“We do not fast to be seen or praised by people, but we fast to love God more,” said His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel on Sunday during the Divine Liturgy at the historic Chapel of the Holy Great Martyr George at the Patriarchal Residence.
Regarding fasting itself, the Patriarch of Romania explained that the Gospel of the Sunday of Adam’s Expulsion from Paradise—the last before Great Lent—teaches that “we should not fast in sadness, but in joy.”
“Fasting is an offering of oneself to God in gratitude for the gift of life and as a desire for the sanctification of soul and body. Fasting, whether through reducing or abstaining from food and drink, is motivated by piety and love for God.”
“We fast because we love God the Giver more than His material gifts that we consume,” His Beatitude added.
Fasting Supports Prayer
Patriarch Daniel also emphasized that fasting sustains the prayer of the faithful, “who regard their relationship with God as the center, light, and nourishment of their soul.”
“For this reason, whoever fasts but does not pray does not become sanctified, for they do not gather spiritual light in their soul. Whoever fasts without praying merely engages in a biological and psychological exercise.”
True Fasting
In his Sunday sermon, His Beatitude highlighted the profound meaning of true fasting, which is not merely an external renunciation of certain foods but aims at elevating the human being beyond material concerns to receive spiritual gifts.
“True fasting aims to lift man above earthly possessions to acquire heavenly spiritual treasures. In this sense, our Lord Jesus Christ urges us: ‘Do not store up treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy,’ meaning where things lose their value, ‘and where thieves break in and steal,’ meaning where nothing is secure or stable, but everything is transient and unpredictable.”
“The Savior calls people to a transformation or renewal of life, that is, to rise from the level of biological existence to that of heavenly or spiritual life.”
The True Treasures of the Soul
Expanding on this idea, Patriarch Daniel explained that true human treasures are not material.
“When the Lord says, ‘Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,’ He affirms that there is a connection between treasure and heart. This refers to spiritual treasures that never devalue or perish,” His Beatitude noted.
Drawing a parallel with the Epistle to the Galatians, the Patriarch of Romania identified these treasures as the gifts of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and purity (Galatians 5:22-23).
“These spiritual treasures must be gathered especially during the period of Great Lent as lights of the soul directed towards the Resurrection. If the human heart clings excessively to limited and perishable earthly things, it becomes enslaved by them. However, if it seeks eternal heavenly gifts, it attains the freedom to be enriched perpetually by God’s infinite and eternal love.”
“The Savior rejects all temptations of selfish human affirmation that lead to estrangement from God through disobedience and forgetfulness of Him. Therefore, the Lord teaches us that man can attain salvation only through humble love for God and his fellow humans,” concluded His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel.
Source: basilica.ro
Photo: Lumina Newspaper
