Communion is God's grace, a great Sacrament through which Christians can become involved in the Savior himself. It is important to know how to fast correctly, so that after confessing sins and receiving communion, you will receive God’s anointing for faith, the power of love and patience.
What is fasting and why fast before communion?
Communion is open door for adoption God's grace into the life of Christians. Through Communion, believers receive:
Each believer is responsible for accepting Divine Sacrament, for, as the Apostle Paul writes, whoever does this without reasoning, sinning, gets sick and even dies (Cor. 11:28-30).
Enough ordeal for Christians, isn't it? If you don’t take Communion, you don’t receive blessings and grace; if you take it, you can get sick and die. Where is the way out? And the way out is simple - fasting and confession of sins.
Fasting is a time when a person, through pacification of the flesh, tries to cleanse himself of harmful mental attachments and habits in order to get closer spiritually to the Creator. Lent is a time of prayer and reflection on the sacrifice of Christ, Its cleansing and blessing power . During preparation for communion, Christians try to reconsider their lives, identify sins in it and repent of them.
It is difficult to resist temptations when you are full and happy. It is difficult not to fall into temptation when drinking alcohol or at entertainment events. During fasting, people, taming their flesh, tame their emotions and morals. According to John the Ladder, during repentance, purity of prayer should take precedence, in silence, obedience, giving up pleasures and evil thoughts in order to receive pleasure in Heaven.
Some Christians can sit for hours in in social networks, spend time in empty conversations on the phone, take part in gossip, but at the same time be in strict abstinence from food, proud of yourself. I would like to disappoint such believers - God does not look at the stomach, but at the soul.
Anything that separates a Christian from God is sin.
Important! Fasting is the only opportunity to get closer to the Almighty. According to the priests, fasting and prayer are wings that allow the believing soul to fly to Heaven.
The history of fasting before communion
The first Christians after the Ascension of Jesus took the sacrament daily and were constantly in fellowship. Of course, at that time there could be no talk of fasting. The Apostle Paul wrote his message to Christians of that time, reminding them of the importance of reflection before accepting the Holy Sacrifice of Christ.
Icon of the Communion of the Apostles
During the time of the apostles, the Eucharist was celebrated in the evening, but over time the Sacrament of Communion was moved to the morning, giving believers the opportunity to receive the food of the Lord, which cleanses the blood and body, from the very morning.
First appearance fast days before the Eucharist dates back to the fourth century. The priests of that time noted the cooling of faith and called on Christians to abstain from sexual pleasures and worldly amusements before receiving the Holy Gifts, but nothing was said about food.
Early Christians fasted three times a week and on the days of fasting established by the Church. Govenie, or restriction in eating for three to seven days, appears at the beginning of the ninth century due to the decline of spiritual life.
According to Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, there is no single requirement for three days of abstinence before the Eucharist.
Each believer individually decides how long it will take him to come to purity and reverence before the Lord. Some Christians resolve this issue with their spiritual mentor.
Rules of conduct during preparation for Communion
Three days of abstinence before taking the sacrament is not a requirement, but only a wish. It concerns mainly people who participate in the Eucharist 2-3 times a year. There are no additional abstinence requirements during the four fasts.
In the church, believers and baptized people partake of the Body and Blood of Christ
According to the decree of the Orthodox Church, during fasting it is forbidden to eat:
- products of animal origin;
- eggs;
- dairy products;
- selectively - fish.
These days, food is prepared not for the pleasure of eating it, but as a means to maintain health in the temple of God, i.e. in the Christian himself.
If fish is the main type of food, then it can be consumed.
Before the Eucharist, Christians do not take food, having previously spent the day in prayer, giving up entertainment, alcoholic drinks and sex.
Important! At the Sacrament of Confession, one should honestly confess to the priest about all his misdeeds, so that he can decide whether it is safe for a Christian to touch the Holy Gifts or whether he should return home and carefully prepare.
Before confession and communion, Christians go to evening service in the church, in the morning they must attend the Liturgy. Sincere repentance at Confession opens the door to Communion.
Fasting before communion: how to observe it correctly
Relaxations in fasting
Participle - great power, giving healing, liberation from addictions, forgiveness of sins and joy. Christians of all ages, even infants, are allowed to participate in this sacrament.
Children who have not yet turned 7 years old receive communion without observing abstinence beforehand, but this does not mean permissiveness in food and games. The seed of reverence for the Sacraments, planted in a child's soul, will bear good fruit as the child grows up. In infancy, the feat of shitting parents - best example for the younger generation.
