the power of restrictions lies not in food, but in the strength of spirit, in spiritual vigil and controlling, first of all, one’s actions and emotions in relation to neighbors and relatives.

Try to do more works of mercy at this time, visit the sick, help the weak, the poor, try to fulfill God’s commandments.

A good deed is prayer with fasting and almsgiving and justice (Tob. 12:8). During all this time, go to services and try to remember forgotten sins and also repent of them. There is a custom - to take part in the sacrament of unction (Blessing of Unction) during Lent. Observing fasting days is a personal matter for everyone, and you should not show or tell people that you are fasting, it is better to keep it secret.

What is fasting for and what does it give us? If we conscientiously fast and participate in church sacraments, then we will begin to see and notice our weaknesses and sinful inclinations. Then humility before God will begin in us, repentance will begin to appear, and maybe weeping and sobbing, like the people of the Old Testament, a strong desire will appear to put an end to sin, to get out of the slavery of passions, bad habits, and will want to reach for the good. Thus, a person enters into a spiritual religious life and begins to fight against dark spirits, about which the Lord said: “This race is driven out only by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21).

Lent is the longest and strictest, but besides it there are three more:

• Rozhdestvensky in memory of the birth of Christ;
• Assumption in memory of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary;
• Apostolsky (Petrov) in memory of the holy apostles Peter and Paul.

In addition to the four main periods of the ban on animal food, Orthodox Christians fast every Wednesday and Friday (except for continuous weeks) in memory of the suffering of Jesus Christ. On Wednesday the Church remembers the betrayal and capture of Christ by soldiers, and on Friday the crucifixion on the Cross. There are also people who always want to fast: these are monks or those who are preparing to take monastic vows, and there are many such people among us, but few people know about them.

Compliance with food restrictions is a sacred duty for an Orthodox Christian. If you don't follow church calendar without the blessing of the priest, if we do not comply with the prohibitions and rules, then we will not be allowed to participate in church sacraments and may generally be excommunicated from the church or given time to reform.

Important! Every Orthodox person must fast to the best of his ability and strength; if he wants to cleanse, sanctify his life, and draw closer to God, then he must fast and ask for God’s help.

For children, fasting begins at age 7

There are no restrictions for young children. Prohibitions begin at the age of 7. From this age, a person becomes independent in his relationship with God, and he himself will have to be responsible for his own affairs. Children aged 7 begin to go to confession and live life to the fullest church life. For sick people, restrictions are relaxed or completely lifted.

The meaning of restrictions is to humble the body, and in sick and elderly people the body already suffers. All prohibitions are blessed by an Orthodox priest, and if we doubt something, it is better to approach him and consult. The main thing in this holy time is “not to eat each other,” as the priests say, that is, not to annoy your neighbors, not to upset them or upset them, but to try to maintain peace and love with each person, according to the commandment of Christ.

Useful video: how to observe Lent correctly?

Conclusion

At the time of the coming of Christ, many fasted and kept the whole law. But these were just external formal matters; people thought that they were pleasing God by doing this, and they exalted themselves over other people whom they considered worse than themselves. But the Lord said that the true worshipers of God are those who bow to God in spirit and truth. What matters to God is our hearts, not our bellies. Fasting is just a tool to cleanse our soul. And we must remember that everything has its own measure, excessive fasting is also not good for you, but can lead a person into pride or darkness.

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Fasting is abstinence, voluntary self-restraint in food, entertainment, communication with the world, fasting is a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God for that great Redemptive Sacrifice on the Cross that the Son of God Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ, offered for us.

Remember the state of the soul after a rich hearty meal, when laziness and relaxation spread throughout the body, the head becomes heavy, the consciousness becomes dull, when lustful animal instincts arise in the soul - where can thoughts of God, repentance or prayer come to mind!

The satiated flesh becomes the complete master of man and opens the door to many unclean passions.

Fasting is a crushing weapon against the slavery of the flesh that wages war on us; it is a God-given opportunity to liberate a person’s spiritual being through the oppression of the physical.

The Holy Scripture testifies to us about fasting as one of the means of saving the soul.

When, for the sins of the inhabitants of the city of Nineveh, the Lord condemned this city to destruction, like Sodom and Gomorrah, and sent the prophet Jonah to inform them about this, the king of Nineveh: “... arose from his throne, and took off his royal vestments, and put on in sackcloth, and sat on ashes, and commanded that it be proclaimed and said in Nineveh in the name of the king and his nobles: “So that neither people nor cattle... eat anything... and drink water,... and cry out loudly to God, and so that everyone turns from his evil path... maybe God will have mercy and turn away His burning anger from us, and we will not perish.” And God saw their deeds, that they turned from their evil way, and God regretted the disaster that He said He would bring on them, but He did not bring it.” ( And she. 3:6-10)

From this example one can see that fasting, as an expression of repentance and contrition for sins, takes away the wrath of God from the repentant.

