On Fasting
by Fr George Hackney
Given on the Third Sunday after Pentecost, 2010
at the Parish Church of St Matthias and All Saints of Lincolnshire
What is Fasting?
Saint Theophan the recluse used to say, “the whole spiritual life begins with the stomach”.
In the Gospel
we hear how Christ called Peter, Andrew, James and John to give up
fishing - and follow Him. Fasting is ‘giving up‘, and giving up is
hard to do. To follow Christ, His first Apostles had to fast from
fishing. Do you think that was easy for them? Fishing was
their whole way of life. They loved it. They were fishermen:
they went fishing every day. Christ told them to fast from
fishing, to give up their fishing. He said, "Follow me!"
Peter,
Andrew, James and John learned from day one that if they wanted to
follow Christ, they had to give up some good things. They didn’t
just have to give up bad things like lying, cheating, swearing,
fornicating and fighting; they had to give up good things too.
Good things like earning an honest living catching fish. That is
much harder. To become a Christian means to become a faithful
follower of Jesus Christ, and we read in the Gospels that, from day one,
following Christ also included fasting. Fasting has therefore
been one of the hallmarks of Christian Orthodoxy from the very
beginning. Christian fasting includes fasting from all food and
drink, abstaining from certain kinds of food and drink, or simply
reducing the amount of food and drink we consume.
When do we Fast?
We fast every
week on Wednesday and Friday. On Wednesday, because that is the
day when we remember how Judas betrayed Christ: it is a day of sorrow
and repentance. On Friday, because that is the day that Christ
died on the Cross, and we offer our little sacrifice in solidarity with
Him in His great sacrifice of Himself.
Apart from the regular
fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays, there are also some special days in
the year when we fast for just one day; for example August 29th, when we
commemorate the beheading of the Forerunner and Baptist, John. We
also fast before receiving Holy Communion: if we are receiving Holy
Communion in the morning, we have a strict fast from midnight, but if we
are receiving Holy Communion at the Vesperal Liturgy (in the evening),
then our fast must begin from midday.
There are also four longer
fasts:
- The longest and strictest of course is Great Lent when we fast for 6 weeks before the celebration of Pascha (Easter).
- In the summer we have the Dormition Fast, for the first 2 weeks in August as we prepare for the Feast of the Falling Asleep (or Dormition) of the Mother of God.
- In the winter we fast during Advent, the period leading up to the Feast of Christmass - the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This, the Nativity Fast, begins on November 15th and lasts for 4 weeks (but is not so strict as Great Lent).
- The fourth fast is different from the others: it lasts for a different length of time each year. It is the Apostles' Fast, which this year began on Monday, May 31st. This fast leads up to the celebreation of the Feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, the great missionaries who founded the Orthodox Church of Antioch in Syria, home of our Patriarchate as Anthiochian Orthodox Christians. Why is this fast different from the others? Because it always begins on the second Monday after Pentecost and continues until the Feast of the Apostles. Now the date of Pentecost is different each year, because it always falls 50 days after Pascha, which is calculated from the phase of the moon. This year, 2010, Pascha fell early and the fast is 4 weeks (so tighten your belts!). Next year, Pascha will be almost as late as it can be; and the fast will be a breeze at 9 days.
So much
for days, dates, times and seasons. But why do Christians
fast? Some Protestant churches today have given up fasting in
Lent: their leaders say that instead of giving something up, one should
do a good turn every day instead. Fasting, they say, is negative:
doing good is positive. Orthodoxy takes a different view.
The Orthodox Church teaches us that we should not choose either to fast
or to do a good turn: we should do both!
Why do we fast?
- to follow the example of Jesus Christ,
- to obey the teaching of Jesus Christ, and
- to practice self-control and simplicity, the discipline which is necessary to be a follower and disciple of Christ.