Pregnant women and patients must carefully monitor their diet; for such there are no days of dry eating. This category of Christians checks with their spiritual mentor on the list of acceptable dishes.
Modern cuisine is rich in all kinds of products, the skillful preparation of which ready-made recipes cannot harm pregnant women, the fetus, or the sick.
The Church also graciously treats the category of people who are outside the home and eat in canteens. This is the army, boarding schools, hospitals and places of detention. In this case, if possible, you should give up fast food for several days, intensifying your prayer and staying in the Word.
Dying and seriously ill people are allowed to receive Communion without any preparation.
Fasting is not a diet or punishment, but a great blessing from the Creator himself, bringing us closer to God.
By constantly being in prayer, reading the “Our Father” and the sinner’s prayer, fasting people take another step closer to the Savior, Healer and our hope for eternal life.
Sinner's Prayer
My Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
My Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.
My Lord, Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.
Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me.
Lord, have mercy according to Your great mercy in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
1. Why is fasting needed? The Holy Fathers instruct that fasting is an irreplaceable means for achieving spiritual renewal and growth; without it, it is impossible for a person to fight passions and temptations and prepare his soul for the action of the saving grace of God.
St. Theophan the Recluse explains the purpose and meaning of fasting by the fact that works of abstinence and good deeds give scope for the action of the grace of the Holy Spirit in us:
“What digging the earth in the material is like feats of self-mortification in the spiritual. What moisture and warmth are in the material are the works of good deeds and piety in the spiritual. God spoke to Noah’s contemporaries: “My Spirit shall not dwell in these men... they are flesh” (Gen. 6:3). Consequently, He will dwell where the flesh is crucified with passions and lusts or where feats of self-sacrifice are carried out. The Apostle writes: “Do not quench the spirit, or: do not offend the Holy Spirit of God, by Whom you are marked on the day of deliverance” (Eph. 4:30) - and then lists the passions that should be avoided, and the virtues in which one should excel; therefore, the Spirit does not fade away there, where there is a struggle with passions and the work of doing good. In another place he teaches: “Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourself in psalms and songs and spiritual songs, making melody and singing in your hearts to the Lord” (Eph. 5:18, 19). Consequently, where there is singing, church and home prayer, and acts of piety in general, there will be the filling of the Spirit or the manifestation of the action of the grace of the Holy Spirit. Feats of self-sacrifice, works of good deeds and piety give scope to the action of the grace of the Holy Spirit in us, and it, hidden, then comes to light and its action shows both the grace bearer and others.”
St. rights John of Kronstadt:
By eating extensively, you become a carnal man, not having a spirit, or soulless flesh, and by fasting, you attract the Holy Spirit to yourself and become spiritual. Take cotton paper that has not been moistened with water. It is light and, in small quantities, floats in the air, but if you wet it with water, it becomes heavy and immediately falls to the floor. So it is with the soul. Oh, how one must protect the soul through fasting!
What is this Lent? He is a precious gift to us from our Savior, Who Himself fasted for forty days and nights, neither eating nor drinking, a truly precious gift for all those seeking salvation, as a mortifier of spiritual passions. By His word and example, the Lord legitimized it to His followers. ...Fasting with prayer is a sure weapon against the devil and the multi-passionate flesh. Let no one pretend that fasting is not necessary.
It (fasting) pacifies our sinful, whimsical flesh, frees the soul from under its weight, giving it, as it were, wings to soar freely to heaven, and gives room for the action of God’s grace. Whoever fasts freely and correctly knows how light and bright the soul is during fasting; then good thoughts come easily to the head, and the heart becomes purer, more tender, more compassionate - we feel the desire for good deeds; Contrition for sins appears, the soul begins to feel the disastrousness of its situation and begins to lament for sins. And when we do not fast, when thoughts are in disorder, feelings are unbridled and the will allows itself everything, then you rarely see a saving change in a person, then he is dead in his soul: all its forces act in the wrong direction; the main objective action - the goal of life - is lost sight of; there are many private goals, almost as many as each person has passions or whims.
Post - good teacher: 1) he quickly makes it clear to everyone who fasts that every person needs very little food and drink and that in general we are greedy and eat and drink much more than what is proper, that is, what our nature requires; 2) fasting helps or reveals all the infirmities of our soul, all its weaknesses, shortcomings, sins and passions, just as muddy, stagnant water beginning to clear itself shows what kind of reptiles are found in it or what quality of rubbish; 3) he shows us the necessity of running to God with all our hearts and seeking His mercy, help, and salvation; 4) fasting shows all the cunning, deceit, all the malice of the disembodied spirits with whom we previously, without knowing, worked, whose cunning, when we are now illuminated by the light of God’s grace, is clearly revealed and who now viciously persecute us for leaving their ways.
