Archimandrite Markell (Pavuk), confessor of the Kyiv theological schools, answers questions from readers and advises how to properly spend the remaining weeks of Lent.
Robert Leinweber. Peter's denial
“You shouldn’t get too upset about this.” As it is said in the word of St. John Chrysostom, which will be read on Easter: “...Whoever has delayed until the ninth hour, let him begin, without doubting at all, without fearing anything. Whoever managed to arrive only at the eleventh hour, let him not fear for his delay. For the generous Master accepts the last as the first; calms the one who came at the eleventh hour in the same way as the one who worked from the first hour; and he has mercy on the last, and cares for the first; and he gives to him, and he bestows on him; and accepts deeds and welcomes intentions; and honors activity, and praises disposition. So, all of you, enter into the joy of our Lord; both the first and the second will receive a reward.”
This does not mean that Chrysostom encourages an indifferent attitude towards fasting. We must remember that the main goal of fasting is not to make us holy and righteous (a whole life is not enough for this), but to make everyone see their sins. It makes no difference when this insight occurs: at the beginning of the post or at the very end, but the main thing is that it happens. The advantage of the one who observes the entire fast is only that if he immediately sees his sins, then he has more time to fight them and has a greater chance of winning; accordingly, he can more deeply and consciously perceive Easter joy. If a person sees his sins already at the very end of Lent, then he does not need to despair. The main thing is that he is ready to accept the Risen Savior into the home of his soul. He who does not see his sins, who does not feel that he is perishing, even if he maintains the entire fast, as St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) notes, does not need a Savior.
– I really want to fast correctly, but I can’t. How to fix it? And, most importantly, where to find strength and motivation? How not to abandon a post?
– I repeat, someone who does not feel his spiritual illness does not succeed in fasting, does not realize that he is an evil, envious, dissolute, stingy, cunning and treacherous person, and because of this every day he himself dies and drags others with him into destruction. Anyone who sees even a little of their shortcomings naturally has a desire to get rid of them through fasting and prayer. For such a person, fasting is not a burden, but a joy; not only is he not burdened, but, on the contrary, he grieves that the time of strict abstinence is soon ending. Only those who allow thoughts of self-satisfaction into their souls abandon fasting or relax it in every possible way, after which they are deprived of the help of God’s grace and it becomes very difficult for them to observe fasting. After all, why does someone need fasting if they consider themselves a good person even without it? But it is not so easy for a person who has achieved certain successes in his life to resist these self-righteous thoughts. If he does not regularly confess and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, then these thoughts will get the better of him.
This is especially noticeable in Protestant and sectarian denominations. Is it not because these people fell away from the One Holy Catholic Church because they did not try to see their sins and did not fight against them? Now they prefer to be guided in their lives by external integrity. Order is good. But the Lord wants more from us: “If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me...” (Matthew 16:24). Without imitation and co-crucifixion with Christ, a Christian remains such only in name. Is this why Christianity in Europe is currently experiencing a crisis; due to low attendance, many churches have to be rented out for offices and hotels or closed? As a result, non-Christian Eastern religions, living according to the Old Testament law “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” or according to the pagan principle “He who has power, money and physical strength on his side is right” are gradually gaining more and more strength and replacing the relaxed Protestant and Catholic Christianity.
Recorded by Natalya Goroshkova
A day of fasting started and broken for some reason must be compensated. As for breaking the fast during the month of Ramadan, depending on the type of violation, it may be necessary to "qada" (compensation) And "Kaffarat" (redemption), or just a refund.
Lexical meaning of an Arabic word "Kada" - doing something. In Sharia terminology, this word, in addition to the lexical one, has the meaning of “compensation by someone for worship not performed on time or begun but disrupted, such as namaz, hajj or fasting, carried out at another time.”
Lexical meaning of the word "kaffarat" is "shelter, erasure". In Sharia terminology, this word means a certain set of actions established by Allah Almighty, to which a person resorts in order to earn Allah’s forgiveness for some sins and mistakes committed.
Kaffarat (redemption) for fasting in Ramadan is required if a person, without any good reason, consciously and of his own free will, breaks the fast he has begun. In case of violation of other fasts outside the month of Ramadan, kaffarat is not required.
Kaffarat (redemption) The reward for fasting is freeing a slave, or observing continuous fasting for two lunar months, or feeding sixty poor people. But instead of food, you can pay its cost. Along with kafarat, it is also necessary to do repentance and have a firm intention not to commit a similar sin in the future.