The
Gospels tell us that Christ began His public ministry by fasting for 40
days and nights in the wilderness. He believed this was a
necessary discipline for Himself to prepare His human body, mind and
spirit before He began His Divine mission: of preaching, teaching and
founding His special Community - His Apostolic Church. If even
Christ believed He needed to fast, dare we set ourselves up as better
than Him - and say we do not need to do this? After He gathered
His disciples around Him and began to train them to continue His
mission, some people criticised the Apostles because they were not
fasting at the same time John the Baptist’s disciples did. Jesus
said, “They will not fast while I am with them. But the days will
come when I shall be taken away from them. Then they will
fast.“ This Apostles Fast we are now keeping falls in the time
when we remember how Jesus was taken away from them at his Ascension,
and how the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost to empower them for their
mission. Tradition tells us that before the Apostles left
Jerusalem to preach the Gospel in all parts of the world they fasted and
prayed, just like Jesus had done in the wilderness. This was to
prepare themselves for their mission to the whole world. You
will recall how, in the Sermon on the Mount, Our Lord Jesus gives us
very clear instructions about fasting (you can read them for yourself in
the Gospel of St Matthew, in chapter 6). Jesus expects us to
fast: in the Gospel He does not say “IF you fast“, He says “WHEN you
fast”. Christ commands us to fast. The Church tells us when
to do it.
We do not choose for ourselves when to fast. That
could lead to pride and individualism and a very unhealthy spiritual
competition that could ruin souls. We fast, obediently, when our
Holy Orthodox Church tells us to. She speaks to us out of 2,000
years of spiritual experience.
Also when we fast we do not do it as
private individuals: we do at as a community. We do it
together. We do it as the family of the Church.
It is not an
individual fast: it is a family fast. It can be a great
encouragement to us to know that when we fast we are not “going it
alone“, we are fasting in solidarity with millions of Orthodox faithful
around the world and throughout the ages. Our fasting is an
expression of our faith. Even when you can’t get to the Temple you
can keep the fast: it is something you do at home. It is one of
the hallmarks of an Orthodox Christian.
How do
we Fast?
How, then,
shall each one of us keep this fast? First of all let me remind
you that the Apostles' Fast is not as strict as the fast of Great Lent.
In
Great Lent we give up red meat, chicken, fish, butter, eggs, milk,
cheese, wine, beer and oil. In this Apostles Fast we give up the
red meat, milk and butter - but most days we can eat fish and cook with
oil. Also the way we fast depends on our age, our health and our
lifestyle. It is not the same for everyone. If you are a monk or a nun,
you keep the strict fast. If you are an ordinary Orthodox
Christian living in the
world, married or not, you will still keep a
stricter fast than most other Christians - but not so strict as a monk:
- If you live alone it is easy for you to keep the fast. You have total control over what you buy and what you eat.
- If you live in a family where everyone is Orthodox you should discuss together what you will eat during the fast. Reach an agreement, then don’t talk about it any more. Just get on with it - and don’t complain!
- If you live in a mixed family where some are Orthodox and some are not you have to be more careful. You should not make a big show of eating differently to everyone else. Your fasting should be as secret as possible and if the cook is not Orthodox and puts a plate of meat in front of you don’t make a fuss. You should eat it quietly and without complaint and thank God for the food. If this happens your fast is a
- "fast from fasting" and will teach you humility.
- If you are visiting non-Orthodox friends or family and they put meat in front of you. Don’t make a fuss. Don’t say, "I am Orthodox, I can’t eat that!“ Such behaviour (apart from being very bad manners) leads to pride and exhibitionism. Eat what is given to you humbly and quietly. God will acccept the purity of your intention.
- If your doctor has told you that for your health you must eat certain foods, even if it is meat or milk, then the Orthodox Church automatically excuses you from the fast. You must eat what the Doctor orders. The Bible tells us to “honour the physician, honour the doctor“. This rule also applies to the fast before Communion.
- If you are weak and frail and elderly, you are excused the fast. Fasting is commanded to strengthen the soul - not to weaken or damage the body. In the same way, if you are a child under 7 years of age you are not expected to fast.
- In any case, if you are not sure how to keep the fast in your own circumstances, ask your priest or spiritual father or mother for advice. We are here to help you. Finally, if you are fit and strong and in good health and in control of the food in your house - you should keep the fast in full, faithfully, prayerfully and, above all and as Christ has taught us, secretly! Do not confuse fasting in community with fasting in public - they are NOT the same thing. The former strengthens your resolve, but the latter makes your fast worthless in the eyes of God.
God bless your fast and may it strengthen your soul and bring you joy!