It is necessary for a Christian to fast in order to clarify the mind and arouse and develop feelings and motivate the will to good activity. We overshadow and suppress these three human abilities most of all through gluttony, drunkenness and the worries of life (Luke 21:34), and through this we fall away from the source of life - God and fall into corruption and vanity, perverting and desecrating the image of God in ourselves. Gluttony and voluptuousness nail us to the ground and cut off, so to speak, the wings of the soul. And look how high all the fasters and abstinents were! They soared in the skies like eagles; They, earthly beings, lived with their minds and hearts in heaven and heard ineffable verbs there and learned divine wisdom there.
It is our duty to prepare for heavenly life and take care of spiritual food, and spiritual food is fasting, prayer, reading the Word of God, especially the Communion of the Holy Mysteries. When we do not care about fasting and prayer, then we are filled with all kinds of sins and passions, but when we feed on spiritual food, then we are cleansed of them and adorned with humility, meekness, patience, mutual love, purity of soul and body.
For this reason, by the way, the Holy Church established fasts, so that Christians would have a weapon in them against the devil and his countless intrigues.
Prayer and fasting cleanse, enlighten and strengthen the soul; on the contrary, without prayer and fasting our soul is an easy prey for the devil, because it is not protected and protected from him. Fasting and prayer are spiritual weapons against the devil, which is why the Lord says that the demonic race comes only through prayer and fasting. The Holy Church, knowing the power of this spiritual weapon, calls us to fast twice every week - on Wednesday and Friday, by the way, in remembrance of the suffering and death of our Savior, and in the year - many times during all multi-day fasts, and Great Lent connects with special touching prayers of repentance. Fasting and prayer have the spiritual benefit that, strengthening our souls, they strengthen our very faith, hope and love and unite us with God.
Rev. Macarius of Optina:
Through alternating food and abstinence, the body and soul are renewed. The Holy Fathers, moved by the Holy Spirit, established fasts for both our mental and physical benefit.
Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin):
“The ancient Christian apologist Athenagoras, in response to a question from his pagan opponent about how a bodily illness can affect the activity of a disembodied soul, gives the following example. The soul is a musician, and the body is an instrument. If the instrument is damaged, the musician is unable to extract harmonious sounds from it. On the other hand, if a musician is sick, then the instrument is silent. But this is just an image. In fact, the connection between body and spirit is immeasurably greater. Body and soul constitute a single human personality.
Thanks to fasting, the body becomes a sophisticated instrument, capable of capturing every movement of the musician - the soul. Figuratively speaking, the body of an African drum turns into a Stradivarius violin. Fasting helps restore hierarchy mental strength, to subordinate the complex mental organization of man to higher spiritual goals. Fasting helps the soul overcome passions, extracts the soul, like a pearl from a shell, from the captivity of everything grossly sensual and vicious. Fasting frees the human spirit from amorous attachment to material things, from constant recourse to earthly things.
Conscious self-restraint serves as a means of achieving spiritual freedom...
Fasting increases the spiritual potential of freedom: it makes a person more independent from the outside and helps to minimize his lower needs. This frees up energy, opportunity and time for the life of the spirit.
Fasting is an act of will, and religion is largely a matter of will. Anyone who cannot limit himself in food will not be able to overcome stronger and more refined passions. Promiscuity in food leads to promiscuity in other areas human life.
We touched on the personal aspect of fasting, but there is also another, no less important – the church aspect. Through fasting, a person becomes involved in the rhythms of temple worship and becomes able to actually experience the events of biblical history through sacred symbols and images.
The Church is a spiritual living organism, and, like any organism, it cannot exist outside of certain rhythms.
Fasting precedes great Christian holidays. Fasting is one of the conditions for repentance. Without repentance and purification, it is impossible for a person to experience the joy of the holiday. More precisely, he can experience aesthetic satisfaction, increased strength, exaltation, etc. But this is only a surrogate for spirituality. True, renewing joy, like the action of grace in the heart, will remain inaccessible to him.