But fasting is not only an expression of repentance and a reconciling sacrifice for sins.

This is what it says about the properties of fasting Rev. John Climacus: “Fasting is the violence of nature, the rejection of everything that pleases the taste, the extinguishing of bodily inflammation, the destruction of evil thoughts, liberation from bad dreams, the purity of prayer, the luminary of the soul, guarding the mind, the destruction of heartfelt insensibility, the door of tenderness, humble sighing, joyful contrition, keeping verbosity, the cause of silence, the guardian of obedience, the relief of sleep, the health of the body, the culprit of dispassion, the resolution of sins, the gates of paradise and heavenly pleasure” (Ladder. Homily 14. Art. 33).

Summarizing the above, we can say that fasting is one of the most important spiritual means in the matter of saving the soul.

Moreover, the essence of fasting is not just not to eat certain types of food.

If you do not eat meat, but sit for hours watching TV, this is not fasting; if during fasting you go to theaters, concerts and other entertainment venues, this is not fasting if you spend time visiting and receiving guests, and actively “communicating” on the phone, reading fiction- this is also not a post.

If you yourself, abstaining from modest (meat and dairy) food and entertainment, condemn others for their “negligent” life, then this is especially not fasting.

Fasting is abstinence from everything that can come between you and God, during fasting Christians abstain even from intimate marital life, fasting is going inside oneself and being there alone with the Lord, this is a time of introspection, a careful review of one’s life, the period of the most active spiritual work to correct one’s shortcomings, eradicate passions, and cleanse the flesh and spirit.

During fasting, a Christian should devote more attention and time to visiting church, home prayer, helping others and doing works of mercy.

Some of the Holy Fathers call prayer and fasting two wings that lift the Christian soul to Heaven.

The Church has established a whole system of fasts, by observing which a Christian contributes to the successful completion of spiritual deeds, the improvement of the soul, and the acquisition of the Divine Grace of the Holy Spirit.

Fasts can be one-day or multi-day.

One-day fasts are every Wednesday and Friday throughout the year, with the exception of Christmastide (the period between the holidays of Christmas and Epiphany), Easter and “continuous” weeks (weeks).

In addition, one-day fasts are: Epiphany Eve (Epiphany Eve), the Beheading of John the Baptist - August 29 (September 11, new style) and the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord - September 14 (27).

Fasts vary in severity: strict fasting - only plant foods (vegetables, fruits) are allowed to be eaten; less strict fasting - allowed vegetable oil, on Sundays and holidays- fish.

Many beginners are horrified: “How? Don't eat meat? But then where will the strength come from to work, to do anything at all?”

I would like to remind them that the largest and strongest animals on earth: elephant, bull, buffalo are herbivores and do not eat meat at all.

Also, during the period of fasting, a person not only does not lose physical strength and performance, but, due to cleansing the body of toxins and excess proteins, feels significant relief throughout the body, both mental and physical activity noticeably increases.

We have already said earlier that God did not command man to do anything that would not be useful to him.

Nowadays, many doctors note the positive effects of fasting on the human body, and some even recognize the system of Orthodox fasting as an optimal diet.

For pregnant, old or sick people, the Charter provides for some weakening of the strictness of fasting.

You also need to know that the Charter exempts from fasting people who are on the road and are forced to eat the food that they can get on the road (they can also include people who are in hospitals, prisons, or are forced to eat lunch at work and are unable to bring food with them). a lean food).

Everyone else must observe fasts in accordance with the Charter and the blessing of the confessor.

Priest John Pavlov

70. Why you need to fast

Everyone knows that fasting is an integral part of Christian life. Orthodox Christians fast on Wednesday and Friday of each week - these are the so-called one-day fasts, and, in addition, there are four more multi-day fasts - before the great holidays of Easter, Christmas, Dormition and the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. In total, more than half of all days in the year are fast.

Why does the Church attach such importance to fasting and pay so much attention to it? After all, it would seem, what significance does eating or uneaten sausage or sour cream have for our relationship with God? This question is usually asked either by people far from the Church, or by Protestants and Catholics, for whom fasting has actually been abolished at present. What is the answer to this? We must answer this: our relationship with God, or, in other words, spiritual life, very much depends on whether we observe the Lenten regulations of the Church or are accustomed to never denying ourselves anything. To confirm this truth, let us briefly recall the reasons why a Christian needs to fast.

