If I broke Lent, is there any point in fasting further? What do the words “I broke my fast” mean?
Despite the fact that the basic requirements of fasting are set out in any church calendar, believers and non-believers have a variety of questions on this topic. Today, Old Believer priests answer questions from the editors of the site "" O. John Kurbatsky And O. Ioann Sevastyanov.
People say: “It’s not all Maslenitsa, there will be Lent.” How to adequately prepare for the beginning of Lent? How to spend the first week?
Priest John Kurbatsky:
The Church prepares Christians for a few weeks before its start with special services, hymns, Gospel and Apostolic readings, and sermons by pastors. And also a special statute on food. It’s good to start reading the patristic teachings about fasting and the fight against passions in advance. It is good to plan and assign yourself a daily prayer rule and daily reading for the entire Lent.
The main condition for entering into fasting is given in the Gospel.
If you forgive people’s sins, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you your sins.(Matt. 6:14).
This is the absolute condition for the forgiveness of our sins. God does not require mortification or supernatural works, but requires forgiveness. Forgiveness does not mean simply saying: “I’m sorry” - “God will forgive.” But it is really in the heart to forgive and to blot out all revenge and malice from the heart. And ask for forgiveness yourself.
We sin a lot before God and people. On the eve of Lent, let us ask forgiveness for our sins and debts: children to parents, parents to children, spouse to spouse, etc. And we will maintain peace with everyone during Lent and throughout our lives.
Reverend Ephraim Sirin so he said:
If you, a man, do not forgive everyone who has sinned against you, then do not bother yourself with fasting and prayer...God will not accept you.
In our parish it is customary to ask each other for forgiveness. The abbot does this first, turning to people after the sermon, asking forgiveness for any sin he has committed in word, deed, and thought. Then Christians ask each other for forgiveness. On this day there are a lot of people in the temple, as if on a big holiday.
I know that in many parishes they pray throughout the first week of Lent. We pray only Monday and Tuesday. There is not enough strength for more, there is no one to read and sing. But we pray in church every day to the Great Vechernitsa with the penitential canon of St. Andrew of Crete. We schedule it for 6:00 p.m. so that every working person can have time to come and pray.
Many fast for the first week and prepare for confession.
Priest John Sevastyanov:
Quite recently I came across the words of St. John Chrysostom that one should neither reduce nor add to one’s personal feat and labor, but maintain constancy and moderation.
In terms of preparing for Lent, this could not be more appropriate. You need to prepare for fasting as the Charter dictates. And if possible, comply with this Charter. Both in relation to prayer and in relation to food. Fasting itself is our preparation. There is no need to prepare for preparation.
It is better to enter into fasting with an open heart and wait for what the Lord will do with me this time. I think everyone who has fasted at least a few times has noticed that every time after fasting we get different results, different states of mind, although we fast the same way.
Therefore, we know that the result of fasting is what the Lord sends to us. And He sends us gifts according to His good mercy. And, of course, you shouldn’t accumulate anger and resentment all year so that on Forgiveness Sunday you have something to ask for forgiveness about. Ask for forgiveness when conflict and hostility arise, and not when everyone is doing it for the sake of a nice word.
The church charter prescribes abstinence from food in the first days of fasting, and on the remaining days-xerophagy. What does this mean and how obligatory is it for the laity to fulfill these requirements?
Priest John Kurbatsky:
The Holy Fathers unanimously speak about fasting with reasoning. This means that you need to take on the feat within your strength, so that you have the strength to pray and work. It is important to endure the entire fast. It often happens that people with illnesses begin to fast very strictly. They last for a week, and then their illnesses worsen, and they are no longer able to go further and break their fast.
This is similar to how some athlete runs 100 meters at full speed and falls exhausted. And the other, albeit slowly, will cover the entire distance of 10 km. In other words, it is better to eat the entire fast with butter than to fast for one week and then eat cottage cheese, kefir, etc.
In the first and last week, fasting is the strictest. But some statutes allow the consumption of food daily, because we pray: “ give us this day our daily bread" I have known such zealous people, especially at a young age, who zealously took up the challenge of not eating, but the next morning they could not get up and had no strength to pray.
Abba Isaac said:
Just as healthy vision strives for light, so fasting, if done with reason, strives for prayer. And when you begin to fast, your mind awakens and seeks conversation with God.
It is prayer that should be the criterion for the severity of fasting. If a person fasts and is able to pray, and is able to do his work, then let him observe the fast with all severity.
Dry eating is uncooked food without vegetable oil. According to the charter, it is supposed to be on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. But most working Christians eat plain food without oil during the week. On the advice of the spiritual father, relief for oil may be given on days other than Saturday and Sunday. By the way, for some reason few people know about the existence of olive, flaxseed, mustard and other useful vegetable oils. And very often they take a blessing to weaken the fast, while to strengthen the fast one must also take a blessing. There is no need to be afraid to fast, there is no need to be afraid of any kind of work for salvation.
Sometimes they come to confession and say: “Only one sin - I can’t fast.” You need to be more attentive to your salvation, read spiritual literature, pray fervently to God in order to see the sin in yourself more deeply and repent of it. Understand that the inability to fast is a consequence of the defeat of the soul by more serious sins. For example, a person led an incorrect lifestyle for years and ruined his body. And now he all the more needs to fast and repent of the fact that he was ruining himself.
Let us fast unhypocritically, not to show off to people, but let us humble ourselves in spirit before our brethren if we cannot fast fully. But also not to be proud of our neighbor when we do everything. Execution is good. But if we use this as a weapon for spiritual victory over our neighbor, we consider ourselves superior to him, then this turns into evil. God will reject us like the arrogant Pharisee who condemned the publican at the moment when God justified him.
And when we feel that we have little strength and patience, we will ask God to help us in the feat of fasting.
If, due to some weakness, you happen to break your fast, or “get offended,” then you should not lose heart and leave the fast altogether. If a person slips on the way, he does not lie down, but gets up and moves on. And he does this no matter how many times he falls.
Abba Moses said:
What is the strength of those who want to acquire virtue? The fact is that even if they fall, they do not lose heart, but take up work again.
Let us also make every effort to practice virtues! " Let's be patient with the Lord"(Compare Ps. 26:14), let us show Him our sincere will, let us ask Him for help! And He will certainly show His mercy to us and give us His grace in abundance.
Priest John Sevastyanov:
The Rules of Lent must be observed to the maximum of one’s physical and spiritual strength. The written Charter gives us some guidelines. But we understand that for an experienced Christian this may be easier, but for a beginner it may be unbearable to follow such recommendations. For the first week, it’s really better not to eat for the first four days. And don't drink water.