A number of posts are dedicated to sorrowful events in biblical history: on Wednesday, Christ was betrayed by His disciple, Judas; on Friday suffered Crucifixion and death. Anyone who does not fast on Wednesday and Friday and says that he loves God is deceiving himself. True love will not satiate his belly at the tomb of his beloved. Those who fast on Wednesday and Friday receive as a gift the ability to more deeply empathize with the Passion of Christ.”
Saint Leo the Great:
“After the long holiday of Pentecost, fasting is especially necessary in order to purify our thoughts through it and become worthy of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This celebration, which the Holy Spirit sanctified with His descent, is usually followed by a nationwide fast, beneficially established for the healing of soul and body, and therefore requiring that we accompany it with due goodwill. For we have no doubt that after the apostles were filled with the power promised from above and the Spirit of truth dwelt in their hearts, among other secrets of heavenly teaching, at the inspiration of the Comforter, the teaching of spiritual abstinence was also taught, so that hearts, cleansed by fasting, would become more capable of acceptance of grace-filled gifts... one cannot fight the impending efforts of the persecutors and the furious threats of the wicked in a pampered body and fattened flesh, since what delights our outer man, destroys the inner, and on the contrary, the rational soul is purified the more the more the flesh is mortified.”
Rev. Isaac the Syrian:
The spirit does not submit [to the cross] unless the body first submits to it.
St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov):
The head of virtues is prayer; their basis is fasting.
The law of fasting, while outwardly a law for the belly, is in essence a law for the mind.
The mind, this king in man, if it wants to enter into the rights of its autocracy and preserve them, must first of all submit to the law of fasting. Only then will he be constantly cheerful and bright; only then can he rule over the desires of the heart and body; only with constant sobriety can he study the commandments of the Gospel and follow them. The basis of virtues is fasting.
He who does not observe moderation and proper discernment in food, cannot preserve either virginity or chastity, cannot curb anger, indulges in laziness, despondency and sadness, becomes a slave of vanity, the home of pride, which introduces into a person his carnal state, which is most luxurious and well-fed meals.
“Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be burdened with gluttony and drunkenness” (Luke 21:34), commanded the Lord. Overeating and drunkenness impart fatness not only to the body, but to the mind and heart, i.e. They bring a person’s soul and body into a carnal state.
The carnal man is completely immersed in sinful pleasures. He is voluptuous in body, heart, and mind; he is incapable not only of spiritual pleasure and the acceptance of Divine grace, but also of repentance. He is generally incapable of spiritual pursuits: he is nailed to the ground, drowned in materiality, alive - dead in soul.
Saint Theophan the Recluse. Letters on the Christian Life:
In order to endure Lent without harming your health, it is important to know when to stop and not forget about prayer.
Lent will last until Easter (this year the Orthodox and Greek Catholic churches celebrate the Day of the Resurrection of Christ on May 5).
To pass this test without risk to your health and with benefit to your soul, it is important to know a few rules.
Fasting is not a diet
Lent is the longest and most important of all fasts, and it can be difficult for many fasting people to endure it. It is important to remember that fasting is not a diet, and refusal of modest (animal) food is important, but far from its most important component. First of all, this is a time of prayer and repentance. Therefore, during fasting you need to give up entertainment and wild fun, as well as sex life.
But these days, not everyone, even very religious people, manages to strictly adhere to all the rules without exception. Indeed, during Lent, with the exception of a few days of relaxation, particularly religious Christians do not even use vegetable oil, and on some days any cooked (not raw) food is prohibited. Fish is allowed to be consumed only on the Feast of the Annunciation (April 7) and Palm Sunday (April 28).
If you are not yet capable of such feats, try to endure fasting at least in its first and last week - the strictest time of pre-Easter abstinence from worldly joys.
Who may not fast
Even the Church allows some categories of people not to fast or adhere to non-fasting strict fasting. These are, first of all, children and adolescents, who need a variety of substances, including animal proteins, for the normal development of the body. The same applies to pregnant women and nursing mothers.
Patients with chronic diseases should also fast “without fanaticism.” If everything seems to be in order with your health, but during fasting you have problems with your well-being, consult a priest about whether you should continue to limit yourself in nutrition.
For some diseases from fasting medical indications you will have to refuse altogether, especially for diseases of the digestive tract.
People who are on the road, have no control over their diet (for example, prisoners), or do very physically demanding work may also not fast.
Remember to have a sense of proportion
However, the relaxations concern mainly the physical, but not the spiritual component of fasting. Although moderation is important in everything. And if, for example, due to work you are forced to be in a room where a cheerful party is thundering, you don’t need to punish yourself too much (but, of course, you shouldn’t get involved in the general fun).