So, firstly, fasting is our participation in the life, works and sufferings of Christ. We call ourselves Christians, that is, followers of Jesus Christ. If we are His followers, then we must imitate Him, learn from Him, follow Him. Christ, the Son of God, endured the Cross, was crucified for us - and we, in our measure, must respond to this endless sacrifice of His love, we must work and suffer with Him, take part in His feat, in His Cross. However, we know that man is weak, that he is often too attached to everything earthly and therefore, of his own free will, turns out to be unable to limit himself in anything, to endure even small ascetic labors. Therefore, our wise mother, the Church, established fasts - so that a person, observing them, could work at least a little together with Christ, take part in the feat of His life. Saint Ambrose of Milan says: “...if you want to be a Christian, do the same as Christ did. He, having no sin, fasted for forty days, and you, a sinner, do not want to fast... you are fed up, while Christ was hungry for you...” So, through fasting we participate in the sufferings and labors of Christ, which He undertook for the salvation of people.

Secondly, fasting greatly helps Christians in the battle with the enemies of our salvation, to which we are called. The Apostle Paul says that we are waging war against the principalities, powers and rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in high places. In the fight against them, we must resist and win. And the most powerful weapon in such a struggle is fasting. Christ Himself points us to this weapon: the demonic race, He says, is driven out only by prayer and fasting. That is, this clan is not expelled without fasting. The devil gained power over man through the intemperance of Adam, who ate the forbidden fruit. Perhaps that is why getting rid of his power is possible in the opposite way - through abstinence, or otherwise fasting. From the Gospel it is clear that it was after forty days of fasting in the desert that Christ inflicted the first defeat on the enemy. The Monk Isaac of Syria speaks about this: “Only through fasting did human nature win the first victory over the devil: before fasting, the human race did not know victory, and the devil never experienced his defeat from our nature; but from this weapon he was exhausted at the very beginning. Our Lord was the leader and firstborn of this victory, in order to place the first victorious crown on the head of our nature. And as soon as the devil sees this weapon on one of the people, this enemy and tormentor immediately comes into fear, immediately thinks and remembers his defeat by the Savior in the desert, and his strength is crushed, and the sight of the weapon given to us by our Leader is scorched his".

Further, it should be said about fasting that it greatly helps us in spiritual life: in prayer, contemplation of God, and communion with God. The fact is that a person consists of a soul and a body, and they, being closely connected, influence each other, so that the state of the soul depends on the state of the body. If a person’s body is satiated, then it ties the soul to flesh and matter, making it heavy and wingless, unable to rise above the dust of the earth. A bird cannot fly to the sky if its wings are clipped. Likewise, an airplane, if it is overloaded, will not be able to take off. So a person, if he is satiated and does not deny himself anything, cannot approach God. “A well-fed womb,” says Saint John of Kronstadt, “loses faith, the fear of God and becomes insensitive to prayer, to thanksgiving and glorification of God.”

The next reason why we need to fast: through fasting we show obedience to our mother the Church. If we do not fast, then we show that the Church is not our mother, that we do not want to listen to her and we ourselves know better than her how to live. If we fast, we confirm by this that the Church is our mother and we are her children, because we listen to her. After all, we obey various human institutions, obey, for example, state laws or listen when a doctor prescribes this or that diet for our illnesses. Those who have a stomach ache should not eat spicy or fried foods, and those with diabetes should not eat sweets. If we obey people in this, will we not listen to the Church? After all, a diet is prescribed by a doctor for the health of the body, which is short-lived and mortal, and the institutions of the Church, including fasting, are aimed at healing the immortal soul - in order to prepare it for blissful eternity, for life that has no end.

Further, it should be said that fasting is a powerful weapon in the fight against those flesh and blood, about which the Apostle Paul said that they will not inherit the Kingdom of God. By “flesh” in the words of the apostle we must understand the passions and sins of the body, and by “blood” - the passions and sins of the soul. That is, flesh and blood are two components of the leprous, corrupted and sold for sin of human nature, which became our integral part after the fall of Adam. Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov speaks about it this way: “Adam was created with a living soul, the Spirit of God was present with his soul and set it in motion; why this movement was a spiritual movement, in God. When Adam sinned, the Spirit of God departed from him; Adam's soul immediately died, and flesh and blood came to life. Through them, the devil began to act on the soul, to keep it in darkness, death, captivity...”

