Homily 33 #

On the Third Sunday of the Fast: A Teaching of the Holy Fathers on the Great Fast and the Other Fasts

Listen, brothers, sisters, children, the elderly and the young, and all faithful Christians, to what the Divine Scriptures say about fasting. The Lord our God Himself gave us an example by fasting for forty days, as the Apostle Matthew wrote in the Gospel: “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.” From that time, He instructed His disciples and apostles to do the same.

The apostles, when baptizing believers, taught them to keep the tradition of the Lord. For the Lord said to them, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” Following this command and the teaching of the Savior, the apostles taught all nations to believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and to practice baptism, repentance, fasting, prostrations, prayer, almsgiving, humility, brotherly love, and other virtues. They established two fasts: the first is the Forty-Day Fast (Great Lent), and the second is the Apostles’ Fast after Pentecost.

Later, the holy fathers established two additional fasts: the Nativity Fast before Christmas, and the Dormition Fast in honor of the Most Holy Mother of God. They instructed believers to keep these fasts with reverence—by refraining from all evil, cleansing themselves from sin, and through humility and almsgiving inheriting the Kingdom of Heaven. For Scripture says that fasting, prayer, and almsgiving deliver a person from death.

Fasting and almsgiving are like two great wings. With them, a person can not only rise to heaven, but even reach the throne of God. King David committed two great sins: murder and adultery. But when he was confronted about them, he responded with repentance and fasting, shed many tears, and gave generous alms. God saw his sincere repentance, his broken heart, his prayers and almsgiving, and his other good works—and forgave him. He was counted among the prophets.

The prophet Daniel, when he was thrown into the lions’ den by the king’s order, calmed the beasts through fasting and prayer. He also taught the king about fasting, prayer, humility, and every virtue.

The three youths in Babylon, when they were thrown into the blazing furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar, put out the fire through fasting and prayer.

Moses fasted and devoted himself to prayer, and spoke with God.

Joshua the son of Nun fasted and, through prayer and pleading, overcame foreign nations and stopped the sun from moving.

Elijah fasted and, through prayer, called down fire from heaven, raised a widow’s son from the dead, and later prayed for rain to fall. He was taken up into heaven in a fiery chariot and passed his mantle to Elisha.

Elisha fasted and, through prayer, crossed the Jordan River on dry ground, turned bitter water into sweet, and raised a woman’s son from the dead.

Through fasting, the people of Nineveh turned God’s anger into mercy.

Isaiah fasted and was counted worthy to see God, surrounded by cherubim.

Hannah fasted and prayed, and the Lord granted her a child—she gave birth to the prophet Samuel.

Samson fasted and defeated many enemies. Through prayer, he brought water out of the dry jawbone of a donkey.

Joachim and Anna fasted and prayed to God day and night, and an angel brought them good news about the conception of the Holy Virgin Mary.

In the time of grace, many saints and righteous people became holy through fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. They performed many miracles—so many that they cannot all be recorded.

Fasting accomplishes all good things. It purifies the body. Prayer and almsgiving cleanse sins. Humility beautifies the soul. But more than anything, God loves repentance from people. As Scripture says, “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”

So then, brothers, sisters, and children, having heard these words, let us strive to observe the fast with purity and honor, with all self-restraint, with prostrations, with prayers, and with good deeds. The holy fast was established for us by the holy fathers from the apostles, who were themselves taught about it through the word and passed it down: for those who already strive, as a strengthening; and for those who have not heard, as a call to obedience and abstinence—so that they may not remain in ignorance, having never heard the Scripture on fasting. But now that they have heard these words, let them be stirred to self-restraint, to labor, to repentance, to prayer, to prostrations, to almsgiving, to gentleness, to humility, and to every good work.

Let us not forget the blessedness of these days. For when the days of celebration and feasting come, all gluttons and drunkards rejoice. But when the fast begins, they grieve, grow weak, and fall into gloom. Those who are wise, disciplined, and self-controlled, however, rejoice and are filled with spiritual gladness.

When you fast, do not fast in a hypocritical way, showing yourself before people, but before God, as the Lord says: “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” And He will drive away from you all your sorrows and troubles, and the evil one will not be able to come near you.

When you give alms, do it secretly, so that you will not be rejected by God like the Pharisee. And when you fast, do not fast only from bread—but also from drunkenness, from anger, from rage, from pride, from judgment of others, from envy, from all injustice, from hatred, and from all carnal lusts. In this way, you will be shown to be a true faster.

Many people honor only the first week of the fast, and then out of weakness and laziness neglect the rest. But brothers, all the days of the fast are holy, right up to the Resurrection of Christ. If someone is building a house or working on something else, does he not strive to make it beautiful to the end? And if a hired worker does not do his job well, will he not only lose his wages, but also be criticized? But if he finishes the work well and beautifully, he not only receives his pay, but also praise.

So it is with fasting: if you fast and complete the fast to the end, your soul will be cleansed of sin, and you will rejoice with the righteous on the day of Christ’s Resurrection. But if you do not complete the fast, giving in to your laziness, then not only will your effort be lost and your sins remain unforgiven, but the demons will rejoice over you, saying, “You are ours, not God’s,” and your guardian angel will mourn your carelessness.

