Leave-taking of the Feast of the Holy Transfiguration; Our Venerable Father Maximus the Confessor (662)
2 Corinthians 7:10-16; Mark 2:18-22
Dormition Fast; Abstention from meat and foods that contain meat.
Read Mark 2:18-22
The topic of why we fast or how we fast or when we fast is a perennial one for us as Eastern Christians. How strict should my fast be? Can I lessen my fast on this day? Should I fast more, will this make me more holy? Indeed, it seems that we can get very hung up on the details and miss the overall goal. This is the struggle of the people who question the fasting practice of Christ and His disciples.
We are frequently reminded that the fast is not the goal in and of itself. Fasting is a tool; it is a means to an end. Fasting is a means to discipline ourselves, to deny ourselves, and to better arm ourselves in combating the passions that continually assail us. All of these goals are mentioned by the great ascetical fathers and mothers. But do we ever think that we are fasting in expectation of the ultimate goal, the ultimate end? Have we ever considered that fasting is linked to the second coming of Our Lord? Our Lord’s coming is something we are always anticipating, especially at every Divine Liturgy as we face east awaiting the rising sun, the Son of Righteousness, who will come again. Are we ready to meet Him?
Fasting creates a longing within us, a longing that we should see not merely as physical or psychological but as spiritual. In our deepest being we long for Our Lord. We long for union with Him and participation in the life of the Most Holy Trinity. So when we fast, let us turn our hearts, and minds, and bodies towards higher things and direct our yearning towards He who has come and who will come and satisfy all our longings.