The sixty-day fast observed as kaffarat must be observed continuously, so if even one day is missed, the fast must be started over.
For several days of fasting, broken in one Ramadan or broken in different years, one atonement is enough.
Now, after we have become familiar with the meaning of the concepts of “qada” and “kaffarat,” let’s move on to consider what does and does not break fasting. Actions that violate fasting will be discussed in two sections:
first- these are actions for which compensation and atonement are required;
second- These are actions for which only compensation is required.
1. Actions requiring “qada” (compensation) and “kaffarat” (atonement):
It is reported that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Whoever breaks the fast of the month of Ramadan without a valid reason established by Allah, will not be able to compensate for it, even if he spends the whole year fasting” (Abu Dawud, Syam, 38).
Actions included in this category can be divided into two groups:
a) Entering into an intimate relationship
Engaging in intimate relations during Lent requires restitution and atonement from both parties. On this occasion, the following hadith is narrated from Abu Hurairah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu):
“One day we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah, when suddenly a man came up to us and said:
O Messenger of Allah! I'm dead!
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of the Almighty be upon him!) asked:
What's happened?
“I entered into an intimate relationship with my wife during Lent,” he replied. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of the Almighty be upon him!) asked:
-Can you fast for two months in a row?
No, the man answered.
Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of the Almighty be upon him!) asked:
-Can you feed sixty poor people?
The man answered again:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of the Almighty be upon him!) did not answer him. Some time passed, we were discussing the incident, when suddenly the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of the Almighty be upon him!) came out with a basket full of dates and asked:
-Where is the person who asked me?
The man said:
I'm here.
Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of the Almighty be upon him!) said to him:
- Take this and give it away as sadaka.
In response the man said:
O Messenger of Allah! Is there anyone poorer than me? I swear by Allah, there is no poorer family in the valley of Medina than mine.
In response to this, the Messenger of Allah laughed so that his teeth became visible, and then said:
Then take some dates and treat your family to them.
(Bukhari, Saum, 30; Hiba, 20; Nafaka, 13, Kaffarat, 2-4; Muslim, Syyam, 81; Abu Daud, Tahara, 123, Saum, 37; Tirmidhi, Saum, 23).
All madhhabs are unanimous that intimate relations violate the fast and require both compensation and atonement. This hadith is proof for everyone. In the matter of kaffarat there is no other evidence other than this hadith.
b) Consumption of food or anything related to it.
The concept of “food” includes all types of food, both ready-to-eat and raw; all types of raw or dried meat and meat products; all types of vegetables and fruits, as well as grains, and those products obtained by processing them.
According to the Hanafi madhhab, a person who breaks his fast by consuming food or drink is similar to a person who breaks his fast by having an intimate relationship.
2. Actions requiring only “qada” (compensation).
The following actions break the fast, requiring only compensation and not requiring atonement:
- Eating or drinking by mistake.
- Deliberate ingestion of paper, cotton wool and similar objects. Swallowing these objects, although it has an external resemblance to eating food, does not have the purpose of satiation, therefore, in this situation, kaffarat is not required.
- Swallowing water when rinsing the nose or medicine placed in the hollow of a tooth.
- Swallowing large particles of food left between the teeth (a large particle is considered to be the size of a pea).
- Swallowing something the size of a grain of wheat that has entered the mouth from outside.
- Eating in the morning, believing that the time of Sahur has not yet passed, or in the evening, believing that the time of Iftar has already come. In this case we are talking about eating by mistake.
- Violation of fast under duress.
Archimandrite Markell (Pavuk), confessor of the Kyiv theological schools, answers questions from readers and advises how to properly spend the remaining weeks of Lent.
Robert Leinweber. Peter's denial
“You shouldn’t get too upset about this.” As it is said in the word of St. John Chrysostom, which will be read on Easter: “...Whoever has delayed until the ninth hour, let him begin, without doubting at all, without fearing anything. Whoever managed to arrive only at the eleventh hour, let him not fear for his delay. For the generous Master accepts the last as the first; calms the one who came at the eleventh hour in the same way as the one who worked from the first hour; and he has mercy on the last, and cares for the first; and he gives to him, and he bestows on him; and accepts deeds and welcomes intentions; and honors activity, and praises disposition. So, all of you, enter into the joy of our Lord; both the first and the second will receive a reward.”