I know some older people struggle with this. But for some young Christians, not at all. This requires an internal understanding of your maximum and mood. Dry eating is understood in different ways. Some believe that this is food without a first course, and some that it is generally uncooked cold food (even without tea). Therefore, it is not a mistake if food without a liquid first course is dry food.
When talking about fasting, people usually talk about certain food prohibitions. However, what can be said about spiritual pastime? Is it acceptable to listen to music during fasting, read books, watch movies, etc.?
Priest John Kurbatsky:
Lent is a time of repentance. Saint Basil the Great in the first word about the post he says:
“However, do not limit the benefits of fasting to abstinence from foods; because true fasting is elimination of evil deeds. Allow all untruths. Forgive your neighbor's insult; forgive him his debts. Do not fast in judgments and conflicts. You do not eat meat, but you devour your brother. You abstain from wine; but you can’t stop yourself from being offended. You wait until evening to taste food; but you spend the day in court places".
The post should not be wasted, i.e. we must not just go through this time, but bear fruit worthy of repentance, sail across this sea like a merchant’s ship full of goods, and not empty.
Fasting is given for this purpose, so that we can draw closer to God through prayers, reading the lives of saints and their works, abstaining from all evil, from spectacles, from idle talk and idleness. We yearn for that joy, the purity that we once had, which we lost and wasted, like the prodigal son, through various sins: wickedness, greed, hatred, gloating, fornication, envy...” Let us sweat again with tears of perception, even those who have perished"(canon on Cheese Festival week).
Fasting is a weapon of spiritual struggle. This is the way home to our God and Father.
You are talking about music, films. It is better to abstain from this, keeping in mind the purpose for which we fast. Words of the Apostle Paul " everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial; “Everything is permissible for me, but nothing should possess me.”(1 Cor. 6:12) are especially applicable to the Lenten season.
For example, the Monk Gerasim, who lived on the Jordan, did not eat anything during Great Lent, only on Sundays he took communion with the brethren in church. And he spent the entire week in solitary prayer to God. Let us, at least in a small part, imitate such saints. They didn’t see any of the people, and we should get behind watching television and the Internet, social media. networks, forums, etc. Let our mind and our attention also fast, let our soul be sobered from continuous vain, and even sinful, impressions.
We are surrounded by constant noise (information, music, etc.) at work, in transport, everywhere. Sometimes you look at it with pain modern man: he is constantly surrounded by noise, bustle, so-called music. A person even comes to nature and cannot be in silence, alone with nature. Music thunders, drowning out the work of the soul, reflection, and quiet contemplation of the beauty of God's world. Silence teaches us to take a responsible attitude towards spoken words, to be able to listen and hear others. This is what Abba Isaiah writes: “Do not be careless in any work. Because labor, suffering and silence give birth to humility."
Today, many people’s work is connected in one way or another to the Internet. Entertainment (not to mention toys) should be avoided. But spiritually beneficial materials - the teachings of the holy fathers, sermons, ascetic, historical and apologetic materials, information about the life of the Church - are not at all forbidden to study at this time. But in any case, we must remember that there is nothing preferable to prayer.
Let us take upon ourselves at least a small but constant feat: additional prayers, required reading Holy Scripture and the Holy Fathers (determine what and how much), alms (remembering the words of the Savior: “ I want mercy, not sacrifice"(Matthew 9:13). We do all this to acquire spiritual fruit: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control(Gal. 5:22-23).
It would be good to determine your passion, which most struggles with a person. And begin to fight it, for example, with anger, with lustful thoughts, vanity. And just work, raise children and other family responsibilities. Then there will be no time for wasting time.
So, in these coming days, let’s go deeper into ourselves and focus on spiritual work. It is as if we need to snatch these days out of the ordinary course of life and give a tithe of time to God.
Priest John Sevastyanov:
I really liked the story of our priests who went to visit Christians in Uganda. In this poorest country, Christians fast like this: during Lent they eat tomatoes without salt, and on Easter they break their fast with tomatoes with salt. This lovely illustration correct understanding of the post.
It seems to me that the main principle of fasting is abstaining from what is familiar to you. Therefore, each person looks into his own heart and answers what for me is a problem in my attachment. And he abstains from this during fasting. Conscience is the best controller. Conscience will definitely tell you what exactly we should not do during fasting. Because for one person something can be completely harmless, but for others it will be a stumbling block. The same books, newspapers, Internet...
Therefore, let us fast with an enjoyable fast, brothers!
– According to Sharia, fasting is not doing anything that could break it from dawn to sunset, having a specific intention for this.
What is the wisdom of assigning a fast to the Almighty?
– The first wisdom of fasting is that the Almighty forces the slave to express his submission to Him. A full-fledged fast awakens a person’s heart and helps him remember Allah. When a person experiences thirst and hunger, he will remember that he gave up food and drink for the sake of Allah (voluntarily), and that which is under His dominion and supervision.
The fasting month of Ramadan is a barakat month in which people fast during the day, give alms, and in the evening they perform tarawih prayer, read the Koran, and also get up at night and remember Allah. Many Muslims become animated with the arrival of the month of Ramadan. If a person is hungry, then his body is revived for worship (ibadah), but if a person is full, then his heart becomes hardened, which pushes him to commit actions that go beyond the bounds of etiquette. Fasting trains the body and cleanses the heart. Those who are constantly full cannot understand the hunger of the poor and needy. Feeling hungry during fasting, a person understands the hunger of the poor and, taking pity on them, begins to help them. Fasting helps a person protect his organs from sin, and his body from evil, and opens the gates for him to worship.
What is the merit of fasting?
– Allah Almighty says that all the deeds of the children of Adam are for them, except fasting. This is My fast, and I will reward it, and I will repay it with goodness.
The fasting person has two joys: when breaking the fast and when meeting Allah in Paradise. There is a special gate in Paradise for those who fast. Those who enter through this gate will see Allah. The Almighty increases the rewards for other deeds from ten to seven hundred times, and the reward for fasting is unlimited. Fasting is a Muslim's shield against Hell. Fasting adds health and is a gateway to goodness. Fasting on the Day of Judgment intercedes for the fasting person. The du'a of the one who fasts is accepted, and his reward is recorded greater. The hadiths contain many statements about the virtues of fasting.
What does a person lose who does not fast without a Shariah reason?
– If a person does not fast for one day, without having a Shariah reason for doing so, then he is not able to compensate for the harm that he caused to himself, even if he fasts all his life. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “I saw people who had not fasted, suffering, nailed by their feet and hanging upside down with their mouths torn and bleeding.”
