"The days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast." (Mt 9:15)
Fasting in the our Church:-
When we fast, we abstain from food and water for a certain period of time that can be determined through the guidance of
the father in confession depending on one?s spiritual level and health condition.
Generally speaking, the abstinence period ends at three o?clock in the afternoon because at this hour [the ninth hour] Lord Jesus
Christ died on the cross and saved us. After the end of the abstinence period, we break our fast and only eat vegetarian food.
In what follows, we shall, by the grace of God, answer some of the frequently asked questions about fasting:
Question 1: Our Lord said that fasting should be ?in secret? (Mt 6:18) thus shouldn?t fasting be left to the individual to decide when to fast?
Answer 1: Our Lord also said that prayer should be ?in secret? (Mt 6:6) yet we still go to church on set days and pray as a congregation. Praying in secret does not contradict.
Likewise, set seasons for congregational fasting do not contradict the commandment of fasting in secret. Moreover, even if the fasting seasons are set, the depth of each one?s fasting and the personal periods
of abstinence can remain in secret. There are many biblical examples of congregational fasting:
The whole congregation fasted together and God accepted their fast (Esther 4).
Everybody in Nineveh fasted together (Jonah 3).
Congregational fasting is obvious from the words of Joel the Prophet, ?Blow the trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; gather the people, sanctify the congregation?? (Joel 2:15)
St. Paul fasted with all the people on the ship (Acts 27:21).
The apostles fasted together (Acts 13:2,3).
The principle of having set dates for fasting has its origins in Holy Scripture, "The fasting of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth..." (Zech 8:19)
Q2: What are the times of fast in our Church?
A2: Our Church fasts over half the days of the year:
The Advent fast that ends with the Holy Nativity feast (43 days in length)
Jonah's fast (3 days)
The Holy Great Lent that ends with the Holy Resurrection feast (55 days in length)
The Apostles fast that ends with the feast of martyrdom of Ss Paul & Peter (length varies)
St. Mary?s fast that ends with the feast of the assumption of her body (2 Weeks)
Every Wednesday & Friday except during the fifty days after the Holy Resurrection? commemorates the plotting of the Jews to crucify our Savior on Wednesday and the crucifixion on Friday.
During the fasts meat, egg, milk and fish are not allowed at all. Moreover, on Saturday & Sunday there is no period of abstinence from vegetable foods.
Q3: What is the wisdom behind eating vegetarian food only after the period of abstinence?
A3: The vegetarian food was the diet that God had prepared for Adam and Eve (Gen 1:29) they also continued to eat it even after the sin
(Gen 3:18). God did not allow man to eat meat except after the flood (Gen 9:3) and when God saved the Israelites for the bondage of Pharaoh,
He offered them the manna (Num. 11:7,8) "He only gave them meat to eat after they murmured against Him (Num 11:33) and with meat He
struck them and killed many of them. ? Thus we conclude that the vegetarian food was the original diet for humans and that it is recommended
as a means of asceticism not because other foods are unclean but in order to discipline our bodies.
Q4: Is fasting part of the Christian worship or does it pertain only to the Old Testament?
A4: There are many biblical verses that proves that fasting is indeed expected from every Christian:
Our Lord said, "...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.? (Mt 6:18) ? Thus fasting is expected from Christians and there is also a heavenly reward if we fast according to God?s will.
Our Lord said about His disciples and those who believe their teachings, ?The days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from
them, and then they will fast.? (Mt 9:15) ?an indication that fasting is expected from Christians.
Our Lord said, ?This kind can come out by nothing except by prayer and fasting.? (Mk 9:29) ? explicit message that without fasting we
cannot overcome in our spiritual struggles.
Our Lord Himself fasted 40 days and 40 nights (Mt 4:2; Mk 1:12; Lk 4:1).
We also read about St. Paul saying ??in hunger and thirst, in fasting often ?? (2Cor 11:27) ? ?in labors, in sleeplessness, in fasting ??
(2 Cor 6:5) and the rest of the apostles fasted as well (Acts 14:23; 13:3).
St. Paul exhorts the married people ?give yourselves to fasting and prayer? (1 Cor 7:5).
This note is adapted from ?Comparative Theology? and ?The Spirituality of Fasting? by H.H. Pope Shenouda III.
?The days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.? (Mt 9:15)
Love is patient, love is
kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is
not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps
no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with
the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always
perseveres.
