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Newsletter.
Cuttings from the parish newsletter.
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March 2008
A Lenten letter from Father Luke.
Dear friends and parishioners,
There are several fasting periods during the Orthodox year, such as Advent, before Christmas, the Fast of the Apostles in the Summer, the Fast of the Dormition in August, and Great Lent in the weeks before Pascha (Easter). These fasts are times of preparation in which Christians join in a spiritual struggle.
We are at the beginning of Great Lent. For most of the days of Lent many Orthodox families around the world will give up meat and fish, eggs, all dairy produce and alcohol. People will eat simple meals of beans and vegetables, or vegan vegetarian dishes. They will set aside many of the pleasures and distractions of the world in order to free the mind and the spirit. They will also spend extra time in prayer and at Church services. In repentance, they will turn to God so that they may share fully in the joy of the Resurrection.
In the Holy Gospels the Lord Himself gave us this call to fasting and prayer, saying simply “When you fast…” (Matthew 6:16). The prophets before this called the Israelites to fasting and prayer, and for 2000 years the Church has called us to take part fully in the fast.
My brothers and sisters, let each one of us welcome the fast, embrace the Church’s Tradition, and follow the Lord’s call.
Yours in Christ,
Father Luke.
Why do we fast?
Fasting from certain foods seems such an odd thing in the modern world. Before we simply follow the Tradition of the Church, we need to ask ourselves why we should do this for weeks on end. Why do we fast? Here are some thoughts.
I will begin by discarding some of the more obvious answers that people might suggest. We do not fast because it pleases God if we do not eat. Even the Devil does not eat. Nor do we fast just to cause ourselves pain, because God takes no pleasure in that sort of thing. No one should imagine that fasting can somehow pay for past sins. The only reparation for our sins is the crucifixion of Christ. Salvation is a free gift from God which we cannot earn through fasting, or any other good works.
The Church’s hymns can begin to show us the real answers. “Fasting in the body, O brethren, let us also fast from sin” says one of the Lenten hymns. The purpose of fasting is to gain mastery over yourself, and to conquer the passions of the flesh. By learning self-control in simple things, you will gain self-control in much harder things. Fasting liberates you from dependence on things of this world so that you may concentrate on the Kingdom of God.
Let’s look at that in a little detail. Fasting from particular foods is a matter of spiritual discipline. You have to understand that it is the teaching of the early Church that we are soldiers engaged in a struggle with the forces of sin and darkness. This is the Tradition of the Orthodox Church to this day. The time of Lent is our training ground where we will learn obedience, where we will learn endurance, where we will prepare for victory.
Because fasting is a spiritual discipline, there are rules. This may be an unpopular idea today when everyone talks of their rights, and wants instant gratification. In the Orthodox Church we do not decide individually what foods we will give up, or which days we will fast. We follow the calendar, and we give up the foods appointed by the Church. We follow the training manual. Equally, we should not try to impose the fast on people who are excused from training. Pregnant and nursing mothers should not be doing military training. Babies, young children and the sick are excused too. Even travellers used to be excused the full rigors of fasting. As with any training programme, there are days when the fast is relaxed, and you may enjoy fish, wine and oil. These days are marked clearly on the calendar.
Please think about one more point. Some people have the idea that the things of this world are somehow anti-spiritual. For them, fasting is about giving up bad things. Orthodox Christians believe the opposite. God has given us the good things in life, and we are meant to enjoy them. If we were perfect, we would enjoy things reasonably. In one sense you can say that the problem is not with the things of this world. The problem is with us. We are not perfect, we are easily tempted, and we follow the call of the evil one. We often become too attached to the good things and the pleasures, we consume too much of them, we become addicted to instant gratification. So we fast to regain a balanced relationship with the world. Through using our bodies, and prayer, and food we win a spiritual victory.
Anyone who would like a full version of our newsletter
should email Father Luke
Just send me your email address
or your postal address.
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