What is the Sharia ruling regarding fasting during the month of Ramadan?
– According to Sharia, fasting in the month of Ramadan is an obligation (fard). Proof of this is the Quran, hadith and ijma'. Anyone who says that there is no need to fast or why one needs to fast (with disdain, mockery) will fall into disbelief. If he does not read the shahada again, accept Islam and repent, he will be cast into eternal Hell.
What are the conditions for the obligation to fast in the month of Ramadan?
– To be obligated to fast in the month of Ramadan, a person must be a Muslim, of legal age and of sound mind. Children are not required to fast, but if they can withstand fasting, then parents should force them to fast from the age of seven. It is a sin for a woman to fast during menstruation and postpartum cleansing, but after cleansing she must make up for the missed days. A person on a long journey or one whose health could be harmed by hunger may not fast (but this must be established by God-fearing, experienced doctors who know the obligation and significance of fasting). But if these people are able to withstand it, then it is better to fast, because... days missed in this way must be restored.
What is the solution for making up for missed fasts in the month of Ramadan?
– The fast must be compensated, regardless of the reason. There will be no sin for missing a fast for a valid reason, but if there is no Sharia reason, then skipping a fast is sinful. Fasts missed this year without a valid reason must be made up before the month of Ramadan next year. For fasts not made up during the year, given the opportunity, a fine (mud) is imposed, as well as for each day missed in the month of Ramadan, and increases with each year not made up. If the fast was missed voluntarily, or due to negligence and neglect, then this person, along with compensation and payment of muda, must repent, since failure to observe farz is a grave sin. For example, if 20 years ago you did not fast for 30 days, having the opportunity, and did not make up for the fast for all these years, then the person is subject to a fine of six hundred mudas to be distributed to the poor. If he did not fast for a good reason that does not allow him to observe the fast, and did not free himself from it before death, then a person should neither compensate for the fast nor pay muda. If a person, having the opportunity, did not fast and died, then a close relative must compensate for the missed fasts, or mud is paid from his estate according to the number of missed fasts. If the deceased did not leave anything, then any person can compensate for his posts, as well as pay off debts.
If a person is terminally ill, which allows him not to fast, or is old and cannot keep the fast, then mud must be paid for each missed fast. If a pregnant woman or nursing mother does not fast in order to avoid harm to her health, then she must make up the fasts afterwards. And if she did not fast, fearing for the health of her child, then she must both compensate for the fasts and pay mud.
What is mud? Who should it be given to? Is it possible to give money equal to its value instead?
– Mud – it is a measure of bulk solids. Modern Ulama have calculated the volume of muda - 675 grams or 0.688 liters. There are some discrepancies (Al-fikhu islamiyyu wa adillatuhu, vol. 1, p. 143), but if you follow these measures, it will also be correct. By paying muda with the most consumed food products in a given locality, the required amount must be given to the poor or needy. For example, if in one city they consume more wheat, then the wheat should be distributed. You can give several muds to one person, but it is better to distribute them to several people. It is not necessary to give muda where you live (“Hashiyatul-Zhamal”, vol. 3, p. 457). According to the madhhab of Imam Abu Hanifa, instead of muda (Shafiites), you can pay half a Sakha of wheat (Al-Fikhul Islamiyya, vol. 3, p. 1743, “Tafsirul Qurtubi”, vol. 1, p. 192). According to the madhhab of Abu Hanifa, half a Sakha is 1 kg 900 grams. (Al Fikhul Islamiya, vol. 1, p. 143). Those who pay muda in money in our time must first follow the madhhab of Imam Abu Hanifa, and only then pay its value from the amount indicated by him (1 kg 900 grams). According to the madhhab of Imam Shafii, the fine (fidya) is 675 grams. When paying in cash equivalent, you need to pay the cost for the specified quantity.
What du'a is recited after breaking the fast?
– It is good for the fasting person to remember Allah as much as possible, read salawat, and pray, for his prayer is accepted.
After breaking the fast, this du'a is read: "Allagyumma laka sumtu, va gIala rizqika aftIartIu, va bika amantu, va laka aslamtu, va gIalaika tawakkaltu, va rahImatika razhavtu, va ilayka anabtu, zagyaba zzamau wabtallaatil giurukyu, va sabatal azhru insha Allah. I am Vasigial fazli, igfir li. AlkhIamdu lillagyi lazi ", agIanani fasumtu, va razak'ani fa aftIartu. Allagyumma vaffik'na lissiami va balligna figyil kiyama va agIinna gIalaigyi wa nnasu niyamun, va adhinal zhannata bissalami."
Translation: “Oh, my Allah! I fasted for Your sake, I broke my fast with Your goodness, I believed in You, I am submissive to You, I trust in You, I hope for Your mercy, I turned to You, the thirst has passed, my blood vessels are wet, if Allah wants - I will receive a reward. Oh, All-Merciful Allah! You wash away my sins. All praise be to Allah, who helped me fast and gave me blessings to break my fast. Oh, my Allah! You help me fast, give me strength to get up at night when people are sleeping, and lead us to Paradise with His blessing."
Tell us about the mandatory components of fasting?
– The post has two obligatory components. If at least one of them is absent, the fast is broken.
1. Intention. It is made with the heart. Its term begins in the evening and lasts until dawn of the fasting day. If you haven’t made the intention, then you must abstain from food and drink for the entire next day, but this day must be compensated. The order of the full intention of fasting is as follows: “I intend to fast tomorrow in the month of Ramadan this year for the sake of Allah.” During the desired fast, if you forgot to make an intention at night, then you can do it before lunch of the fasting day.
2. The second component is a warning against all actions that break the fast from dawn to sunset.
What breaks the fast?
– Fasting violates the intentional intake of food and drink (if you eat something out of forgetfulness, the fast is not broken). Fasting also prevents anything bodily from entering the body from natural openings (for example, through the nose, mouth, ears, genitals, anus). If you drop something into your ear or stick a match, the fast is broken. An enema also breaks the fast. If you swallow saliva after dissolving sugar in your mouth or smoke, your fast is broken. Swallowing saliva or ingesting dust or insects through the mouth or nose does not break the fast.
Swallowing najasa (evil spirits), for example, saliva mixed with blood from the gums, breaks the fast, but if for any reason it is difficult to avoid this, then “afwu” (forgiveness) is done. The fasting person should be careful when rinsing his mouth and nose. If , trying to thoroughly rinse your nose and mouth, water gets inside, then the fast is broken.If, out of ignorance or forgetfulness, something gets inside, then the fast is not broken.
