What The Fathers Have To Say About
Fasting
Father Antonious Henein
Note: Many of the
following sayings and quotations deal with forgiveness of others and
reconciliation with them. This is because Lent is a sacrifice offered to our
Lord, and since He ordered us before offering a sacrifice to: "Leave there
thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother,
and then come and offer thy gift." (Mt 5:24) This is also why the Church
chose the reading of Mt 6:14 for the Pre-Lent Sunday, where it says: "For
if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly
Father will also forgive you."
Some Quotations from
Ancient Liturgical Lenten Hymns:
"The grace of abstinence has shone forth,
banishing the darkness of demons. The power of the Fast disciplines our minds.
Lent brings the cure to our crippling worldliness. Daniel and the three
children in Babylon were strengthened by fasting; one stopped the mouths of
lions, while the others extinguished the flames of the furnace. As Thou saved
them, save us also, O Christ our God, for Thou art the Lover of mankind."
"Before the time of
the saving Cross, sin ruled over all the earth, impiety prevailed, people
reveled in the pleasures of the flesh. But since the Mystery of the Cross was
accomplished and the torture of demons was destroyed by the knowledge of God,
the heavenly life of virtue has reigned upon the earth. Therefore the Fast is
honored! Abstinence shines in splendor! Prayer is strengthened! The Lenten
season testifies to these things, given to us by our God, the crucified Christ,
for the salvation of our souls."
"The door of divine
repentance has been opened. Let us enter with fervor, having cleansed our
bodies, observing abstinence from foods and passions in obedience to Christ Who
has called the whole world to His heavenly kingdom, offering to the Master of
all this tithe of the year, that we may look with love
upon His Holy Resurrection."
"The Grace of the
Lord has shone forth, the grace which illumines our
souls. This is the acceptable time; the time of repentance is here. Let us put
aside the works of darkness; let us put on the armor of light, that passing
through Lent as through a great sea we may reach the third-day Resurrection of
our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of our souls."
"Let us enter the
Fast with joy, O faithful. Let us not be sad. Let us cleanse our faces with the
waters of dispassion, blessing and exalting Christ forever."
"Let us begin the
Fast with joy. Let us give ourselves to spiritual efforts. Let us cleanse our
souls. Let us cleanse our flesh. Let us fast from passions as we fast from
foods, taking pleasure in the good works of the Spirit and accomplishing them
in love that we all may be made worthy to see the passion of Christ our God and
His Holy Pascha, rejoicing with spiritual joy."
"O come ye
faithful, let us work the works of God in light. Let us walk honestly as in the
day, let us cast away from ourselves every unjust writing
against our neighbor, and not put a stumbling block as an occasion for his
falling on the way. Let us put away the pleasures of the flesh; let us increase
the graces of our souls; let us give bread to those in need;
let us draw near to Christ in penitence, crying out: 'Have mercy on us, O our
God!' "
"Why are you idle,
O my soul? And why do you dedicate yourself to sin? Why are you weak and not
come to the Physician? Now is the fruitful time, and now is the real day of
salvation. Arise! Wash yourself in the tears of repentance and enlighten your
lamp with the oil of good works, that you may obtain
from God forgiveness and great mercy."
"Soul, in vain do
you rejoice in not eating! For you abstain from food, but you are not purified
of passions. If you are not purified of passions, if you have no desire for
improvement, you will be spurned as an untruth in the eyes of God. You will be
likened to evil demons who also never eat! If you
persevere in sin, you will perform a useless fast; Therefore, engage in
constant striving so that you may stand before the Crucified Savior, or rather,
may be Crucified with Him Who was crucified for your sake."
"A Lenten spring
has come, the light of repentance...Let us receive the proclamation of Lent
with joy! For if our forefather Adam had kept the fast, we would not have been
deprived of Paradise..."
Some Sayings by St. John
Chrysostom:
"...we need to practice all the divine laws alike, and more especially
that which bids us to consider no man as an enemy, nor retain resentment long,
but forthwith to be reconciled."
"If you forgive few
things, He forgives you few! If you forgive many things, He forgives you
many!"
"Let us not
procrastinate till tomorrow. For we 'know not what the next day may bring
forth,' nor let us say, 'we shall conquer this habit little by little,' since
this little and little will never come to an end."
"To you He has
given charge simply to pray for the one who has injured you; but how to deal
with him, He has ordered you to leave for Himself."
"If you pardon from
the heart, and sincerely, God in like manner also pardons you."
"For nothing so
fills the mind with impurity, as anger remaining constantly within."
"How can you ask your Lord to be mild and merciful to you, when you have been
so hard and unforgiving to your fellow-man."
"This do with
regard to your brethren; when you see them cut off from your friendship, make
all haste to recover them."
"We are commanded
to have only one enemy, the devil."
"The spirit of
meekness settles not where wrath or passion exists."
"The making an
enemy a friend, will render God propitious and favorable towards us, and will
easily set us free from our sins."
"Has your neighbor
wronged you and grieved you. ...Yield the matter to God, and He will dispose of
it much better than you can desire."
"Have you been wronged
much and robbed and slandered and injured in matter of the first importance;
and do you wish to see your enemy punished? Yet even for this, it will be of
use to you to pardon him."
"For where there is
enmity and strife, there can be neither fast nor festival."
"Lo! I forewarn and
testify and proclaim this with a voice that all may hear…Let no one who has an
enemy draw near the Sacred Table, or receive the Lord's Body."
"At length the
season moves towards the Lent of the Great Fast, and therefore, we ought the more earnestly devote ourselves to holiness."
"Let our enemy too
understand that we have taken much pain, in order to do what is well-pleasing
to God."
"For if the work be
laborious, reflect that it is for God's sake you undergo all this, and you
shall receive sufficient consolation."
"It is not said
merely, forego wrath; but retain it not in your mind; think not of it; part
with all your resentment."
"Let no one rest
merely on the fast; while continuing unreformed in evil practices."
"God bids us to do
all things...and all things should be secondary to His commands."
Some Sayings by St. John
of the Ladder:
"Gag your mind, over busy with its private concerns, and thoroughly prone
to criticize and condemn your brother, by the practical means of showing your
neighbor all love and sympathy."
"Be zealous within
your soul, without showing it in the least, either by visible sign or word, or
by hint. And you will only do this when you stop looking down on your
neighbor."
"Curb your tongue
with rages to leap into arguments. Seventy times seven in the day wrestle with
this tyrant."
Some Sayings by St.
Basil the Great:
"Let us fast an
acceptable and very pleasing fast to the Lord. True fast is the estrangement
from evil, temperance of tongue, abstinence from anger, separation from
desires, slander, falsehood, and perjury. Privation of these is true
fasting."
The Prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian:
"O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth,
faintheartedness, lust of power and idle talk. But give rather the spirit of
chastity, humility, patience and love to Thy servant. Yea, O Lord and King,
grant me to see my own errors and not to judge my brother, for Thou art blessed
from all ages to all ages. Amen."
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