The Lord Jesus Christ Himself fasted, He also fulfilled all the Law of the Old Testament, which on certain occasions prescribed fast, While He was strict to Himself, He at first mildly condescended in this rigor toward His disciples,—during the period of their transitory stage of advancement toward the high and difficult vocation of Apostleship—and thus also for the reason of their defense (they being untutored and simple men) against the arrogance of their enemies—the Scribes. Yet our Lord said: When the Bridegroom is taken away from them, then, in those days will they fast. (Mark, ii. 18-20)
Even in our day, there are some “self-righteous” Pharisees who wrongly use the words of the Redeemer for the justification of their base purpose. The words referred to are these: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man (Matt., xv. 11). But he who will look into the Holy Book, and examine for himself by reading this chapter from the first verse, will see that our Lord spake not of fast, here, but of that which defiles a man. In the case of John the Baptist, (which is one of many similar instances), surely the words which came from out his mouth, did not defile him, yet he was very scrupulous as to what entered his mouth. He was the most abstemious man. And God accepted the fast of St. John the Baptist!
All the Apostles fasted, following the example of their Divine Master. Likewise, all the earlier Councils of the Church, whether the one presided over by the Apostles themselves, or those under their Successors, decreed that Christians should keep fast.
The most important Fast is the Quadragesima. It lasts for forty days, in accordance with the example of the fasting of the Lord Jesus for forty days. To this Fast is added, besides, the passion week, in commemoration of the sufferings of our Lord and Savior. Both these Fasts are known under the name of the Great Lent, which precedes Easter Sunday.
The second long Fast is observed before the nativity of Christ (from the 15th November) and is called for that reason the Christmas Lent. On the last day, the eve of the Festival itself, the Fast is observed with a particular rigor; on that day boiled wheaten corn and honey only may be partaken of, and that after sunset. This fasting is somewhat relaxed when the eve of the Festival happens to fall either on a Sunday or Saturday.
The third Lent lasts for a fortnight and occurs just before the Feast of the Assumption of the Mother of God.
The fourth Lent is appointed by the Church to be held before the Festival of the holy and chief Apostles Peter and Paul. The number of days of this Lent is not uniform and depends on the date of Easter (or the Resurrection). It commences just one week after the Feast of Pentecost and lasts until the 29th of June.
Besides the longer Lents, there are Fasts of one day’s duration only. To these belong: Wednesday—fasting in memory of the betrayal of the Lord by Judas to the passion and death, and Friday—fasting in memory of the passion and death of the Lord, the Feast of the Elevation of the Lord’s Cross, and the day of the Beheading of John the Baptist, on account of the sorrowful memories connected with these two festivals, and also on the eve of the Feast of the Lord’s Baptism.
These few lines on the subject of Fast we may appropriately close with a few stanzas of Church hymns—sung during Lent. Translated, they read thus:
“Brethren, let us keep a spiritual fast, let us not speak falsely with our lips, nor put a stumbling block in the way of our brother, but with repentance let us brighten the lamp of our souls, crying unto Christ, forgive us our iniquities, O Lover of mankind!
“Let us desire a fasting of the soul to extinguish, by the Spirit’s aid, our dangerous passions, to strengthen us to practice godly deeds, to lift our minds to heaven, and gain us pardon for our sins from God most merciful.
“The saintly Moses through fasting acquired purity of desire. Then imitate him, my poor soul, and hasten while it is day to cleanse thyself from evil through continence, that thou mayest find the Lord, who is good and man loving, and granteth the forgiveness, and graciousness, and redemption.” (Lenten Triodion).
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