Knowing Church Tradition: How Do We Fast?

Since the earliest days of the Church Great Lent has been prescribed as a fasting period for Orthodox Christians. The Fast in included in the Canons of the First Ecumenical Council. Such an action shows the importance our Church Fathers put on this period of fasting for our spiritual benefit. Today many say this is only for monks, but the Canon is clear that it applies to ALL Orthodox Christians. The monks often choose an even more strict guideline for their fast. The actions of the Council show us that the fast was a common Tradition from the earliest of times that they affirmed in the regulations of the Church.

The fast was originally much stricter than we know of it today. Of course, the general diet was much simpler then. Then, bread and water were the basis of the fast if not total abstention.

Included on this page is the common set of guidelines for fasting during this period. Many ask if it is OK to substitute non-dairy products for dairy products such as soy milk and other such substitutes. Usually this is accepted as it indicates that a family is making an effort to change their habits to the best of their ability. Not everyone today is capable of the fast that the early Christians undertook. We might say that we are weaker in our self-discipline and our bodies are used to a more complex diet. While the strict fast will yield the maximum spiritual benefits, each one must determine their own guidelines for the fast and then to apply their self-discipline to hold too it.
While we know that a fast is not for the purpose of our health, modern science has much evidence of the health benefits of fasting. One will find that they have more energy and that it is a period of cleansing of the body. Now there are certainly cases where due to medical reasons fasting is not to be followed such as a woman who is pregnant. Even in the early days a woman who was pregnant was not permitted to fast. Fasting is not for the purpose of punishing our bodies, its for our spiritual growth, so the Church understands these needs. You should undertake the fast with the guidance of your spiritual confessor.

We also know that the fast is not just about limiting the foods we eat. John Chrysostom was very eloquent in describing the broader meaning of the fast. He writes: “It is possible for one who fasts not to be rewarded for his fasting. How? When indeed we abstain from foods, but do not abstain from iniquities; when we do not eat meat, but gnaw to pieces the homes of the poor; when we do not become drunkards with wine, but we become drunkards with evil pleasures; when we abstain all the day, but all the night we spend in unchastened shows. Then what is the benefit of abstention from foods, when on the one hand you deprive your body of a selected food, but on the other offer yourself unlawful food?”

As we said in an earlier article on why we fast, fasting is a time for withdrawal from our normal busy secular way of life. It is intended to be a period were we simplify our life so we can devote more time to prayer and charity. Its a time for repentance, confession and partaking of Holy Communion. Part of the reason for limiting food is to spend less time cooking, and to spend less on our food so we will have extra monies to help those in need.

Review the fasting regulations of the Church and make some specific plans for your fast. Try and follow the schedule prescribed to the best of your ability. So we leave you with the question, How do you fast?

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