This does not mean that Chrysostom encourages an indifferent attitude towards fasting. We must remember that the main goal of fasting is not to make us holy and righteous (a whole life is not enough for this), but to make everyone see their sins. It makes no difference when this insight occurs: at the beginning of the post or at the very end, but the main thing is that it happens. The advantage of the one who observes the entire fast is only that if he immediately sees his sins, then he has more time to fight them and has a greater chance of winning; accordingly, he can more deeply and consciously perceive Easter joy. If a person sees his sins already at the very end of Lent, then he does not need to despair. The main thing is that he is ready to accept the Risen Savior into the home of his soul. He who does not see his sins, who does not feel that he is perishing, even if he maintains the entire fast, as St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) notes, does not need a Savior.
– I really want to fast correctly, but I can’t. How to fix it? And, most importantly, where to find strength and motivation? How not to abandon a post?
– I repeat, someone who does not feel his spiritual illness does not succeed in fasting, does not realize that he is an evil, envious, dissolute, stingy, cunning and treacherous person, and because of this every day he himself dies and drags others with him into destruction. Anyone who sees even a little of their shortcomings naturally has a desire to get rid of them through fasting and prayer. For such a person, fasting is not a burden, but a joy; not only is he not burdened, but, on the contrary, he grieves that the time of strict abstinence is soon ending. Only those who allow thoughts of self-satisfaction into their souls abandon fasting or relax it in every possible way, after which they are deprived of the help of God’s grace and it becomes very difficult for them to observe fasting. After all, why does someone need fasting if they consider themselves a good person even without it? But it is not so easy for a person who has achieved certain successes in his life to resist these self-righteous thoughts. If he does not regularly confess and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, then these thoughts will get the better of him.
This is especially noticeable in Protestant and sectarian denominations. Is it not because these people fell away from the One Holy Catholic Church because they did not try to see their sins and did not fight against them? Now they prefer to be guided in their lives by external integrity. Order is good. But the Lord wants more from us: “If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me...” (Matthew 16:24). Without imitation and co-crucifixion with Christ, a Christian remains such only in name. Is this why Christianity in Europe is currently experiencing a crisis; due to low attendance, many churches have to be rented out for offices and hotels or closed? As a result, non-Christian Eastern religions, living according to the Old Testament law “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” or according to the pagan principle “He who has power, money and physical strength on his side is right” are gradually gaining more and more strength and replacing the relaxed Protestant and Catholic Christianity.
Recorded by Natalya Goroshkova
In monasteries, questions regarding fasting do not arise, but people living in the world are often perplexed: how to fast when colleagues or family members do not fast, when you need to work full time and have a long way to get to work, when you are overcome by illnesses and infirmities, fatigue and stress?
The Optina elders considered fasting very important and gave many instructions about fasting and abstinence.
Why do we fast
The Monk Ambrose wrote about the need to observe fasts:
In addition, there is an indication in the Gospel that we must fast on Wednesday and Friday. On Wednesday the Lord was handed over to be crucified, and on Friday he was crucified.”
The elder explained why we abstain from fasting food:
“Mean food is not defilement. It does not defile, but fattens the human body. And the holy Apostle Paul says: “Even if our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is renewed from day to day” (2 Cor. 4:16). He called the outer man the body, and the inner man the soul.”
St. Barsanuphius reminded us that if we please the flesh, then its needs grow incredibly quickly and suppress any spiritual movement of the soul:
“The proverb is true: “The more you eat, the more you want.” If we just quench our hunger and thirst and get busy or begin to pray, food will not distract us from our activities. I experienced this myself.
If we please the flesh, then its needs grow incredibly quickly, so that they suppress any spiritual movement of the soul.”
Is fasting harmful to health?
Elder Ambrose instructed:
“Of course, it’s a different matter if someone breaks the fast due to illness and bodily infirmity. And those who are healthy from fasting are healthier and kinder, and what’s more, they live longer, even though they seem skinny in appearance. With fasting and abstinence, the flesh does not rebel so much, and sleep does not overcome so much, and fewer empty thoughts enter the head, and spiritual books are read more readily and understood more readily.”
The Monk Barsanuphius also explained to his children that fasting not only does not harm health, but, on the contrary, preserves it:
“But the commandments of the Lord are not grievous. The Orthodox Church is not our stepmother, but a kind and loving mother. She instructs us, for example, to observe moderate fasting, and it does not harm our health at all, but, on the contrary, preserves it.
