Fasting is a piece of the puzzle

As the Church begins another fasting season this week, it seems good to be reminded about how central fasting is for our Orthodox Christian life. You have heard me say many times, we can trust the Church. You have also heard me say many times that the Holy Spirit has guided the Church into all truth. Our Lord said to the Holy Apostles, the Holy Spirit “will guide you into all truth.” (John 16.13) With our faith in the Holy Trinity, we can trust the teachings of the Holy Apostles. Our Lord also said, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.” (Mark 8.34) Our entire life is a journey of denying ourselves, embracing the struggle of the Christian life, and following our Lord into Heaven.

The Holy Apostles knew better than we how difficult the Christian journey would be. When teaching the Way (Η Οδός) to the first Christians they turned to the historical truth guided by the Holy Spirit. One of the central core elements of the Christian life established by the Holy Apostles was the sacred tradition of fasting. Fasting has been a central aspect of our spiritual relationship with God since our ancestors walked in the Garden of Eden. God commanded fasting in the Old Testament and confirmed it in the New Testament. It was only natural that the Apostles would command it for the Church, and throughout history the Church in her Sacred Canons and Tradition has maintained the importance of fasting for the Christian struggle.

I am often asked, “Why do I always talk about fasting?” It seems that every time I open my mouth I’m talking about fasting. It isn’t that I am so sort of fanatic or ogre that I demand everyone in the Church should always be fasting. It is simply that the spiritual discipline of fasting is crucial in learning how to respond to Christ’s invitation to “deny ourselves and take up our cross.”

When we fast as the Church teaches we learn to give up our will for God’s will. This is only possible in faith if we trust the Holy Spirit guided the Holy Apostles. It isn’t that food is evil, but that through fasting we learn that it isn’t our will that is important, but the will of God, and He taught us to fast. If we fast as we choose, we do not learn how to deny ourselves. Instead we exalt our own understanding. Fasting is difficult if we fast as the Church teaches, so when we fast we learn how to “take up our cross” as Christ invites us. We learn to embrace the struggle to live as God wants us to live. If I can’t say ‘no’ to a double bacon cheeseburger, now can I say no to life’s more difficult temptations?

As with so many aspects of the Christian journey, fasting is a piece of the puzzle. By itself it won’t get us to heaven, but it will help us learn to live as God desires. Like any exercise fasting must be nurtured to be successful. If we are fasting today the same way we fasted ten years ago, we are not nurturing our discipline. As Orthodox Christians, we are guided by our Spiritual Father, who is accountable to God, who guides us in the teachings of the Church. He is taught by the Church, which was taught by the Holy Apostles who were guided into all truth by the Holy Spirit. Sounds to me like we can trust the Church.

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