Fasting

Fasting is a big part of Orthodox Christian worship. It is present in every Orthodox Church and it is one of three ways that worship is defined, the other two being Prayer and Almsgiving. What is unique about the Orthodox Church’s way of fasting is that it is fixed to specific days in the year, and there are two degrees. The first degree is strict abstinence, which usually means to not eating any food until a specific time of the day and not eating any animal products such as eggs, milk, and meat. The second degree of fasting calls for fasting also without food until an earlier time and allowing fish to be eaten during fastings of the second degree. Aside from all the technicalities, for this article I will talk about the spirituality of fasting.

In this day and age, fasting is virtually nonexistent, and if it does exist it is usually a very easy fast. Fasting however has been commanded from the Old Testament and was further prophesied by Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself that it would continue after He ascended into Heaven. As it says in the Gospel, “The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” -Mark 2:18-20. So Our Lord was indicating that fasting would continue after His Ascension because he says, “The days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” Fasting then becomes a sign of our faith and hope that Our Lord ascended in the flesh and is coming again in His glory at the end of the world.

As to how we should fast, Jesus taught and commanded us saying, “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” -Matthew 6:16-18. In Jesus’ time the Jews followed the Law of Moses according to the letter and not by the spirit of the law which God had put into it when He gave it to Moses, this is why Our Lord commands us to wash our faces and anoints our heads so that we don’t appear to be fasting because if we blatantly make it look as if we are fasting to a high degree of asceticism, then we have lost the whole meaning of fasting because the whole point of fasting is to become closer to God, not to receive praise from people. The words of Isaiah the Prophet apply here, “Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’” -Isaiah 58:3

Ezra talks about the goal of fasting, “Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions.” –Ezra 8:21. He then demonstrates a correct approach and understanding of fasting which is described as humbling ourselves before God and to seek from Him the right way for ourselves. When we fast we don’t fast for God, and this is the thing which might shock some of us. We don’t fast for God because God doesn’t need our fasting. We fast for ourselves, so that we can grow closer to Him, and know His will for us, and cause our prayers to be heard. Most Orthodox Christians don’t understand this latter point, but this is the understanding, because when we humble ourselves, we grow closer to God because slowly and little by little we forget about ourselves and our focus becomes solely on God.

When we fast we shouldn’t focus on the diet completely, because if we do, more than likely there will be some problems in the fast. I will briefly discuss one of these problems according to its priority. This problem is that we will try to substitute the foods, as I said the Church does not permit us to eat eggs, milk, and meat during these fasts with the exception of fish during some fasts. So what we tend to do is get soy milk, and cheese made without milk, you get the picture. I was at a retreat six months ago during the Nativity Fast, and during lunch time I saw in one of the serving bowls at my table what I thought looked like beef, then I heard the person sitting in front of me saying, “Can you please pass the fasting meat.” And I was so confused, how can meat be fasting? So to my shock they have been able to use soy to make fasting beef for those who want to fast! Anyways, this is for the most part, “cheating” the fast. Because the whole point of the fast is to deny ourselves, and part of doing that means to control our desires, so if all that’s changed between fasting and non-fasting times is just the ingredients, then we have not followed the fast according to its spirit but according to its letter. As St. Paul the Apostle said under inspiration in the Holy Bible, “And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” -2 Corinthians 3:4-6. If we fast according to the manner of the letter, we will be like those whom the Book of Isaiah describes, “Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’” -Isaiah 58:3

Finally there are actually two types of fasting, congregational and individual. The type of fasting I am talking about here is congregational meaning that the Church sets the date and rules. Although we must understand that if someone has a health issue, he or she can sit down with his or her Father of Confession and receive absolution. But this congregational fasting in the end also helps the Church to be of one mind and raises the spirituality of the Body of Christ by causing everyone to be in a state of prayer and spirituality. Individual fasting works in a completely different way by having the believer sit down with his Father of Confession and receiving advice so that he doesn’t hurt himself or feel proud of having fasted by himself, and take into account other spiritual factors.

We are in a season of fasting as we are currently in the Apostles Fast, so let us take the time to consecrate the fast by putting away our desires and humbling ourselves before God and seeking Him out in prayer during this holy time. And glory be to God both now and ever and unto the age of all ages. Amen.