And good doctors, even unbelievers, now claim that constantly eating meat is harmful: plant foods are necessary from time to time - that is, in other words, they prescribe fasting. Now in Moscow and other big cities vegetarian canteens are being opened to give the stomach a rest from meat. On the contrary, due to the constant consumption of meat food, all sorts of diseases occur.”
Should sick people fast?
There are cases of such bodily infirmities when fasting is not harmful, but, on the contrary, beneficial. Elder Barsanuphius gave an example from his pastoral practice, when a sick woman did not observe fasts, fearing deterioration in health and even death. But when she began to fast on the advice of the elder, she not only did not die, but completely recovered:
“Two spouses from a merchant family, leading a pious life, came to me. He is a healthy man, but his wife was constantly ill and never kept fasts. I tell her:
Start fasting and everything will pass.
She answers:
What if I die from fasting? It’s scary to do such an experiment.
“You won’t die,” I answer, “but you will get better.”
And indeed, the Lord helped her. She began to observe the fasts established by the Church and is now completely healthy, as they say - “blood and milk.”
To the sick child who did not want to break his fast, Elder Ambrose answered:
“I received your letter. If your conscience does not agree to allow you to eat a modest meal during Lent, although due to illness, then you should not despise or force your conscience. Fast food cannot heal you from illness, and therefore later you will be embarrassed that you acted contrary to the good suggestions of your conscience. It is better to choose from lean foods that are nutritious and digestible for your stomach.
It happens that some sick people eat fasting food as medicine and then repent of this, that due to illness they violated the rules of the Holy Church about fasting. But everyone needs to look and act according to their conscience and consciousness and in accordance with the mood of their spirit, so as not to upset themselves even more by confusion and double-mindedness.”
However, illnesses and infirmities vary from person to person, and with some you can limit yourself, while with others it is better not to violate doctor’s orders. Not eating this or that food should not be an end in itself. Fasting is intended for healthy people, but for the sick, fasting is the disease itself. Pregnant women, sick people, and small children are usually exempt from fasting.
Thus, in connection with the upcoming fast, Elder Ambrose gave instructions to the mistress of the house, who was burdened with numerous chores with children and did not have good health:
“Try to spend the coming fast judiciously, taking into account your bodily strength. You must remember that you are the mistress of the house, surrounded by children; besides, ill health becomes attached to you.
All this shows that you we need to take more care of spiritual virtues; Regarding the use of food and other bodily exploits, good reasoning with humility should come first…
Saint Climacus quotes the words: “I did not fast, nor did I lie down, nor did I lie down on the ground; But I humbled myself, and the Lord saved me.” Humbly present your weakness to the Lord, and He is able to work all things out for good.”
The monk warned:
“Bodily weakness and pain are tricky, and it’s tricky to cope with it. Not without reason, Saint Isaac the Syrian, the first of the great fasters, wrote: “If we force a weak body beyond its strength, then confusion comes upon confusion.”
Therefore, in order not to be needlessly embarrassed, it is better to tolerate bodily weakness as much as necessary.”
Elder Anatoly (Zertsalov) wrote:
“You can eat fish if you are weak. Just please don’t be angry and don’t hold onto your thoughts for too long.”
What to do if you can’t get enough of lean food?
 |
“You write that it’s scary to be left without milk. But the Lord is strong to give strength to a weak nature. It would be good to eat perches and ruffs..."
The elder himself ate very little food. Surprised by this, they once asked him whether it was difficult for him to achieve such abstinence or was it already given to him by nature? He answered with these words:
“If a person is not forced, even if he ate all the food of Egypt and drank all the water of the Nile, his belly will still say: I hunger!”
The Monk Ambrose used to say, as always, briefly but aptly:
“Explaining lips are a pork trough.”
How to combine fasting and social life (when you are invited to anniversaries, banquets, etc.)?
Reasoning is also required here. There are banquets and holidays where our presence is completely unnecessary, and we can safely refuse this celebration without breaking the fast. There are feasts where you can eat something lean, unnoticed by others, without exalting your fast over others.
In cases of breaking the fast “for the sake of guests,” St. Joseph taught:
“If you break abstinence for the sake of guests, then you don’t need to be embarrassed, but reproach yourself for it and bring repentance.”