From fallen flesh and blood grow, as from a seed, all our sins and passions, all our bad thoughts, words and deeds. If we live by this, live by flesh and blood, then we are not able to enter the Kingdom of God and abide in it. In another place in his writings, Saint Ignatius says that flesh and blood do not follow the narrow path of salvation also because they are proud. Being proud, they reject humility and repentance, but always want to prosper, magnify, and enjoy. “Do you understand,” he writes in a letter to one monk, “that flesh and blood are proud? - Look at the decorated flesh, at the abundant blood - how pompous and arrogant they are! “It is not without reason that poverty and fasting are commanded to us!”

Further, fasting is our sacrifice to God, sacrificing ourselves. If we have lost weight and turned pale during fasting, this means that we have sacrificed a piece of ourselves, a part of our own body, to God. And according to the holy fathers, God is most pleased with the sacrifices, labors and sorrows endured for His sake.

It should also be said that when we fast, we are imitators of saints and righteous people, who all, without exception, fasted, and often very strictly. Therefore, by observing the Lenten regulations of the Church, we become one with the saints - their followers and brothers in arms. In addition, through fasting we become one with the entire universal Church, spread throughout our planet. For example, Great Lent comes, and Orthodox Christians living on all five continents equally begin the Lenten feat: in Solovki and Ethiopia, in Australia and Japan, in America, Indonesia and even Antarctica. And this testifies to their unity, their brotherhood, their conciliar unity, their fidelity to the path along which the saints of Christ’s Church walked.

So, we see that there are many reasons for observing fasts. But fasting, like any Christian virtue, must be done with reason. Without reasoning, performing virtue will bring us harm instead of benefit. You need to fast as strictly as possible, but strictly in moderation. “Every thing is beautiful in measure,” says St. Isaac of Syria, “without measure it turns into harm and what is considered beautiful.” You need to determine for yourself the correct amount of fasting. This measure is different for everyone. One measure is for schema-monks and hermits, another for monks living in a monastery, and a third for lay people. And again, for the laity, this measure can be very different: it depends on the age, state of health, physical build and lifestyle of each Christian.

Strict fasting certainly requires that there be peace in the soul of the fasting person. If a person lives in the rhythm of a big city, if he often worries, experiences anxiety and restlessness, then fasting should be moderate, because in this case strict fasting will not benefit the soul. In addition, it can cause harm to physical health. Fasting is not harmful to health if a person has peace, prayer and Grace in his soul. Visitors asked Elder Paisius the Svyatogorets about this: “Geronda, how did your stomach not deteriorate from so many fasts?” And the elder answered: “Fasting does not spoil the stomach. However, if a person is upset, then he needs to eat. Because when a person is upset, his stomach constantly produces gastric juice, which should only be produced to digest food. The juice corrodes the walls of the stomach, and it begins to hurt. A person should eat in accordance with the state in which he is.”

When the health of the body is damaged, it often happens that the person’s soul is also harmed. Saint Nektarios of Aegina wrote to one nun: “Illness hinders spiritual growth for those who have not achieved perfection. You need health for spiritual work. Anyone who is imperfect and who goes out to battle will be defeated, know this, if he is not healthy, for he will lack that moral strength that strengthens the perfect. For the imperfect, health is a chariot that carries a fighter to the victorious end of the battle. That's why I advise you to be reasonable, know when to stop everything and avoid excess. Severity goes hand in hand with a measure of virtue... If you are in good health, you will be able to grow spiritually, otherwise your efforts will be in vain. You must balance the severity of your fasts with your health, so as not to be forced to leave seclusion for the cities in search of healing from bodily ailments.”

For this reason, the Church allows various indulgences during fasting. After all, our Church is not a soulless tyrant, but a loving and wise mother. She does not say: “Die, but observe the fast” - and does not mechanically measure everyone with one yardstick. For example, for those suffering from any disease, relaxations in fasting are allowed - up to its complete abolition, because illness, in a sense, replaces fasting. Relaxations are also allowed for pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and travelers. Fasting does not strictly apply to children. In general, when determining the measure of fasting for someone, one must always remember that fasting is not a goal, but only a means. Yes, this remedy is strong and necessary, but still it is only a means. The goal is to get closer to God, to connect and communicate with Him. “Fasting,” says Blessed Diadochos, “has a price, but not before God. He is only a tool. An artist’s skill is valued not by the perfection of his tools, but by the perfection of his works.” Therefore, in those cases when fasting becomes an end in itself, it does not bring a person closer to God, but, on the contrary, removes him. And this should always be remembered.