Fasting Questions & Answers The Rev'd. Fr., Dr. Theodore Stylianopoulos

How (and Why) to Fast:
Fasting helps us get our priorities straight.
It also helps us gather spiritual energy for doing good.

Q. I have become an Orthodox Christian, and I need some big time help with the particulars of fasting--what to eat and not to eat. What should I do about fasting?

A: In an age of obsessive consumption, it is refreshing to know that you are interested in fasting. Fasting has deep roots in the Bible. It is also a defining aspect of Orthodox piety and spirituality. Practiced with discernment, the discipline of fasting can be a valuable gauge to understanding our three basic relationships: to God, self, and the world. It also helps us gather spiritual energy for doing good. To practice fasting in our Western culture means to swim against the stream. But it takes a live fish to do that!

When to Fast

The powerful ascetic spirit of the Orthodox Christian tradition prescribes fasting not only on virtually all Wednesdays and Fridays (Christian practice dating to the first century), but also on much longer periods lasting weeks and months prior to and in preparation for great holy days.

The Christmas Fast is from November 15 to December 24.

The Great Fast of Lent, including Holy Week, begins seven weeks before Holy Pascha (Easter).

The Fast of Saints Peter and Paul, whose feast is on June 29, lasts from a few days to six weeks, depending on the date of Easter and Pentecost.

The Fast of the Falling Asleep of the Virgin Mary (August 15) is from August 1 to August 14.

What to Abstain From

Fasting may be defined as abstaining from certain foods, basically meats, eggs, dairy products (milk, cheese, butter, etc.), as well as fish with backbone. (Such things as shrimp, crab, and octopus are permitted). Strict fasting, observed usually in monastic communities, includes days of eating nothing at all or only "dry eating" (xerophagy), meaning fruit, nuts, bread, and vegetables. Because all the details of the calendar and food prescriptions are too numerous to mention here, or may vary according to local tradition, ask your priest for guidance. You could also consult two well-known and accessible books by Kallistos Ware, "The Orthodox Church" and "The Lenten Triodion".

How and Why to Fast

Most important of all is the meaning of fasting and the spirit in which you do it. Consider first what fasting is not. It is not abstaining from foods as if they had quasi-magical powers, with some clean and some unclean, for all food is a gift from God to be received with gratitude. Jesus declared that not what goes into the stomach, but what comes out of the heart (evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, etc.), is defiling (Mark 7:18-23). Nor is fasting a matter of legalism, as if exactitude in calendar and food regulations would provide the essential value. Remember that it was the sinful but humble and penitent tax collector, not the fasting but proud and judgmental Pharisee, who left the place of prayer justified in the eyes of God (Luke 18:9-14). Orthodox teaching allows for flexibility in fasting relative to age, health, and circumstances. Nor is it true fasting to abstain from prohibited foods and then concentrate on "delicious Lenten meals" or gorge oneself on pasta or mashed potatoes; such abuses negate the very spirit of fasting.

Jesus' three temptations may serve as the key paradigm to the meaning of fasting. After he had been fasting for 40 days in the wilderness, Jesus was first tempted to make bread out of stones. Jesus repelled the devil's prompting and said: "Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). Fasting is an affirmation of ultimate reliance on God and spiritual values, rather than on material goods and food. Accompanied by prayer, fasting is a concrete act that declares that God is our priority and we are dependent on him as our life source. As you fast, focus on renewing your primary relationship with God--remembering God, loving him, thanking him, being mindful of your sins, asking for God's mercy, and living in his presence with a sense of fervent faith and humble repentance.

The devil's second temptation was to have Jesus leap from the pinnacle of the Temple in order that angels might protect him; it was a temptation to lapse into religious exhibitionism. Jesus answered: "You shall not tempt the Lord your God" (Matthew 4:7). Fasting is not piling up merits before God, being inwardly proud, judging others who are not fasting, or parading our religiosity. It is a self-discipline that corrects bad habits, establishes inner direction, and renews our relationship to ourselves as people created in the image and likeness of God.

Fasting is control not only of the mouth but also the heart, the tongue, the eyes, the ears, the hands, and the feet. St. Basil taught that "true fasting consists of driving out evil, controlling the tongue, abstaining from anger, giving up evil desires, slander, lying, false witness against others, and the like." According to St. John Chrysostom, those who fast "ought most of all to keep their anger in check, learn the lesson of mildness and kindness, have a contrite heart, banish the flood of unworthy passions, and keep before their eyes the all-seeing presence of God."

In the third temptation, the devil promised Jesus the whole world and its glory if he would only bow down to Satan. But Jesus shouted: "Be gone, Satan! You shall worship the Lord your God and him only you shall serve" (Matthew 4:10). Fasting has also to do with a person's fundamental relationship to the world, that is, the challenge of the right understanding and disciplined use of God's gifts. The world and its allurements are always seeking to take the place of God in our lives and thus distort our own identity as persons.

Food is abused not only by eating too much of it but also not sharing it with the poor. And it is not only the consumption of food, but also of alcohol, tobacco, drugs, medicines, excessive television viewing, and many other wasteful activities.

The great teachers of the church have said that true fasting is not only a matter of abstaining but also of acting creatively and positively to help others and alleviate suffering, oppression, and ignorance in the world. To quote St. John Chrysostom once again: "This is the essence of fasting: that along with abstinence from food, we should practice abstinence from whatever is harmful, and should give close attention to spiritual duties and do good."

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