By Metropolitan Panteleimon of Antinoes
Today is Cheesefare
Sunday, which sees the closing of the period of the Triodion. Tomorrow, with
God’s blessing and help, we embark upon the forty day fast of Great
Lent.
Great Lent is a time of spiritual
struggle for Orthodox Christians. The aim of this struggle is our
spiritual ascent. The practice of fasting was established by God
Himself, when He first created man. ”And the Lord God commanded the man
saying, 'Yου may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that
you eat of it, you shall die'” (Gen. 2:l6-l7). Βy this commandment God
wished to test the virtue of the first couple. This is not the only
example in the Old Testament of God’s commandment to fast. There are
many others, one being the forty day fast imposed upon the Israelites
prior to the Ten Commandments being given to Moses (Ex. 19:1-20, 26).
Fasting is a virtue that man can
cultivate of his own free will and it should be undertaken in accordance
with his physical strength. The aim of fasting is not to destroy the
body, but to overcome the passions that have gained control of the body.
Fasting in the Orthodox Church has as
its goal the subduing of hatred, animosity and all the other passions
that sully the soul and body of man. Fasting gives strength to man’s
spirit. It calms the angry and humbles the proud. Through fasting we
uproot malice and pride and in their place plant love and humility. True
fasting drives out vanity and inculcates self-knowledge.
When man fasts, because of love of God,
his will to do good is strengthened. On the other hand, if he neglects
God’s commandment to fast, he must accept the consequences. St. John
Chrysostom teaches us that, “we must anticipate the fast before it
anticipates us”. Βy this he means to say that, if we abuse material
goods, like food, a bodily reaction will set in manifesting itself in
various ailments and diseases. The doctor will then impose a special
diet on us, which is a form of forced fasting.
As Orthodox Christians, we must avoid
arriving at this point. Rather we should undertake the fast willingly,
out of love for God. Our fast must not be forced, but voluntary.
It is
very important for the success of our fasting that it may be
acceptable to God and it is not done with a view to showing off. ”And
when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypοcrites, for they
disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I
say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint
your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men
but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret
will reward you” (Matt. 6:l6-l8). The man who fasts only to impress his
fellow men reaps none of the fruits of the Holy Spirit for his effort.
The second condition for the success of
our fasting is that we be prepared to forgive the trespasses of our
fellow men. “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly
Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their
trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matt.
6:l4-l5). Before commencing to fast, we must forgive one another. If we
don’t do this our fast, no matter how complete it may be, will not be
acceptable in the eyes of God.
If you want to fast, first go and make
your peace with your brother. If you want God to embrace you, you must
first embrace him that trespassed against you. If you want to be
forgiven, you must first forgive. This is the way to God. Because the
period of Great Lent is a time of fasting and prayer, it is an
especially beneficial time to make use of the Mystery of Confession.
Ι have noticed that many people are
coming to receive Holy Communion. This gives me great pleasure, but Ι
want to ask, is everyone preparing themselves properly?
It is very important that when we are
invited to a wedding, for example, we wear our best clothes. We would
not dare to attend wearing dirty and torn clothes, knowing full well
that we would be thrown out. Our Lord teaches us saying, “But when the
king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no
wedding garment and he said unto him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here
without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to
the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer
darkness’” (Matt. 22:11-13).
If in a situation like this, we are so
concerned to be acceptably dressed; how much more so should we be
concerned with our appearance when we come to meet Christ Himself? What
we receive in Holy Communion is the true Body and Blood of our Lord.
Because this is so, we should prepare ourselves with fasting, prayer and
confession, in order that we might approach with fear, faith and
love.
We should try to go to Confession at
least three times a year; before Easter, Christmas and the Feast of the
Dormition. When we confess to a priest, all our sins are forgiven. In
the Mystery of Confession Christ Himself, through the Ρriest, forgives
the sins of the Orthodox believer. It is human to sin, but it is not human
to wish to remain in the state of sin.
The second condition for
receiving Holy Communion worthy is that we must fast beforehand. On the Wednesday and Friday
before approaching our Lord’s Table we may eat only dry food, that is to
say, food without οil. On Saturday we must eat food with οil at noon.
On Saturday night we may once again eat only dry food, and after
midnight we must not eat or drink anything at all. And perhaps we should
go to bed even earlier than this, so that we might wake up the next
morning refreshed and in time to get to Church at the start of the
Liturgy, rather than arriving at the end of the sermon.
If you want to receive Holy Communion,
it is your duty to confess and to fast. Holy Communion is not just a
symbol, as most Protestants believe, but is the true Body and Blood of
Christ. Children under 4 years old can receive Holy Communion without
fasting, but children over 5 must start to fast for two days, that is on
Friday and Saturday. Children over l2 years old must come to Confession, so that they might be blessed by God and obtain the Grace
that will enable them to overcome the different problems of life.
From tomorrow we start the period of
Great Lent. This is one of the best times for Confession. Ι wish you all
a blessed Lent and pray that through the Grace of our Lord, we may all
celebrate His Resurrection. Amen.