Also, the fast is broken by deliberate vomiting or sexual intercourse. If a person deliberately breaks his fast by committing sexual intercourse, then he is subject to atonement (kaffarat) - a two-month fast without skipping. If you miss even one day, the report of two months begins anew.
Fasting, like namaz, is broken if a person goes crazy or falls into kufr (commits an action that leads to unbelief, with the tongue or heart). The fast is broken by a woman's menstrual and postpartum discharge.
If, thinking that the sun has already set, you break your fast, and then it turns out that it has not set, then this fast is broken and must be compensated. The fast is also broken if, thinking that it has not yet dawned, one eats, and then it turns out that dawn has already happened.
What are the sunnat of fasting?
– One of the sunnat of fasting is breaking the fast immediately after sunset. It is advisable to break your fast with a date, and if you don’t have one, then with water. Get up before dawn to eat; postponing meals closer to dawn; read the Koran more and remember Allah Almighty; protecting the eyes, ears, tongue and other organs from sinful things; complete ablution from sexual intercourse before dawn; staying in the mosque (i'tikaf) especially in the last ten days of the month; read du'a more (especially after breaking the fast, before dawn and when breaking the fast at a party); give up pleasures, especially good and satisfying food and incense; it is advisable to move away from everything that brings pleasure to the nafs (viewing sinful things, listening to music, etc.) etc.); protect yourself from pleasures, even if they are permissible. It is advisable to protect your tongue from disputes, bickering and swearing. If someone swears, then, without answering him, say: “I am fasting.” It is also advisable to give out more alms , visit the mosque more often and perform other good deeds.
Anyone who observes these above-mentioned sunnats and etiquette will receive full reward for fasting. If not, the reward will decrease, especially if you do not protect yourself from lies or slander, and your body from sinful things, then from fasting, except for hunger and thirst, he will not receive any reward. The month of fasting is a month when one should give up pleasures and rest for the body and should be diligent in worship.
On what days is it advisable to fast?
– One of the days that is desirable for fasting is the day of Arafah (for those who are not on Hajj). This is the ninth day of the month of Dhul-Hijjah. Those who fast on this day wash away the sins of the previous and subsequent years.
It is advisable to fast on the day of Ashura - the tenth day of the month of Muharram, as well as on the ninth and eleventh days of the same month. If you fast on the day of Ashura, the sins of the previous year are washed away. It is also advisable to fast on Monday and Thursday of each week; on Friday and on the previous or subsequent day (separately on Friday is not advisable).
It is advisable to fast six days in the month of Shawwal after Ramadan. If a person fasted in the month of Ramadan and after six days in the month of Shawwal, then he will be like someone who fasted the whole year. There are other months and days in which it is advisable to fast. Lots of rewards in desirable post. There is a hadith that says that a person who fasts for one day, while on the path of Allah, will be removed from Hell by the Almighty by a distance of 70 years. May Allah help!
Answered questions Kuramuhammad-haji Ramazanov
Published in the publishing house of our monastery A new book — “The Life of the Hieromartyr Veniamin (Kazan), Metropolitan of Petrograd and Gdov, and those like him who suffered the Venerable Martyr Sergius (Shein), the martyrs Yuri Novitsky and John Kovsharov » .
In the new book of the famous Russian hagiographer Archimandrite Damascene (Orlovsky), the reader is offered the life of Metropolitan Veniamin (Kazan) of Petrograd - one of the first holy martyrs who did not sin with their soul or conscience during the persecution that began and gave their life for Christ and His Church .
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all videos →The Fruits of Obedience
The thought... which inspires you that through less vain obedience you would sooner approach prayer, is nothing more than a network of the enemy, conjuring us into arrogance and destruction. By uncomplainingly fulfilling your true obedience, you cut off your will, and the sorrows encountered during it give you opportunities to know yourself, and if you learn humility and self-reproach from the falls that happen, you will receive undoubted benefit, and if you listen to the thought that teaches you to ask about a change in obedience, then you will thereby fall away from obedience, having fulfilled your will (Venerable Macarius).
He who, following the true path of obedience, gradually acquires humility from everything, seeing his own shortcomings, cannot even imagine that through struggle he will become skilled and will be useful to others.<для наставления>, but only the appearance of oneself is nasty and the last of all. In such a mind, temptations and falls make you chaste, humble, and lead to repentance and true mind. Otherwise they'll piss you off<возносят>and open the way to greater falls... (Venerable Macarius).
Who wouldn't like to take a break from work? For 20 years now I have been bearing the burden of my service for the benefit of my neighbor, and at present I am in poor health, suffering from shortness of breath and insomnia, but who can personally remove from himself the obedience that the All-Good Lord has assigned for the benefit of our souls and others? Although we should not see and, perhaps, bring little benefit to ourselves and others, the Lord alone knows everything, He will not deprive His reward and good will and disposition of the heart (Venerable Anatoly).
General obedience is a great protection from many temptations for a monk (Venerable Anatoly).
Obedience cannot be ignored. Yes, it is especially useful for you, because through labor and care it protects you from lustful thoughts (Rev. Anatoly).
A long time ago, when I was in the monastery, the thought came to me - well, I have nothing, neither internal monasticism, nor external, for I do not carry out any physical feats. And with the eyes of my soul I don’t see a monk in myself. Then, in order not to perish, I decided to follow the path of obedience. After this decision, I did only what I was told and found peace. They told me: go from the monastery to the monastery. I switched even though I didn't want to. And in general, in everything and always I tried to fulfill not my own will, but the will of the authorities of my monastery and my spiritual father. Elder Nektarios once told me wonderful words about this: “There is nothing more destructive for a monk than to organize his life according to his own intellect.” And Elder Nektarios was distinguished by his special powers of observation and possessed the gift of perspicacity. Obedience is the most important thing for a monk. An obedient monk always good mood, always lightness, joy and carelessness in the soul. I wish I could always have such a mood (Venerable Nikon).
I wrote to you before and now I repeat the same thing: all your salvation consists in your obedience, when you go through it with conscience and complacency. And he also wrote that obedience is more than sacrifice and more than fasting and prayer, therefore it is saving because it is associated with difficulty and sorrow, and your murmuring angers God, for which you are allowed to experience your weaknesses, this is God’s punishment. And if your obedience had been carried out with a joyful offer, then it would not have been burdensome for you, and the sisters would have been better towards you, and all things would have been more successful, God’s help would have been sent to you for your diligence. So, call on God for help and begin to not be burdened by obedience, but to go through it with love and zeal for God, which is what I heartily wish for you (Venerable Hilarion).
