Scheduled fasting

At that time, John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast? And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. — Mark 2:18-22

One of the things I had to learn about when I first became Orthodox was fasting. This might surprise you, and it definitely surprised me. If you had asked me, as a charismatic, I would have said that I fasted a couple of times a year. By fasting, I meant abstaining from any food for a couple of days. I did not do so regularly, by any means, but I did do it. When I became Orthodox, I realized that I really knew very little about fasting. At first, I was surprised at how much fasting was part of scheduled Orthodoxy. I may not have been directly taught that we are supposed to wait until we felt like fasting, however, the writings that I had read, and the actual practice of fasting in the congregations I had been in all pointed to fasting being something you were called to do, not something you scheduled. And second, I was surprised that fasting means what we would have called abstinence. And so, I began to learn.

The first thing I learned was that fasting was a regular part of both pre-Jesus Jewish practice and post-Jesus Christian practice. More than that, both of them scheduled the fasting. The Jewish Encyclopedia (JE) comments that fasting was a common occurrence among Jews of the Biblical times. Interestingly, the JE comments that the Synagogue had a right to impose a fast. “This right of the Synagogue had its origin in the fasts described in the treatise Ta’anit as having been instituted in early times when rain was late in coming. … Fast-days were subsequently instituted in case any misfortune befell the people, as pestilence, famine, evil decrees by rulers, etc. (ib. 19a). Examples of the latter were the fasts instituted by the Russian rabbis during the anti-Jewish riots early in the eighth decade of the nineteenth century.” If you would read the article, you will find that much private and public fasting was observed by the Jews, and various observances were scheduled and expected. It was common for Jews to fast on Mondays and Thursdays, or Tuesdays and Thursdays, depending on which texts you read. These were regular and expected weekly fasts.

Fasting was part of New Testament practice as well. Jesus frequently fasted. After his death, as Jesus prophesied, his Church began to fast. The bridegroom was gone, and it was time for the Church to fast. Fasting by the Church, as a group, is recorded in both Acts 13 and Acts 14. Saint Paul records his fasting in 2 Cor 6 & 2 Cor 11. 1 Cor 7 has an interesting passage in which fasting from sexual relations is considered part of a regular program of fasting. What the Early Church did inherit was the conviction that regularly scheduled fasting was appropriate. Finally, in one of the most important passages on fasting in the Gospels, in which Jesus is teaching on having a correct attitude about fasting, he says “when you fast,” not if you fast. This points to fasting being a regular and expected practice among the Jews, and the Church received it as a regular and expected practice for them. Quite a few of the Early Church Fathers comment from very early times that fasting was observed by Christians on Wednesday and Friday, as well as around the time of the Passover.

The second thing I learned was that while it is true that fasting can certainly mean full abstinence from food, it need not mean that. For instance, the Prophet Daniel kept a fast for three weeks. That fast is described as:  “In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.” Another passage is not fast related, but does point to another instance of Daniel’s abstinence, “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.” In other words, fasting can mean a simple abstinence from certain foods. Luke 2 talks about Anna the prophetess who never left the Temple, but fasted and prayed. God rewarded her by letting her hold the baby Jesus. However, it is obvious that her fasting could only mean abstinence from certain foods, otherwise, she would have died of starvation within a couple of weeks. Please note that I am not against a total fast. I am merely reporting that Scripture often defines a fast as being abstinence from certain foods.

The third thing I learned was that the main purpose of regular fasting was to humble oneself and to learn self-discipline that the flesh might be mortified. Note that this wording comes from one of the Epistles of Saint Paul in which he speaks of mortifying the flesh (Romans 8:13). The website of the Orthodox Church in America comments, “The purpose of fasting is not to ‘give up’ things, nor to do something ‘sacrificial.’ The purpose of fasting is to learn discipline, to gain control of those things that are indeed within our control but that we so often allow to control us.” I had always used fasting only to either gain spiritual power or to receive a favorable response to a request. I suspect that all too many modern Christians do it for the same reason as well. I had to learn that fasting was most often for my self-benefit to teach me better self-control and to teach me to humble myself before the Lord. Mind you, it is true that there are times when we may need to fast especially to request additional spiritual help. But, that is not the regular purpose of fasting in the Church, and neither was it in the Synagogue.

So, I have had to learn some new lessons. I now fast regularly, and as the Church directs. I am slowly learning the discipline better and better. When the Orthodox observe a strict fast, we abstain from meat, fish, milk, cheese, wine, and olive oil. If you look at the list, you will recognize it as being almost Daniel’s fast. As it turns out, Daniel’s fast has now been kept for well over 2,500 years. I am pleased to be part of such a long-standing practice that is supported by both Scripture and Tradition.