Instructed:
“Fasting can be twofold: external and internal. The first is abstinence from modest food, the second is abstinence from all our senses, especially vision, from everything unclean and nasty. Both posts are inextricably linked with each other. Some people pay all their attention only to the external post, without understanding the internal one at all.
For example, such a person comes into society somewhere, conversations begin, in which very often there is condemnation of his neighbors. He takes an active part in them and steals a lot from his neighbor’s honor. But then it’s time for dinner. The guest is offered a quick meal: a cutlet, a piece of pig, etc. He resolutely refuses.
Well, eat,” the owners persuade, “it’s not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth!”
“No, I’m strict about this,” he declares, completely unaware that by judging his neighbor, he has already violated and even completely destroyed the fast.”
Post on the road
There are other situations when we cannot fully fast, such as when traveling. When we travel, we live in special conditions beyond our control.
Although if the journey is short and there is an opportunity to eat lean food, then you should refrain from eating fast food.
In this regard, we can recall the instructions of Elder Barsanuphius:
“A young girl, Sofya Konstantinovna, who came to visit the Niluses in Optina Pustyn, complained to the elder in confession that, living in someone else’s house, she was deprived of the opportunity to observe fasts. “Well, why are you now tempted by sausage on your way on a fast day?” - the old man asked her. S.K. I was horrified: how could the elder know this?”
If the post seems unnecessary, redundant
Sometimes people deny the meaning of fasting, declare that they agree with all the commandments, but they don’t want to, cannot, and consider it unnecessary and superfluous. Elder Barsanuphius said in this regard that these are the enemy’s thoughts: the enemy sets this up because he hates fasting:
“We understand the power of fasting and its significance if only from the fact that it is somehow especially hated by the enemy. They come to me for advice and confession - I advise them to observe holy fasts. They agree with everything, but when it comes to fasting, I don’t want to, I can’t, and so on. The enemy is so exciting: he doesn’t want the holy fasts to be observed...”
About abstinence and three degrees of satiety
You also need to remember that you can become satiated with lean food to such an extent that it becomes gluttony. For people of different builds and having different physical activity, the amount of food will also be different. Reverend Nikon reminded:
“One pound of bread is enough for one person’s body, four pounds of bread is enough for another person’s body: he will not be satisfied with less bread. Therefore, Saint John Chrysostom says that a faster is not one who consumes a small amount of food, but one who consumes less food than what is required for his body. This is what abstinence is all about.”
The Monk Ambrose wrote about abstinence and the three degrees of satiety:
“You write about food that it is difficult for you to get used to eating little by little, so that after lunch you are still hungry. The Holy Fathers established three degrees regarding food: abstinence - in order to be somewhat hungry after eating, contentment - in order to be neither full nor hungry, and satiety - in order to eat to the full, not without some burden.
Of these three degrees, everyone can choose any one, according to their strengths and according to their structure, healthy and sick.”
If you break your fast due to inattention
It happens that a person eats fast food on a fast day due to inattention, absent-mindedness, or forgetfulness. How to deal with such an oversight?
The Monk Joseph gives an example of a man who ate a quick pie on a fast day, and at first he ate it, forgetting about the fast day, and then, remembering, finished it anyway, reasoning that he had sinned anyway:
“In your second letter, you described an incident that happened to you in St. Petersburg: you ate one half of a quick pie on Wednesday out of oblivion, and the other half you ate, having already come to your senses. The first sin is excusable, but the other is not excusable. It’s like someone running out of oblivion towards an abyss, but in the middle of the road he comes to his senses and still continues to run, despising the danger that threatens him.”
If you break your fast due to lack of willpower
Sometimes a person tries to keep the fast, but cannot stand it, due to lack of willpower, he breaks it and becomes despondent as a result. To these the Monk Joseph advised:
“When you cannot abstain, then at least let us humble ourselves and reproach ourselves and not condemn others.”
Also, Elder Joseph, in response to his child’s lamentation that he could not fast properly, answered:
“You write that you fasted poorly - well, thank the Lord for how He helped you abstain, and remember the words of St. John Climacus: “I did not fast, but humbled myself, and the Lord saved me!”
About immoderate, unreasonable fasting
The Monk Ambrose warned against unreasonable fasting, when a person who has never fasted before imposes on himself an immoderate fast, possibly instigated by the demon of vanity:
“Otherwise we had one example of an unreasonable fast. One landowner, who spent his life in bliss, suddenly wanted to observe a strict fast: he ordered himself to grind hemp seed throughout Lent and ate it with kvass, and from such a sharp transition from bliss to fasting, his stomach was so spoiled that doctors could not find it for a whole year. could correct it.