Read the chapters from Abba Dorotheus that I advised you, and from John Climacus the 4th Degree on obedience, at the end of which one sufferer and ascetic under the name Antiochus saw in a dream himself being tortured for a hundred liters of debt, after which, after spending for some time in the community, in patience, and insult, and reproach, I saw in a dream that only ten liters were paid, which is why I gave more of myself to patience and saw complete abandonment... (Venerable Leo).
You write that clashes and interactions with people during your obedience are chipping away at your structure, thank God that He is so concerned about your salvation, and by comparison you can see how much more useful real obedience is than your former cell life; You were there like a saint, you didn’t know all your infirmities, and now they are before your eyes and appear at every step. Recognizing them and humbling your wisdom, with the help of God, seek correction (Venerable Hilarion).
Novice
The obedient state is a blissful state, life equal to the angels, unstolen wealth, a blessed belly, and so on and so forth. But, unfortunately, many, out of ignorance, not knowing their worth and spiritual advantage over other ranks, miss the fact that their heads are not covered, that they, like other people, still do not have long tails<имеется в виду — мантии>. But the Lord God, even before our request, knows what is more beneficial for whom. He has prepared a green and peaceful place for humble novices in the heavenly abodes (St. Anthony).
Fast
Observance of fasts and fasting days is necessary. This is not a human invention, but with the assistance of the Holy Spirit it was decreed and legitimized by the Church and Councils, and the foundation and Head of the Church is Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He invested His Church with such power that if anyone disobeys the Church, “he will be to you as a pagan and a publican” (Matthew 18:17), and he also said to the Apostles and in them to the shepherds: “He who listens to you listens to Me, and he who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me” (Luke 10:16). Only repentance alone can reconcile us with this crime, but when it is done with contempt, then I can no longer say anything (Venerable Macarius).
I wish you to fight a good fight, “to fast spiritually and physically, with a pleasant fast, pleasing to the Lord”: close the doors of your cell from people, the door of the tongue from speaking, and the door of the heart from evil spirits (Venerable Macarius).
By abstaining from foodstuffs, we must also abstain from passions (St. Macarius).
I do not agree with you in adding rules for fasting, given your poor health, and because you are only concerned about fulfilling quantity, but have no concern for quality; in the impoverishment of both, let humility replace them. And with them, when there is no fragrance of humility, then (the person) will not take advantage of them at all, but will also receive harm through vanity and opinion (Venerable Macarius).
You don’t have to be overly hungry, but eat food in moderation at lunch, you don’t need to leave dinner out at all, also observe abstinence and eat less than lunch (Venerable Hilary-on).
The Holy Church says: fasting is not the destruction of shame (removal), but the alienation of evil, the retention of the tongue from idle talk and gossip, the protection from irritability, lust, and the removal of lies and flattery. And whoever fasts like this, his fasting is pleasing to God... (Venerable Anthony).
You ask me, a sinner, what should you do with the young sisters regarding the fasting in this fast, and you add that before, both the cassocks and the novices all fasted. I’ll tell you this, Mother: stick to the same order. If, due to work, you cannot fast for a whole week, then let them fast for at least three days, and not all at once. The Most Pure Mysteries—pre-heavenly—are the food and drink of human souls. Do not let your sheep languish in spiritual hunger for a long time (St. Joseph).
Your teacher Evdokia did not dare to eat fish during Lent. This is good - it’s easier on the conscience (Venerable Joseph).
And bloodthirsty animals, and predatory hawks, and how many other innocent animals, small and great, and what countless thousands of them, also fast. Wolves, they say, sometimes don’t eat for a week or more. Shouldn't we, Christians, the heirs of the Eternal Kingdom, fast? And now is the best time. This time is favorable. This is the day of salvation. “It’s a joyful time of fasting, also with luminous purity, and pure love, luminous prayers, and all other virtues, having been richly and saturated with all other virtues, let us cry out: All-holy Cross of Christ, increasing the sweetness of life, let us worship all those who are pure in heart!” After all, not eating bread and not drinking water or anything else is not fasting, for demons do not eat or drink anything at all. And yet they are evil and hateful to God. For us, fasting is (as the Church sings) alienation of the evil, abstinence of the tongue, putting aside rage, excommunication from lusts, speaking, lying and perjury. This alienation - true fasting is and is favorable (Venerable Anatoly).
If... you fast, then God will bless you not to eat anything on Good Friday. - In all your sins and attempts, may God forgive you and resolve you, and I forgive you and resolve you (Venerable Hilarion).
You write that you previously ate food on Good Friday, and despite this you were exhausted from fasting, but now, having been blessed by me, you ate nothing at all on Good Friday and did not feel either weakness or headache, and you attribute this to me. This is not from me, but because of your faith, the Lord helped and strengthened you... (Rev. Hilarion).
Fasting must certainly be observed on Wednesday and Friday, and throughout Lent. Now it’s Holy Week, and you must fast... You must fast! (Venerable Anatoly).
Refrain from food and snacks as much as possible and try to eat moderately light and familiar food (Venerable Leo).
And why you question my thinness and ask for my unworthy blessing, so that you can eat dry food once a day in the evening, then I don’t have the strength to judge this in absentia, not knowing the subtleties of your affairs there and between you and your sisters... But only , although you have somewhat noticed that such food consumption brings relief to your feelings and body movements, but, however, although I agree with this, I do not dare alone deign you to do this. But ask Mother, she knows better about you and your messages, and if God tells her and allows her, then I will bless her, and if later you see that you will be harmed by this (that is, proud), then she, and not relating to me , maybe I’ll leave you with this... I don’t know how hard it will seem to you that you won’t be able to eat your fill, but<как>it is clear from many saints that they most advise to use and hunger... and they claim that it is healthy, but they do not refute your measure... But as it was said above, Mother will bless you, so settle down... (Venerable Leo).
To the question: “Does God care what kind of food?” - the elder replied: “It is not the food that matters, but the commandment; Adam was expelled from paradise not for overeating, but for eating only what was forbidden. Why is it that now on Thursday or Tuesday you can eat whatever you want and are not punished for it, but on Wednesday and Friday we are punished because we do not obey the commandments. What is especially important here is that obedience is developed through obedience” (St. Ambrose).
I am very glad that your employees began to honor Wednesday and Friday without violating the Church’s rules on fasting. The examples of the Germans and other foreigners misled the Russian Orthodox not to respect fasting, assuring them that there is little or no sin in food. If this had been true, then Adam and Eve would not have been expelled from paradise for eating fruit from a forbidden tree, and this tree was a fig tree. But the power of sin did not consist in the fruit of the tree, but in prohibition and disobedience. So now sin is not in food, but in prohibition and disobedience to the rules of the Church (Venerable Ambrose).
