I snagged this from one of the new Orthodox links at the right: the blog of Fr. Joseph Huneycutt, Orthodixie.
It's from the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew.
Together with prayer, fasting is a critical form of ascetic discipline in the spiritual life. Physical practices of abstinence assist in breaking forceful habits that accrue within and harden the heart over years and even over generations. However, like the phenomenon of monasticism ... the aim of fasting is not to denigrate or destroy the body, which is always respected as "a temple of God" (1 Cor. 3:16). Rather, it is to refine the whole person, to render the faculties more subtle and sensitive to the outside world as well as to "the inner kingdom."
Fasting is another way of rejecting the split between heaven and earth.
Fasting implies a sense of freedom. Fasting is a way of not wanting, or wanting less, and of recognizing the wants of others. By abstaining from certain foods, we are not punishing ourselves but instead able to preserve proper value for all foods. Moreover, fasting implies alertness. By paying close attention to what we do, to the intake of food and the quantity of our possessions, we better appreciate the reality of suffering and the value of sharing.
Fasting begins as a form of detachment; however, when we learn what to let go of, we recognize what we should hold on to.
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2 comments:
I attend Calvary Tabernacle, and we do what's known in pentecostal circles asa Daniel Fast, wherewe take a week, I think in January and do not eat meat, sweets, or caffeine. I can do fine on the meats and sweets, but the caffeine provesto be problematic.
During Great Lent, Orthodox are encouraged to fast from all manner of things, including certain foods, and use the time thus freed up for spiritual reading, prayer, etc.
In the food department: meat, dairy, fish, wine and oil. You know what that leaves? Greens, grains, and fruit! Oh yeah, also seafood that has no backbone (thank goodness for crabmeat).
I can handle everything but the dairy--I do so love cheese.
Of course the point is not "oooh look how much I can not eat" but rather to refocus ourselves from food (and other pastimes) to our spiritual well-being.
And as many are wont to forget, a fast is not supposed to be a reason to make yourself sick or upset others. If you are ill you should eat those things that will help you get better. Nor should one insult a friend who extends hospitality--if your host puts steak in front of you, eat it and say thank you.
Priorities, after all.
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