However, there is also a patristic word that we should not be killers of the body, but killers of the passions.”
Fasting is not a goal, but a means
 |
The Monk Leo did not approve of those who, abandoning prudent moderation, indulged in excessive bodily exploits, hoping to be saved as if by them alone:
“I do not refute abstinence, it always has its strengths, but its essence and strength do not lie in not eating food, but let all memory and the like be eradicated from the heart. This is true fasting, which the Lord requires of us most of all.”
Elder Barsanuphius also recalled:
“Of course, fasting, if not accompanied by prayer and spiritual work, has almost no value. Fasting is not a goal, but a means, a benefit that makes prayer and spiritual improvement easier for us.”
Rev. Anatoly (Zertsalov) wrote:
“Not eating bread and not drinking water or anything else means not fasting. For demons do not eat or drink anything at all, but they are still evil...”
And Elder Nikon aptly and briefly remarked:
““True fasting is the alienation of evil deeds” (as it is said in one Lenten stichera).”
Temptations of fasting
During fasting, irritability and anger often awaken in us. Fasting should release our spiritual strength for good deeds.
The Monk Ambrose taught:
“You need to have abstinence not only from various foods and drinks, but from passions in general: from anger and irritability, from jealousy and condemnation, from secret and obvious exaltation, from stubbornness and inappropriate insistence on one’s own, and the like.”
Christ does not rise after. He has risen once and for all. Just as Christ was born - once and for all. Easter can be celebrated as this year, on the first of May. Or you can celebrate at least every day. Which, in fact, was what he was doing. Every day for him began with the words:
Archpriest Konstantin Kamyshanov
– Christ is Risen, my joy!
In order to make Christians more joyful, Emperor Constantine decided to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ once a week.
But it's so hard for us. For us, unfortunately, the week begins not with Resurrection, but with Monday, which, as we know, is a difficult day. Easter every day, or at least once a week, is tiring for us, and we are ready to rejoice with God only once a year.
This joy lies in the feeling of the nearness of God. Only a pure heart can see God closely. This is what this post is for.
What is fasting? What do the words of our parishioners mean: “I broke my fast”?
This always means one thing - the person ate something illegal.
If our God were a Deli, then it would be fair to save, to the delight of the Deli, sausage, milk, fish, chocolate and butter cookies. But our God is not a grocery store.
If our God existed, then it would be good for him to be happy not to eat anything at all, but to donate food and church utensils to help our republics and the peoples of Africa fighting against American imperialism. But our God is not Lenin, and Christ does not need the Holodomor.
For the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit - said the Apostle Paul.
So, fasting is our righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
If the fruit of fasting is joy, then why does it seem hard, long, difficult to us? Why do we strain with all our might during Lent? Why does fasting seem to us not like joy, but like sacrifice?
Because we completely do not understand what the apostle said and why Christ was resurrected.
He did not rise again to tax us with candles, sausage, milk, our tears and our humiliated bows, or white flour buns.
He is God. He doesn't need any of this. He doesn’t need anything at all except what is valuable to God – love.
It is not we who do Him a favor during Lent and mock ourselves by avoiding fatty foods, marital responsibilities, or birthdays and spring barbecues.
And this is He doing us a favor and taking pity on us.
We are tormented, tormented, oppressed and weakened by sins. Sin is a disease of the soul. There are mortal diseases. And there are mortal sins. And if you don’t treat, for example, tuberculosis, you will die very quickly. It's the same with the soul. If greed, rudeness, evil, envy, vindictiveness, fornication, theft are not treated, then the soul will certainly die.
Our land is full of people with dead souls. And nothing. Only you can see them by the fact that they suffer all the time - even at sea, even in their dreams, even on their birthday.
This world is filled with light and joy.
But we managed to live so well that we turned our own lives into hell, into continuous suffering, despondency and melancholy. The son drinks. Children don't listen. Old people “blow your brains out” with their muttering. Nobody listens to them at home anymore. It’s simply unbearable to be with them, so they come to church. They haven’t been heard here yet, but they are well recognized by their words:
- Woman, move away from this place. This is my place in the temple.
What kind of love, what kind of Christ, what kind of Easter can you talk about with such a person? What post should he have? He would not stand in church, but in prison and listen to the anthem of the Soviet Union.