In the last letter there is again a covert idea of inconstancy and self-will, namely, not showing up for meals on some days, for the sake of fasting. - Better imitate the like Theodore the Studite, who was at meals every day, but at the same time was a faster (St. Ambrose).
In the letter you write that during cheese week you were in such, in your opinion, pleasing to the Lord that even for half an hour it was difficult for you to do anything other than remember the Lord and read the holy books. In the very first week of Lent, after such spiritual consolation of yours, strong carnal warfare set in, and then spiritual anguish. You ask me: why could this happen? You yourself set out the reasons for this in your letter. First: unreasonable doubt and embarrassment that you cannot endure fasting as you should, and then murmuring against the Lord. Saint Isaac the Syrian writes that God endures all human infirmities; He does not tolerate a person who grumbles, so as not to punish him. The second reason for this invective against you is your self-imposed fast. While you lived on your own, no matter what you did, you got away with it out of necessity: the Lord was lenient with your stupid zeal and recklessness. If you have a spiritual relationship with someone, then you should no longer voluntarily undergo or take on reckless feats, contrary to the blessing or advice received, and this not only cannot please God, but such arbitrariness does not go unpunished, but brings temptation upon a person. You describe how fasting helped you before in a similar case, and ask for your blessing to take up the same thing again if the abuse does not go away. - St. John Climacus writes: “whoever tries to tame this battle through abstinence alone is like someone swimming with one hand and wanting to swim out of the sea,” but he indicated in another place the real remedy: “if you couple yourself with obedience, then thereby you will be freed from it (i.e., the war of the flesh); if you acquire humility, then you will cut off its head.” And for you, fasting is combined with arrogance and disobedience: what benefit can there be from that? When you are weak and healthy, reckless and self-inflicted exploits can only completely upset you and make you useless, and you can get relief from battle only through humble repentance and a humble invocation of God’s help, with obedience and moderate abstinence (Venerable Ambrose).
Purpose of the post
Lent has come and is almost upon us; How are we going to fast? We cannot preserve sensual fasting from brashens in the same way as our fathers and teachers preserved it, but even if we preserved it, what will be used without spiritual fasting, about which the Church reminds us: “we fast with spiritual fasting, favorable to the Lord” and so on (stichera of the Triodion ). So, we must try, remembering our sins: firstly, to have a “contrite and humble heart” (Ps. 50:19), not to listen to the shortcomings of others and not to judge them, but to pay more attention to our passions and not allow them to happen in action (venerable Macarius).
Consume food for the glory of God, which can strengthen your physical composition, as laid down by the statutes of the Church during times of meat-eating and fasting; do not listen to those who advise you to do the opposite - to avoid eating and drinking. We must be, according to the teachings of the holy fathers, not body killers, but passion killers, that is, destroy passions in ourselves: pride and vanity, carnal lusts, love of money, anger, envy and resentment of the insults of our neighbors, etc., and plant in ourselves: love, meekness, humility, mercy, patience and other Christian virtues, strengthened by prayer (Venerable Macarius).
Eat, for the glory of God, everything that is offered to you without a doubt. Instead, you should guard your lips from idle talk, ridicule and condemnation. This will be above your post (Venerable Anthony).
Peace and blessings of God be upon you! I congratulate you on your fast and wish you to spend this joyful time, as we will sing in the 2nd week of fasting - in joy of spirit and consolation. When you go to church, if you are weak, do not force yourself too hard; God will not punish the weak. And if you keep the Jesus Prayer during the service at home, then it will be more beneficial for you. Fasting, bowing, and labor are given to pacify the unrest of the flesh, but they harm the weak, for they make him useless and unfit for anything. Saint Basil the Great teaches that we should not be carnivores, but passion-killers, and this is helped by greater humility and awareness of our weakness (St. Anatoly).
Abstinence... is not the essence and strength of not eating food, but let all memory of malice and the like be expelled from the heart; This is what true fasting is, and what the Lord requires of us most of all (Venerable Leo).
Benefits of fasting
And I treated you to Lenten cabbage soup - it didn’t seem tasty, but if we remember what a meager meal the holy fathers had, then we will be satisfied. Meager food saddens the flesh, but enlivens the spirit; what to do when we are far from that path? Only through patience and humility should we have hope in God’s love for mankind and ask that the message of our destinies will save our misery (Venerable Macarius).
All evil comes from intemperance... Fasting stimulates prayer, and is somehow especially hated by the enemy: they come to me for advice and confession; among other things, I advise you 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 excites, he does not want the holy fasts to be observed... (Rev. Barsanuphius).
I thank you for your Lenten greetings and I wish you in return to spend this joyful time of Lent in peace and with benefit for the soul. “Fasting is the mother of chastity” (Rev. Anatoly).
Although those who think freely think that it makes little difference whether to drink tea or mint infusion, in fact it is of considerable importance. Every deprivation and every compulsion is valued before God, according to what is said in the Gospel: “The kingdom of heaven is taken by force, and those who use force take it” (Matthew 11:12). And those who boldly and willfully violate the rule of fasting are called “as enemies of the cross of Christ: their God is their belly, and their glory is in their shame” (Phil. 3: 18-19). And in the psalms it is said: “from [the mother’s] womb they go astray” (Ps. 57:4). Of course, it is 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 (Venerable Ambrose).
Breaking the fast
You are at a loss about fasting; When you are with your relatives, you need to have dinner and eat a light meal, but when you demand that they prepare a lean meal for you, you are afraid to give reasons that you are putting yourself above others and exalting yourself. You ask - what to do in this case? I’m not putting any restrictions on you, but I’m giving this advice: in my opinion, don’t be afraid to ask your family to prepare a Lenten meal for you. This does not mean showing yourself to be superior to others. Not at all, you are fulfilling your duty and obedience to the Church - how can you exalt yourself? Looking at you, there will be others who imitate you. And if you eat healthy food, then others will be carried away by your example and will not worry about the fact that they are sinning, and you will be guilty of this purely - for yourself and for others. What do you care about what they say about you, don’t listen to it and be calm. If your relatives eat due to illness, then this is more excusable, but, of course, they should repent of this. But if you use it this way only out of fear of negotiations, then it’s awkward. You know what the Lord has determined for disobedience to the Church (St. Macarius).
You write that due to bodily infirmities, out of necessity, you occasionally had to break somewhat the strictness of fasting during Holy Pentecost. What to do? They say that out of necessity and<пременение>there are laws. So, may the All-Good Lord forgive you what happened through weakness and strengthen you in goodness (St. Joseph).
