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Why do we fast? What are the benefits of fasting? Why do we have
so many fasts in our church? Why is it important to fast? Why..why..why..?!
There are so many questions that we all have about FASTING. I've
mentioned some, and I know you have plenty of questions to add to
my list! Sitting and thinking about it is going to make it worse,
so let me tell you and explain the answers to all of these questions,
that way you'll see how rich our church is with all the details
about everything that we do in it even fasting that we question
a lot about.
First of all, do we know what fasting means?
Fasting: to do without food for some reason. Usually
an act of worship to God, often with prayer.
Kinds of Fasting:
In our church, we have three categories for fasting. The first
category is the fasting that is very strict. In it we shouldn't
eat right away when we wake up, however, we should fast for a
small period of time. Also when we pray (whether at home or at
church), during these fasts, we should do "metanias", which is
a Greek word meaning repentance. Another thing is, when we eat,
we should eat little by little.
This kind of fast includes the Great Lent (including the Holy
Pascha week), Wednesdays and Fridays, Paramouns (we only have
two of them in the whole year), and Jonah's fast. All of these
fasts are considered major fasts.
The second category of fasts is not very strict, as the first
category. These fasts include Advent (fast before Christmas) and
the Apostle's fast. They are considered minor fasts.
The third category fasts include St. Mary's fast, which is also
considered a minor fast.
In the past, some believers used to eat fish on Wednesdays and
Fridays. This was done either by misunderstanding on their part
of the church's teaching or because it was a wrong habit which
they had inherited or was passed down to them from others.
Our kind of fasting in the Coptic Orthodox Church, we only eat
vegetarian foods and we all know that this means not eating dairy
products and any food abstained from meat.
However, since there are so many fasts in our church, about two
hundred days, which is more than half the year. So the church
allows us to eat fish on the minor fasts not the major ones.
About the Fast in our Church:
The Great Lent: Fifty-five days, a total of seven weeks.
Forty days because Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights, first
week (eight days) preparation for the fast, and the last week,
which is seven days, is the Pascha week. The main point of the
Great Lent is repentance.
Jonah's Fast: Three days
We fast three days because Jonah spent three days in the whale's
belly.
Advent: Forty-three days
Forty days because Moses had to wait forty days to receive the
Word of God (the Ten Commandments), so we are waiting for the
Word of God, which is Jesus. Three days for the moving of the
mountain of Mokattam in Egypt.
St. Mary's Fast: Fifteen days, total of two weeks
Because the Apostles fasted fifteen days to see St. Mary's body
ascending into Heaven, like Thomas did.
The Apostle's Fast: No less than twelve and no more than
forty-seven days
Because the Apostle's fasted until they received the Holy Spirit
before preaching.
Wednesdays and Fridays: All year long except the fifty
days after the Resurrection Wenesday.because we remember Judas'
betrayal to the Lord.
Friday because we remember the Lord's crucifixion.
During fasting days in church, in the Liturgy, we pray the third,
sixth, and ninth hour, with the exception of the Great Lent, Jonah's
fast, and the Paramouns, we also pray the eleventh and twelfth
hour. Also during the Great Lent and Jonah's fast, we pray with
a special tone known as the fasting tone, and during the Advent,
we pray with the Kiahk tone.
Another important thing is each fast has its own fraction in
the Liturgy, which holds the spiritual meaning of the fast.
There are so many spiritual benefits from fasting. Fasting brings
us closer to God and makes our relationship with Him deeper. Also,
it gives us a better chance of repenting and confessing our sins.
Another important thing that we should all consider, including
me, is that during fasting we should try to avoid wishing for
something desirable, especially food! For example, lets say it's
Friday, and you went to the mall with all your friends, and around
noon you got hungry and you smelled the cheesy pizza!!! Well,
you know you can't eat it because you're fasting, so what you
do is try to go a different direction or cross yourself with the
sign of the cross, and that way you won't get tempted by the devil
and go in and eat it. I think you know a lot of different ways
you can use to avoid these types of situations. Also, I think
most of us know that during fasting time we shouldn't be longing
for pleasurable foods. Another very important thing that a lot
of people forget about is meditation. In it we meditate about
the meaning of the fasting and why we fast. Reducing our fun time
is something we should all consider and instead of it we can pray
and read the Bible. Finally, I hope I was able to answer some
of the questions that we all have about fasting and at the same
time showed you how rich the Coptic Orthodox Church is with all
its detailed meanings for everything we do and/or see happening
in church. And Glory Be To The Holy Trinity Forever And Ever.
Amen.
Pray for us.
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