Those who refuse animal food should not forget about a sense of proportion, while forgetting about food restrictions in general. Of course, you can also make a lot of lean products delicious dishes, but if you overeat exclusively with “allowed” food, this can hardly be considered fasting.
However, those who fast with prayer do not allow themselves excesses.
Limit yourself to at least something
The position “I am a vegetarian and I fast throughout life, so nothing changes for me these days,” from the point of view of a Christian believer is also wrong. After all, the main thing these days is to learn to resist temptations. Do you not consume animal products at all? So, try to limit yourself to something else: your favorite sweet soda, watching your favorite television series. By the way, it is better not to turn on the TV at all during Lent.
Rejoice!
Fasting is a time of abstinence and reflection on the eternal, but in no case despondency. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself by giving up your usual glass of beer or a sausage sandwich, be glad that at this moment you are becoming a little cleaner.
However, it is important not to overdo it and not fall into pride - they say, “what a great fellow I am”, refused a sandwich or defended the service in church - and become closer to God. Such thoughts are sinful, the clergy emphasize.
Products that will help you withstand fasting
If you have firmly decided to adhere to bodily fasting and there are no medical contraindications for this, the following products will help your body survive almost seven weeks without animal proteins and other substances contained in “fast” foods:
- beans, soybeans and other legumes - rich in vegetable protein
- nuts, pumpkin, rose hips, bell pepper, lingonberries, cranberries, celery, parsley, cilantro, dill - a source of iron and trace elements
- poppy seeds, hazelnuts, white cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, freshly squeezed orange juice - a source of calcium
- seaweed - will replenish iodine deficiency in the absence of fish and other seafood in the diet
- flaxseed oil, flax seeds - a source of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids
- raisins, dried apricots, prunes and other dried fruits - rich in vitamins (A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6) and mineral elements (iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium)
In our country, every year everything more people join this culture, refusing usual diet at least once a year - during Lent. In this regard, one of the most popular questions in the press and online communities is how to live for seven weeks without meat and whether plant foods can satisfy all the body’s needs for vitamins and microelements?
Nutritionists of all directions agree that regularly avoiding foods of animal origin (meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products) and thereby increasing plant foods in the daily diet is very beneficial for health. Firstly, it has a positive effect on cholesterol levels, helping to reduce it. After all, all bad cholesterol enters our body through animal products.
Secondly, a large number of fiber contained in cereals, fresh vegetables and fruits stimulates the elimination of toxins and improves the health of the intestinal microflora, which, in turn, has a beneficial effect on the functioning of everything gastrointestinal tract. Thirdly, in vegetarian food There are a lot of vitamins and minerals, and it is an order of magnitude lower in calories and contains virtually no fat, which has a beneficial effect on both health and figure. So healthy person A temporary refusal of animal food will not only not harm, but, on the contrary, will be beneficial. As for the question of whether it is possible to live seven weeks without meat, the answer is given by vegetarians: hundreds of millions of people on our planet have given up animal products and feel good about it.
How to fast correctly?
In canon Orthodox Church Lent is very strict, but these rules must be observed only within the walls of the monastery. For the laity, various concessions are allowed, taking into account life circumstances and health status. Thus, children under 7 years of age, pregnant women and the sick are exempt from the need to fast. People engaged in intense physical or mental labor may not comply with the conditions of Lent. As for travelers, they should abstain from food of animal origin whenever possible. After all, it is not always possible to find appropriate food on the road. In general, fasting first of all involves the renunciation of negative thoughts and actions and, secondly, food restrictions. Many priests say that it is better to eat meat than to “eat people.” If refusing a cutlet during Lent causes a person to become angry and irritable, which he takes out on colleagues and loved ones, then the benefits of such abstinence will be very doubtful.
If, in spite of everything, you decide to fast, you should adhere to the following rules:
- Make sure your daily calorie intake remains at your usual level. For an adult, it is about 1600–2000 kcal.
- Think through your daily menu in such a way that it contains a sufficient amount of protein, albeit plant-based: the body requires about 80 grams of protein per day. Therefore, protein-rich cereals, nuts, beans, peas, lentils, mushrooms and soy products are a must every day.
- Don't forget to have enough liquid. It is better if it is freshly squeezed juices, non-carbonated mineral water, green tea. Drink at least 1.5–2 liters per day.