You write that you bought a box of sprats for two seriously ill sisters, and ask how to repent of this. So tell your confessor how it went, that is, that you bought sprouts for the seriously ill sisters and allowed them to eat during Lent (Venerable Joseph).
You write that based on the words of the Savior Himself - “it is not what goes into the mouth, but what comes out of the mouth that defiles a person (Matthew 15:11) - you gave yourself the firm intention to first cleanse yourself of internal vices, and then engage in abstinence in food , now, for now, apart from the Assumption and Great Lent, no others should be observed. But the words of the Savior cited by you were not said at all so that they could serve as a basis for breaking the fasts... Some Pharisees and scribes reproached the Lord because His disciples ate bread without washing their hands. Then the Lord, in denouncing their incorrect understanding of human purity, said: “Nothing that enters a person can defile him, but what comes out of him defiles a person” (cf. Matt. 15:11). That is, as if the Lord said this: no matter how unclean your hands may be, if you, without washing them, take bread with them and eat, then this cannot defile you. Fast food is not at all bad. It does not defile, but fattens the body of Man. And the holy Apostle Paul says: “Even if our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16). He called the outer man the body, and the inner man soul. If, he says, our outer man, that is, the body, decays, decays, is oppressed and thinned by fasting and other deeds, then the inner man is renewed. And vice versa, if the body is nourished and thickened, then the soul decays, or comes into oblivion of God and the high of his purpose, as in the psalms it is said: “he became fat, fat and fat, and he forsook God who created him” (Cf.: Deut. 32:15). We can see about the need to observe fasts both in the Gospel and, in first, from the example of the Lord Himself, who fasted for forty days in the desert, although He was God and had no need for this. Secondly, to the question of His disciples: why could they not cast out a demon from a person, the Lord answered: “because of your unbelief “(Matt. 17:20), and then added: “This generation cannot come out except through prayer and fasting” (Mk. 9: 29). In addition, there is an indication in the Gospel that we must fast on Wednesday and Friday. In the 2nd chapter of Mark, when they asked the Lord: “Why do the disciples of John and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast? And Jesus said to them, “Can the sons of the bridal chamber fast while the bridegroom is with them?” As long as the bridegroom is with them, they cannot fast, but the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days (Mark 2:18-20). Here the Lord called Himself the bridegroom, and His disciples, and in their person all the believers, as the sons of the bridegroom. The Bridegroom was taken away from the sons of the bride on Wednesday and Friday, that is, on Wednesday the Lord was handed over to be crucified, and on Friday he was crucified. Therefore, the Holy Church established to sanctify these days with fasting (Venerable Ambrose).
If you receive guests during fasting, should the food for them be lean?
I have a bad cold. Can I break my fast?
Is it possible to watch educational programs in the post?
Is it worth moving the day of marriage registration to non-fasting time?
Why in Orthodoxy are there so many restrictions on pleasures, food, sexual relations...
If I break it during fasting, can I fast on another day instead?
Father, tell me, is it possible to attend concerts during the Dormition Fast? Lyrical songs, romances?
How can you keep yourself from the temptation of marital relationships during Lent?
Is it always possible to eat fish during fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays?
Is it possible to eat puff pastry products (pies, store-bought cookies) on fasting days?
Is it necessary for a new unchurched Christian to fast for 3 days before Communion?
How to properly spend Christmas Eve before Christmas
Is it possible to eat fish on Wednesday and Friday, when there is no fasting?
On the day of the feast for Lent there will be a feast with meat at home - which is permissible for us
How to spend Lent correctly - according to the monastic rules, or simply without fasting food
How can I explain to the young man I like why I need to fast?
Is it possible to give boxes of chocolates to employees of organizations with which the company works during Lent?
Is it possible to go out during Peter's Fast, but not get married?
If you receive guests during fasting, should the food for them be lean?
QUESTION IN FULL:
Please tell me, if you receive guests during Lent, should the food for them be lean? (Guests do not fast.)
ANSWER:
It is advisable to treat guests to lean food. But in any case, we ourselves, when receiving such guests, must maintain the fast.
I have a bad cold. Can I break my fast?
It will be better if you find a way to treat a cold without breaking your fast.
Is it possible to watch educational programs in the post?
QUESTION IN FULL:
I try to exclude viewing in my post entertainment programs on TV. Is it possible to watch educational programs during Lent, for example, BBC films about nature, culture and civilizations, about history?
ANSWER:
My children and I watch such films during Lent, and I think that they can really be watched during Lent (excluding Holy Week).
Is it worth moving the day of marriage registration to non-fasting time?
QUESTION IN FULL:
The day of our registration is set for August 27, but this is the last day of the Dormition Lent. Maybe we can move the registration to a few days later?
ANSWER:
Yes, if possible, it is better to postpone the registration of marriage to non-Lenten times. But the main thing is that the post does not include wedding celebrations or marital relations, and the date of registration is not so important. The wedding will still take place only when it is supposed to.
Why in Orthodoxy are there so many restrictions on pleasures, food, sexual relations...
QUESTION IN FULL:
Why are there so many restrictions on pleasures, food, and sexual relations in Orthodoxy? This does not seem to cause harm to others, nor does it violate the commandment to love one’s neighbor. Why is it necessary to “kill your body”, your desires? Why such lack of freedom?
ANSWER:
Our body is killed not by restrictions on food and other pleasures, but by excess in them. And besides, even if we do not harm others and do not violate the commandment to love our neighbor, we still need to love God. This is where some restrictions in pleasures come from, since love, when it exists, manifests itself in action, in our actions. For example, it is easy to say: “I don’t love myself,” but at the same time our actions indicate that we love ourselves exactly as we should love God. And you can just as easily say: “I love God,” but nothing is easier than words - love is learned from deeds. And if we at least want to love God, we will limit ourselves to what removes us from God. There is no such goal - neither in worldly life, nor in spiritual life, for the sake of which we would not sacrifice something else. Those who do not want to sacrifice anything are left with nothing - they do not gain anything worthwhile, and at the same time they lose what they had.
If I break it during fasting, can I fast on another day instead?
You don’t need to do this unless the priest gives you such obedience. Otherwise we will move the posts to our liking.
Father, tell me, is it possible to attend concerts during the Dormition Fast? Lyrical songs, romances?
Tanya, I don't know. Maybe it is possible, but is it necessary?
How can you keep yourself from the temptation of marital relationships during Lent?
