FASTING = SELF-LIMITATION, ABSTINENCE, OBEDIENCE, SELFLESSNESS = FAITH & WORKS

Great Post!!! :D

Warning....trick quesiton follows... Would you consider it a sin to not fast?

Are you aware that we fast on Wednesdays and Fridays BECAUSE the Jews were fasting on Tuesdays and Thursdays?

I couldn\'t agree more!!!!!!! Fasting IS an Orthodox discipline, but I fear too many see it as a \"law\" similar to the OT dietary laws and assign \"salvation value\" to the ACT of fasting. I hear too many people talking about we \'must\' fast etc. as if fasting will save us. On the contrary, I believe fasting is about controling our passions so we can \'be more like Christ\' as passionless (greed etc) and fasting is PART of that struggle. But to be clear, I could eat a porterhouse steak every day, even during Holy Week, and not be sinning. Of course if I do that, I am risking some other sinful attitudes etc such as pride, which is extactly the essence I\'m trying to convey. I doubt I\'m conveying very clearly. This is really a subject that makes more sense face to face. I fully expect to be labled a variety of names after this post....but study Romans before accusing me of anything....

My favorite part of that long post: \". . . do not get bogged down with details.\" Let\'s not forget: \" For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.\" (Romans 14:2) \" For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence. \" (Romans 14:20) Etc.

Forgive me but I must mention this... Canon 69 of the Holy Apostles designates that any hierarch or priest or deacon or subdeacon or reader or chanter who does not fast during Great Lent and Wednesday and Friday is to be deposed. If a layperson does not fast during these times (unless he cannot fast on account of bodily illness), he is to be excommunicated.... Let us therefore stop insensibly thinking that the fast of Wednesday and Friday is not an Apostolic directive, for behold, the Apostles in their Canons number this fast with that of Great Lent, and in the Apostolic Constitutions they number it together with the fast of Holy Week saying: \"One must fast during Holy Week and Wednesday and Friday.\" But why should I say that this regulation is only of the Apostles? It is a regulation of Christ Himself, for this is what the Apostles say in the Book V, ch. 14 of the Constitutions: \"He (that is Christ) commanded us to fast on Wednesday and Friday. taken from the Exomologetaion: A manual of Confession by St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite, pgs. 270-271.

Moses916, It\'s good you read the canon, but did you read Romans? How do you reconcile posting the canon to a priest, and acting according to Paul\'s directives in Romans?

Another thing is that Paul writes that one should fast in case eating meat would scandalize a brother. This is for priests and laymen. Not fasting would show a lack of love. Priests have the position of perhaps being able to scandalize people more easily. In this case, they have to be especially careful that they do not use their freedom to scandalize others. Priests are more bound to fast because they have the greatest ability to hurt their weaker brother.

I did not mean that you would be deposed... as I already anticipated you are a faster. Forgive me for giving that impression Father. I just wanted to show that this is a serious issue and not something we can kind of wiggle our way out of... and once again i don\'t mean that any of you are wiggling your ways out since you all fast. I have no desire to argue, but just wanted to post that to show that there is a Saint who thought everyone should fast, even showing what severe consequences await those who don\'t. Forgive my offense.

Excellent point, but we should also be careful because that perspective might tend toward us vs them etc which is also not appropriate. I agree with the premise though.

I think that Paul is specifically working against an us-vs-them mentality. If everyone followed his paradigm, you couldn\'t tell who was the weaker brother. The weaker brother would fast because he needed to, while the stronger brother would fast so as not to scandalize the weaker brother. The latter would not be doing so because he was superior--God forbid. He would simply be carrying out the commandment to serve the brethren.