From The Rector The Beauty Of Lent
Ibru International Ecumenical Centre, Agbarha- Otor Delta State. www. ibrucentre. org • Seek The Lord While He May Be Found
THE lent is also called the quadragesimal fast or fast of forty days observed by the Christian Church before Easter. It begins with Ash Wednesday and continues till Easter. The word fasting appears about 17 times and fasting about four times in the King James Holy Bible Version. It is a period of penitential preparation, fasting and abstinence. It covers a period of six and a half weeks before Easter. This is in imitation of Jesus’ fasting in the wilderness before he began his public ministry. Fasting is a spiritual exercise with a health benefits. God’s people have practiced fasting in both Old and New Testament of the Holy Bible and throughout Church history.
What Is Fasting?
The abstaining from all or some kinds of food or drink, especially for religious observance is defined as fasting. Fasting could also be for health, ritualistic or ethical purposes. The abstinence may be complete, or partial, lengthy, or short duration or intermittent. Fasting is not new; physicians and followers of many religions have promoted and practiced the art of fasting even from antiquity worldwide. In 2Chronicles 7: 14 the Bible said: “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Through fasting and prayer an individual relationship with God is strengthened and there is total reliance and dependence on the power of God. In prayer, we have communion and fellowship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Fasting is an act of spiritual discipline. The Holy Spirit uses the channel of fasting to bring total transformation in the life of the individual.
The Saviour began his earthly ministry after fasting and prayer and also spent most of His earthly moments in set apart, fasting, prayers, fellowship, meditation and communion with God. He also commanded his disciples to do same, especially after His ascension.
Fasting may not necessarily mean total abstinence from food and water, but there are several ways one can abstain from certain pleasures to gain spiritual refreshment. Fasting begins with mental preparation and withdrawal from certain pleasures for a period of time. To fast is not to put your physical body to health risk; you must not intentionally deny your body basic nourishment like water more than necessary even as you fast. It is medically proven that the body requires certain percentage of fluid to function. Therefore, denying the body water for a very long time may pose health risk. In fasting, you should align yourself to what will help the body function while you
gain spiritual refreshment.
Holy men in the Old and New Testament, great men and women of God throughout the Church history had always lived a disciplined life of fasting. Moses and Jesus fasted for 40 days. The Jews fasted during the day and on some holy days. According to the teaching of St. Isaac the Syrian: "As satisfying the stomach is the beginning of any evil, so fasting is the basis of any virtue and the holy way to God. The fast is the protection of virtue, the beginning of self- sacrifice, a wreath of abstinence, the beauty of virginity and holiness, the shine of chastity, the basis of a Christian life, the father of prayer, the originator of chastity and wisdom, the instructor of silence, and the leader to everything good. As healthy eyes naturally aspire to light, so the soul of the person observing a reasonable fast, naturally aspires to prayer. When you will fast then your mind will aspire and wish to converse with God. Equally, the body, which is used to fasting, will also not want to sleep and lay on the bed all night. Whoever has accustomed the body to fasting, has turned over his mind to meditation with the perfect calmness, pours out his heart in prayer, expresses grief in his face, and will not have a place for shameful thoughts at all. Cheerfulness is not apparent in his visage. It is the enemy of passions and vain conversations. No one has seen that whoever fasts reasonably, cringes at any shameful passion. Reasonable fasting is great open space for all goodness. Whoever neglects it subverts all goodness. Therefore, the commandment, issued right at the beginning of our existence, is fasting.
"Fasting is the weapon prepared by God for us. Whoever neglects it is not right. For if the Law- giver Himself fasted, is it not also necessary for those for whom the law is given to fulfill the fast? For a long time the human race was not able to win, for a long time the devil did not test the defeat of our nature; but at the very beginning he was weakened by this weapon. Our Lord was the leader and the first conqueror. He first delivered the victorious crown of our nature. Since then, whenever the devil sees that someone has this weapon, immediately he is afraid, immediately, he imagines and remembers that defeat, which he underwent by the Saviour in the desert: his power is destroyed and disappears.
"Whoever does not love fasting, then in performing other ascetical feats, becomes lazy, careless, powerless and shows this to be a thin sign of the weakening of the soul and allows an occasion for the enemy to win a victory over him. Therefore, it is clear that he enters the struggle naked and unarmed, and that he will return without victory; for his members are not armed with fasting. And whoever observes him, sees that he has a hard soul, ready for any opposition and, foreign to all evil passions. "The basis of any blessing, and the liberation of souls from the captivity of the enemy, and the way leading to light and life, are the following two things: stay in one place and continually fast. From here comes an obedience of feelings, from here coolness of mind; by these means wild passions living in the body are tamed. From here come meekness of thoughts, bright ideas, diligence in deeds of virtue, and uplifting and fine concepts. From here at all times come eternal tears and the memory of death. From here comes that pure chastity, which is completely foreign to everyone with seductive thoughts. From here comes insight and distantenlightenment. From here proceeds the soul understanding, by the power of the Word of God, the deepest sacramental ideas and internal spiritual movements. From here comes the art to distinguish evil spirits from sacred powers, and true visions from vain dreams. From here comes constant vigilance of the mind, not allowing one the inclination for various ways and steps, and banishing laziness and negligence. From here comes that flaming zealousness, which scorns any danger and fears nothing.