QUESTION IN FULL:
Hello, Father Mikhail! Please tell me how you can keep yourself from the temptation of marital relationships during Lent? Please help, we haven't been able to solve this problem for a long time. Thank in advance. R. and N.
ANSWER:
A person can only do what he can imagine. Imagine yourself without a marital relationship during Lent. Without this, prayer will not help - it will be a prayer without faith in the fulfillment of what you ask for.
Is it always possible to eat fish during fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays?
According to the charter - only during the period from Easter to Trinity, or on major holidays.
Is it possible to eat puff pastry products (pies, store-bought cookies) on fasting days?
If the composition is indicated on the product, and it does not contain any fast food products, then it is possible.
Is it necessary for a new unchurched Christian to fast for 3 days before Communion?
QUESTION IN FULL:
Bless, father! Good day! Recently I approached our parish priest with a question about what needs to be done in order to partake of the Sacrament of Communion. He advised starting with reading the morning and evening rules, so as not to overly burden a person at the initial stage of churching. When asked whether it is necessary to fast for 3 days before Communion, the priest replied that nowhere is it said about the need to observe a 3-day fast. And he added that fasting on Saturday is prohibited; that people who want to receive Communion on Sunday at the liturgy and observe fasting beforehand (including on Saturday) are sinning. Please understand, father. Is it really not said anywhere about the need to fast before communion? I read somewhere that Orthodox Christians used to fast before Communion for a whole week, but in our time, due to our weakness, they have reduced the fast to 3 days. And what rule prohibits fasting on Saturday? Save me, God! Catherine.
PRIEST'S ANSWER:
Katya, the seven-day (!) fast before Communion is written in the Typikon, that is, in the book called the Church Charter. I think that you can safely fast for three days, and the priest will not condemn you for it. If you are offered a relaxation, this does not mean that you need to take advantage of it. As for fasting on Saturday, in the Apostolic Rules, by which this fast is prohibited, by “fasting” we mean abstaining from all food until the evening, and not replacing fast food with fasting food, as we fast. So the prohibition to fast on Saturday does not apply to fasting in our understanding of the word.
How to properly spend Christmas Eve before Christmas
QUESTION IN FULL:
How to properly spend Christmas Eve before Christmas? What to do and how to eat (do not eat anything until the first star or only sip during the day)?
ANSWER:
On Christmas Eve before Christmas, choose between eating Sochi after the first star and the usual Lenten diet, whichever option is within your power.
Is it possible to eat fish on Wednesday and Friday, when there is no fasting?
QUESTION IN FULL:
Tell me, is it possible to eat fish on Wednesday and Friday, when there is no fasting? Is this rule written down somewhere? Catherine
ANSWER:
Katya, according to the Rules (Typikon), fish can be consumed on Wednesday and Friday during the entire period from Easter to Trinity, as well as on the days before which a service with polyeleos or an all-night vigil was performed (this rule applies to both the Petrine and Nativity fasts).
On the day of the feast for Lent there will be a feast with meat at home - which is permissible for us
QUESTION IN FULL:
My husband has an anniversary on February 18th. Relatives will come to visit. There will be a feast, and there will be meat food on the table. I, Yu. and I. (my daughters) would not like to take sin to heart once again. Tell me, please, what kind of food is allowed to us in this case? Best regards, Ira.
ANSWER:
Ira, it won’t be a sin for the three of you to set the table for your unbelieving husband and relatives the way they want. I also see love for one’s neighbor in this, because they do not understand fasting and can be held accountable for unbelief, but not for violating the rules. When they become Orthodox, then they will be responsible for observing the fast, but for now it will be with them as with slaves who did not fulfill the will of the master because they did not know it. But the three of you on February 18, the day of the fast for Lent, will be allowed to eat only what the whole Church eats on this day, namely, any food except meat.
How to spend Lent correctly - according to the monastic rules, or simply without fasting food
QUESTION IN FULL:
How to spend Lent correctly? According to the monastic rules (for example, on Monday, complete abstinence from food, on Tuesday, hot food without oil, etc.) or simply abstaining from fast food?
ANSWER:
It is better to simply abstain from fast food. The monastic rule does not apply to our life, but abstinence from fast food does. And sometimes it’s not easy, but it’s no longer beyond our strength.
How can I explain to the young man I like why I need to fast?
QUESTION IN FULL:
I have in Lately often and severe stomach pain. I explained to the young man I like that this is because of the sandwiches that I eat for lunch and dinner. He simply begins to persuade me not to fast on Wednesday and Friday, and to observe only Lent (since he is an unbeliever)... How can I explain to him why I need to fast on Wednesday and Friday and generally observe all fasts? I tried, but it didn’t work... Tell me. Best regards, N.
ANSWER:
N, in my opinion, this is not what needs to be explained. It is better to gently and kindly let you feel young man that you are not deciding this issue with him, and you do not need him to decide when you will fast. And if he doesn’t understand, do it a little more firmly. Then, if it doesn’t help, even harder... And so on until it works. How, for example, does your mom live with your dad? She respects and loves him, but it’s not he who decides whether she should fast or not? In general, sandwiches ruined the stomach of many people. This is no longer a problem of fasting, but of human laziness. And from normal (without “sandwich” laziness and without extremes) fasting, no one has ever damaged their health. So take normal food with you and eat it. And no one should care about this. Or you will suffer all your life from people who will decide for you how to live and what to do.
Is it possible to give boxes of chocolates to employees of organizations with which the company works during Lent?
QUESTION IN FULL:
Hello! Please tell me 1) is it possible to present it for civil holidays ( New Year, March 8) for employees of government organizations with which the company works, gifts in the form of a bottle of champagne/cognac, a box of chocolates? After all, this usually has to be done during fasting, and the company is interested in further cooperation with them... 2) is it acquisitiveness to print out materials you personally need or copy documents at work? And if you use your own paper for this? Thank you for your reply. God bless you! Ksenia.
ANSWER:
Ksenia, hello! 1) I think there would be no sin in giving a box of chocolates to your business partners during Lent for one simple reason: you can eat sweets after Lent. And champagne, like any wine, is not prohibited at all during fasting (on some days and in moderate quantities). 2) I think there will be no sin in printing out personal materials at work, if this does not harm the work itself or your organization.
Is it possible to go out during Peter's Fast, but not get married?
QUESTION IN FULL:
Is it possible to go out during Peter's Fast, but not get married? Is it true that you can’t get married during Lent?
ANSWER:
You cannot get married during Lent, and therefore it is undesirable to get married during Lent. It is better to choose a day after July 12 or before Lent.
Website of Father Mikhail Nemnonov
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 (for this, even whole life), but in making 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 without it? a good man? 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
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