Therefore, if you want to be God’s servant, complete the fast all the way to the Resurrection of Christ. Many lose their reward through laziness, following demons instead of the God-bearing fathers, who commanded us to fast not only from food and drink but also from evil deeds. They added Holy Saturday to the days of fasting, because on that day our Lord Jesus Christ lay in the tomb; and the Mother of God, along with the apostles and all the faithful, was in deep sorrow and grief. The Jews, however, rejoiced, saying, “Behold, we have killed our heir, the one called Jesus—now the inheritance will be ours,” and so they went out to eat, drink, and make merry.

But the next day, our Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead. When the Jews heard that Christ had risen, they were deeply troubled, and their brief joy turned into great sorrow, grief, and torment for all eternity. But for the Mother of God, the apostles, and all the faithful, that small sorrow was transformed into great and endless joy.

So, having heard about fasting, brothers, let us strive to keep the fast honorably throughout all the weeks equally—not just the first, but also the last—until the Bright Resurrection of Christ, with complete abstinence from all evil, with purity of soul and body, and with humility. Let us partake of the Body and Blood of Christ, not through overeating or drunkenness, but with reverence, so that we may be called true fasters and faithful Christians.

Let us celebrate the Resurrection of Christ and the entire Bright Week with honor—greeting one another with a holy kiss, rejoicing, and celebrating spiritually—not with gluttony, drunkenness, dancing, or devilish games, nor with carnal desires, but with hymns and spiritual songs. For the Church welcomes the faithful who enter with purity; but it does not welcome those who defile their bodies with immorality, overeating, and drunkenness.

When Christ rose from the dead, all creation rejoiced because of His Resurrection. That is why, brothers, we are bound to honor the whole Bright Week as one joyful day, glorifying the Lord who rose from the dead and celebrating His Resurrection in the Spirit.

For He, brothers, created heaven and earth, formed man from the dust, breathed into him a soul from His own life-giving breath, and brought into being all creation, both visible and invisible, by His word.

He founded the earth upon the waters and established it firmly. He created the heavens likewise by His word. To Him the archangels, angels, cherubim and seraphim, thrones and dominions, the sun and the moon and the stars of heaven, the seas and rivers and springs, the mountains and hills, and the fruit-bearing trees, the winds and clouds, rain and hail, snow and frost, birds and beasts, cattle and creeping things—all are obedient. They fear and tremble before Him as their God and Creator, and they serve the human race without ceasing, never transgressing the command of God.

The earth gives forth its fruits for the nourishment of people, of animals, of birds, and of every living thing on land. The sun enlightens and warms the whole world, rising and setting, and never transgresses the command of God—it serves mankind. Only we, human beings, do not fear our Creator, and we do not keep His commandments. Instead, we constantly sin and turn away from the path of truth—the path that leads to the Kingdom of Heaven, to the food of paradise, and to eternal life. Instead, we follow the path of destruction, which leads to eternal torment, to outer darkness, to the unquenchable fire, and to the worm that never dies. No one drags us there—it is by our own will that we go, not fearing God but fulfilling the will of the devil.

For the Lord Himself said: “O ye foolish men, hear and understand. For your sake I made the light; I stretched out the heavens; I enclosed the sea with sand. For your sake I created the earth, the lakes, the rivers, and the springs. I appointed the sun to give light by day, and the moon to give light by night, and I adorned the heavens with stars. For your sake I planted every tree on the earth and caused the grass to grow.”

O brothers, see how merciful the Lord is toward us! Not wishing to see His creation enslaved to the devil, He established for us the holy fasts—to cleanse our souls and bodies and to drive away evil. But we, brothers, are lazy, weak, frail, and sluggish. We are unfit for fasting, for prayer, and for the good works by which the soul is saved. But for evil deeds, we are strong and energetic—quick and nimble, lighter than a feather. We treat the commandments of God, of the holy apostles, and of the holy fathers as if they are burdens heavier than any other task. But there is nothing burdensome in God’s commandments; they are meant to teach and to save the soul.

For the Lord Himself said: “My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Are God’s commandments really hard to keep? They are these: repentance, fasting, purity, prostrations, hunger, abstaining from all evil, mercy, humility, love, meekness, sobriety, brotherly love, visiting the sick, going to those in prison, always listening to the words of God—refraining from slander, lies, hatred, extortion, fornication, pride; coming to God’s church, praying with tears, and doing many other good things. By these works, we can move God to mercy, drive the devil far from us, and inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.

But the ruinous works—hated by God and condemned in the holy Scriptures—are these: lies, slander, quarrels, fighting, pride, arrogance, cruelty, envy, hatred of one’s brother, malice, resentment, wrath, self-exaltation, hypocrisy, rebellion, disobedience, bribery, blasphemy, judgment, drunkenness, gluttony, adultery, robbery, theft, disobedience to God’s commandments, violence, witchcraft, carrying of charms, mockery, demonic songs, drums, pipes, lyres, dancing, and indecent games, including pagan festivals. All these are pleasing to the devil.

So, hearing these things, brothers and sisters, let us rouse ourselves to do good works, and let us turn away from and flee all evil. Let us keep the days of the fast with spiritual joy and with purity, having the fear of God in our hearts, keeping His commandments with all humility and virtue, with prayer and repentance. Then we will be able to receive the Body and Blood of Christ from the hands of the priests, for the sanctification of our souls and bodies, and for the forgiveness of sins, and we will truly be the Church of the Living God.

To our God be glory, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.