by Archim. Dionysios Karagiannis
We are already in the sea of the Holy and Great Lent, and fasting bends the passions and the tendency towards sin, and leads us to reconciliation with God and sanctification.
St. Basil, in his Great’s Homily on Fasting, speaks of fasting’s assets: “Fasting gives birth to prophets; it strengthens the powerful. Fasting makes lawmakers wise. It is a safeguard of a soul, a stabilizing companion to the body, a weapon for the brave, a discipline for champions…”
Sin has wounded man since the Garden of Eden. The Fasting of the first man and the first woman in the paradise is an image of fasting and its benefits or its disadvantages.
The first humans’ way of fasting failed to be followed by the present man.
The first humans, Adam and Eve, the ancestors of mankind, show us where we are not, and their failure in fasting shows us where we really need to be spiritually.
At the same time, St. Basil the Great also refers to a list of people who fast. He refers to the prophets and the righteous in the Old Testament, and the gifts and epiphanies they received, for fasting when they should. Like Prophet Moses, David, Prophet Elias, Sampson, and others.
Fasting is a very important for a healthy relationship with God. It helps to put our spiritual and physical life in perspective.
It shows us that people of God have succeeded in having the mercy of God, in leading the people to repentance, in bringing man to the answer of their requests. A typical example here, says St. Basil the Great, is Prophet Elias, who fasted and prayed, and forced the people to fast in this way.
The notes of persons, Prophets and Righteous men, and from the Evangelical narratives, are intended not only to highlight their struggle and the spiritual benefits they had, but also to set an example and support the believers today.
The Saint tells us that it is known that we are exiled from paradise, and that Lazarus of the parable of hunger, that is fasting, was embraced by Patriarch Abraham.
St. Basil the Great calls on the angels to include us in the list of those who fast, as genuine followers of the prophets and the apostles, and calls on us, the believers, to enjoy the benefits of our personal life today: “Fasting is, therefore, useful all the time to those who take it up; the abuse of demons can’t challenge the one who fasts, and the angels who guard our lives love working more when they stay beside those who have made the soul clean through fasting. But now how much more, when all around the world the proclamation is beingannounced. There isn’t any island, land, city, nation, or remotest border where theyhaven’t heard of the proclamation. Even armies and travelers, sailors and merchants, all alike hear the announcement, and they are receiving it joyfully. So no one should leave himself off the list! People of every race, of all ages, and alldifferent ranks are counted among those who fast. The angels are writing down the namesof those who fast in each church See to it that you don’t forfeit the angelic register through a little pleasurable food, and make yourself liable as a deserter, since you havebeen enlisted as a soldier by the scriptures. The danger of the inexperienced soldier is that he will put down his shield when the battleis engaged. Don’t appear to beputting down the great weapon of fasting.”
When angels add our names to the long list of those who fast we get prepared for the eternity.
As living conditions change, we are constantly faced with choices, whether positive or negative ones, with periods of spiritual misery, based on the standards of the prophets and saints, with trials that we would truly prefer not to be under.
But our life during the fasting period, in a stage of practicing with ourself, offers us an invaluable gift. A rare but also a common gift to everyone.
The gift that St. Basil the Great reminds us of in the list of those who fast is an opportunity for us to grow up within charity and love.
Learning to love our family members, our friends, our neighbors and, above all, God, is a big part of our lives.
And in this context of sin and sorrows, of ours and others, we learn about patience, goodness and grace, all these aspects of fasting that are reflected in the faces of the prophets and saints.
Let us be their followers and add ourselves to this list.
Amen.
