Sayings of Church Fathers On Fasting
“There was a man who was leading an ascetic life and not eating bread. He went to visit an old man. It happened that pilgrims also dropped by, and the old man fixed a modest meal for them. When they sat together to eat, the brother who was fasting picked up a single soaked pea and chewed it. When they arose from the table, the old man took the brother aside and said: ‘Brother, when you go to visit somewhere, do not display your way of life, but if you want to keep to it, stay in your cell and never come out.’ He accepted what the old man said, and after that behaved like the others whenever he met with them. We are reminded here that fasting must be done in secret, not before others, as the Lord has said: ‘But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.’ --St. Matthew 6:17-18”
“A brother said to an old man: ‘There are two brothers. One of them stays in his cell quietly, fasting for six days at a time, and imposing on himself a good deal of discipline, and the other serves the sick. Which one of them is more acceptable to God?’ The old man replied: ‘Even if the brother who fasts six days were to hang himself up by the nose, he could not equal the one who serves the sick.’ Here we learn that love is above fasting, that we must not presume to put our fasting above ‘the more excellent way,’ the ‘new commandment’ to love one another.”
“It was said about an old man that he endured seventy weeks of fasting, eating only once a week. He asked God about certain words in the Holy Scripture, but God did not answer him. Then he said to himself: ‘Look, I have put in this much effort, but I haven't made any progress. So now I will go to see my brother and ask him.’ And when he had gone out, closed the door and started off, an angel of the Lord was sent to him, and said: ‘Seventy weeks of fasting have not brought you near to God. But now that you are humbled enough to go to your brother, I have been sent to you to reveal the meaning of the words.’ Then the angel explained the meaning which the old man was seeking, and went away. Along with fasting there must be humility! Fasting opens the way; it is a means to an end; it is not the end itself.”
“I myself once harshly judged a monk whom I saw drinking milk during the Great Fast. He did it so routinely that I thought, ‘Why, he must think nothing of the ascetic life.’ It was I who had forgotten the rule of the inner life -- that one judges himself and excuses others. I later learned that the monk was ill and had to have milk to ingest his medication. I learned something about hasty judgments...”
“Abba Lot went to see Abba Joseph and said: ‘Abba, as much as I am able I practice a small rule, a little fasting, some prayer and meditation, and remain quiet, and as much as possible I keep my thought clean. What else should I do?’ Then the old man stood up and stretched out his hands toward heaven, and his fingers became like ten torches of flame. And he said: ‘If you wish, you can become all flame.’ We must never be shortsighted about the goal of our Christian life with all its efforts. It is nothing less than theosis, union with the Living God, becoming ‘all flame.’”
“A brother said to an old man: ‘There are two brothers. One of them stays in his cell quietly, fasting for six days at a time, and imposing on himself a good deal of discipline, and the other serves the sick. Which one of them is more acceptable to God?’ The old man replied: ‘Even if the brother who fasts six days were to hang himself up by the nose, he could not equal the one who serves the sick.’ Here we learn that love is above fasting, that we must not presume to put our fasting above ‘the more excellent way,’ the ‘new commandment’ to love one another.”
“It was said about an old man that he endured seventy weeks of fasting, eating only once a week. He asked God about certain words in the Holy Scripture, but God did not answer him. Then he said to himself: ‘Look, I have put in this much effort, but I haven't made any progress. So now I will go to see my brother and ask him.’ And when he had gone out, closed the door and started off, an angel of the Lord was sent to him, and said: ‘Seventy weeks of fasting have not brought you near to God. But now that you are humbled enough to go to your brother, I have been sent to you to reveal the meaning of the words.’ Then the angel explained the meaning which the old man was seeking, and went away. Along with fasting there must be humility! Fasting opens the way; it is a means to an end; it is not the end itself.”
“I myself once harshly judged a monk whom I saw drinking milk during the Great Fast. He did it so routinely that I thought, ‘Why, he must think nothing of the ascetic life.’ It was I who had forgotten the rule of the inner life -- that one judges himself and excuses others. I later learned that the monk was ill and had to have milk to ingest his medication. I learned something about hasty judgments...”
“Abba Lot went to see Abba Joseph and said: ‘Abba, as much as I am able I practice a small rule, a little fasting, some prayer and meditation, and remain quiet, and as much as possible I keep my thought clean. What else should I do?’ Then the old man stood up and stretched out his hands toward heaven, and his fingers became like ten torches of flame. And he said: ‘If you wish, you can become all flame.’ We must never be shortsighted about the goal of our Christian life with all its efforts. It is nothing less than theosis, union with the Living God, becoming ‘all flame.’”
Comments