We managed to live so well that the Church-family given to us by God turned into a ball of kissing snakes, into a jar of spiders.
Where to begin?
For God's sake, not with sausage. Of course, food affects the subtle spirit and prayer. Anyone can notice that if you overeat after the liturgy, the joy of communion goes away. The soul becomes sleepy, lazy, tired, and the spirit of prayer leaves it.
Same with Easter. The soul sings like a bird - until the first gluttony with barbecue, wine and condemnation. For forty days the soul gained the spirit, and by 14 o’clock on Easter day everything disappeared into the sand and away it went? He condemned him, remembered the money, planned things, had a fight at home. Order. We are waiting for Petrov's post.
Food in excessive quantities can burden a prayerful soul and a spiritual person. But what is the burden when there is neither prayer nor spirit? A person sincerely says to himself: “Behold, spiritual people will bring God the fruits of righteousness as a gift at Easter. And I’m a simple person, I’ll donate at least milk and a white dough bun to him.”
You are crazy! If you are a simple person, start not with nutrition, but with peace.
Children don't listen to you? Or maybe you live in such a way that it’s really better not to listen to you?
In a worldly way, it’s good, but in God’s way, is it possible to live as one person, raking up everything that God has given for oneself? There is neither love nor truth in this. So they don't listen. And they do it right.
Moreover, the Lord gave, for example, rich gifts to the father - intelligence, strength, health, and the father turned everything into capital. God looked at such a greedy man and decided that it was not worth wasting energy on his sons. Let them grow up to be simpletons. Less harm. And parents are fighting: our children don’t want to do anything! They don’t want to be like us, calculating, greedy and selfish. And they won’t agree.
The first fruit of fasting is PEACE! First of all, in the family. Peace with children. A world with crazy old people. Peace at work. Peace is everywhere.
This does not mean that you have to shut up and humiliate yourself in front of everyone. Against. Peace, for Christ's sake, brings a fragrance to the heart instead of the smoke of war with everyone. Try this bliss of peace from God. Do not humiliate yourself, but heal enmity in your heart and in the hearts of your neighbors.
And, of course, peace with God. No sin. Let us allow our souls to rest from evil, untruth and pain.
The second fruit is joy. Lent is a time when we can please someone with our care, money, silence, kindness, prayer and help. For the sacrifice of help and joy, God will thank us with grace.
There is nothing in the world dearer to the heart of this grace. She has the sweetness of the heart. There is peace in her. There is complete oblivion of grief and pain.
The third fruit is the vision of God. You need to train yourself to see God nearby through fasting. All our sins come from the loss of this vision. He forgot that God is nearby and that He sees everything, he took it in blindness and did a mischief. He brought grief to himself and his neighbor. He brought suffering to himself and his neighbor. What for?
No, it’s not necessary at all to accept unnecessary grief and evil.
These fruits - peace, joy and the vision of God - are few and simple, but their weight in the eyes of God is great.
Fasting gives us the opportunity to live a different life, to know the sweetness of a peaceful, righteous life, to find bliss not in struggle and capital, but in love for our neighbors and God.
A wonderful time is Lent. This is a time of freedom from suffering, from darkness, from the power of evil. This is a time of peace and coolness of heart that we can afford. Fasting is an invitation from God to allow yourself to be happy and bright. Why not?
God feels sorry for us, and He teaches us to fast and live next to Him in the radiance of divine bliss. And not because we bring Him some kind of sacrifice. On the contrary, it is God who through fasting strengthens himself to be closer to us. He helps us separate the scab of sin from our souls. It helps the soul to be courageous in that which requires effort in its purification, the feat of peacefulness and happy sacrifice. He teaches us what to say to the world. He teaches us what to do for joy and love. All that is required of us is will and nothing more.
The Apostle Paul writes:
“For the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Let us therefore seek what serves for peace and mutual edification.”
And these words are continued in the Gospel:
“Also, when you fast, do not be sad like the hypocrites, for they put on gloomy faces in order to appear to people as fasting. Truly I tell you that they are already receiving their reward.
And you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to men as you fast, but to your Father who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly.
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break through and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break through and steal, for where your treasure is, there it will be and your heart.
So do not worry and say, “What shall we eat?” or what to drink? or what to wear?
Because the pagans are looking for all this, and because your Heavenly Father knows that you need all this.
Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
