Our Venerable Fathers Martyred by the Saracens at the Monastery of St. Sabbas (580-97).
Great Fast Day 38. Abstention from meat and foods that contain meat. According to liturgical prescriptions, the Divine Liturgy is not celebrated today.
Sixth Hour – Isaiah 58:1-11. Presanctified – Genesis 43:26-31. 45:1-16. Proverbs 21:23-22:4.
Read Isaiah 58:1-11
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
Having reached the final few days of the Great Fast before the start of Holy Week, today’s reading from the prophet Isaiah reminds us that there is a right and a wrong way to fast. People ask God: “Why have we fasted, but You did not see it? Why have we humbled our souls, but You did not know it?” (Is. 58:3). To these questions God answers them: “‘Because in the days of your fasts, you seek your own wills, and mistreat those under your authority. If you fast for condemnations and quarrels, and strike a humble man with your fists, why do you fast to Me as you do today, so your voice may be heard in crying? I did not choose this fast, and such a day for a man to humble his soul; nor if you should bow your neck like a ring and spread sackcloth and ashes under yourself, could you thus call such a fast acceptable. I did not choose such a fast,’ says the Lord” (Is. 58:3-5). If we do not fast in a way that is pleasing to God, then we are wasting our efforts; it doesn’t matter how austere our ascetical practices are. If we seek to fulfill our own wills when we fast, then there is a problem.
What kind of fast is acceptable to God? He answers this question for us: “Rather, loose every bond of wrongdoing; untie the knots of violent dealings; cancel the debts of the oppressed; and tear apart every unjust contract. Break your bread for the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house. If you see a naked man, clothe him, nor shall you disregard your offspring in your own household” (Is. 58:6-7). The fruits of our fasting should be love! By God’s grace, our fasting should stir us to become more generous, more thoughtful, and more loving towards others. When we fast in a way that is not pleasing to God, we mistreat others and quarrel with others. Fasting that is acceptable to God is marked by charity, and we draw nearer to God.
As we reflect on our spiritual journey through Lent, can we recognize ourselves as being more loving than we were when we began to fast? Or, do we find ourselves more prideful, more irritable, more impatient towards other people, failing to recognize our own sinfulness? Let us repent and make the most of these remaining days of the Great Fast and Holy Week. Let us draw our souls nearer to God so that we may more richly celebrate our Lord’s Resurrection.