- Don't get carried away with pickles. Although they greatly brighten up the Lenten diet, they increase blood pressure and can aggravate various gastrointestinal diseases.
- If you cannot boast of perfect health, you should not comply with the conditions of Lent thoroughly. For example, on some days there is only one meal per day. This is contraindicated for a number of chronic diseases. It's best to continue eating small meals 4-5 times a day. In this case, by the way, it is easier to fight the feeling of hunger.
- Don't suddenly start fasting. From the point of view of nutritionists and doctors, such a transition is extremely undesirable and harmful to health. It's not for nothing that Orthodox tradition Lent is preceded by Shrovetide Week, when you can no longer eat meat and poultry, but for now you can eat eggs and dairy products.
Please note, by the way, that if you are not used to it, a large amount of fresh vegetables and fruits can cause heartburn, bloating and intestinal upset. To prevent this from happening, at the beginning of Lent, give preference to boiled, stewed and steamed vegetables.
How to make up for the lack of calories and vitamins?
IN plant foods There are an order of magnitude less calories than in meat and fish. How can this deficiency be compensated for during Lent?
Every day, your diet must include dishes from cereals and legumes: porridge, soups, chowders, pilafs or pilafs. Pasta with various vegetable and mushroom lean sauces will also help replenish your energy. Also pay attention to Lenten baked goods. It is no less caloric than regular one. If during fasting you expect to lose excess weight, then from flour products It's better to abstain.
There is a certain dietary meaning in the fact that Lent falls precisely in the spring. Over many months of storage, fruits and vegetables have partially lost their vitamin value, therefore, in order to provide a person with the portion of vitamins he needs, more of them are required. This is achieved by avoiding food of animal origin and increasing the diet of plant foods. Today, when there are many seasonal vegetables and fruits from overseas countries on store shelves, fasting is much easier. However, in any case, you should prepare food in such a way as to preserve the maximum of nutrients in it.
Vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene it is found in vegetables and fruits, mainly red and orange in color. It is best absorbed after heat treatment, which is not typical for other vitamins. Therefore, carrots, which are considered the leader in the concentration of beta-carotene, should be lightly stewed under a lid with the addition of a small amount of vegetable oil, which significantly improves the absorption of vitamin A.
Vitamin C does not tolerate storage, heat treatment and is easily oxidized in air, but is preserved with quick and single freezing. During Lent, frozen vegetable and fruit mixtures can become its source. When choosing a product in a store, shake the package - if its contents are frozen into one lump, it means that defrosting occurred during transportation and the vitamins are unlikely to be preserved. When cooking raw vegetables, be sure to cover them with a lid, pour in a minimum of water, and remove them from the broth half-raw. Do not throw away the water in which they were boiled, because a lot of useful substances pass into it; it is better to use it to prepare sauces and gravies, add to soups and main courses. By the way, sauerkraut with cranberries or lingonberries - an excellent source of vitamin C during Lent.
Vitamin E found mainly in vegetable, and unrefined, oil. The main enemies of vitamin E are light and air, so you need to store the oil in dark place in a tightly closed container. And use it not for frying, but for dressing salads, because temperature is also harmful to this vitamin. During Lent, you should not limit yourself to the usual olive or sunflower oil. Try preparing salads with sesame, hemp, flaxseed, and pumpkin oils.
Vitamin D is part of animal products: milk, eggs, fish. During Lent, all of them are prohibited. However, vitamin D is also found in plant foods – in whole grain products. And don’t forget to expose your face to the spring sun, because it activates the production of this vitamin in the body.
Not everyone knows the rules of Lent now. This is one of the strictest Orthodox posts. For him it becomes a tuning fork Forgiveness Sunday, when it is customary to ask loved ones for forgiveness for grievances inflicted over the year. Thus, having removed the burden from the soul, believers begin a seven-week journey. This is how long Lent traditionally lasts. Those Orthodox Christians who have been fasting for several years have known all the rules for a long time. Our instructions today are for “beginners” who are embarking on this path for the first time. What and when can you eat? What should you not eat during Lent? What to watch and read these days? “Dialogue” sorts out all the rules of Lent.
Let's start with the fact that Lent, as already mentioned, lasts seven weeks or weeks - their name is in the church way. But the date of its beginning and end (and therefore the Light Easter) is changing. In 2017, Lent will last from February 27 to April 15.
What can you eat during Lent?
Perhaps the most popular question among “newbies”, competing only with the question “what can’t be eaten during Lent?” The main rule of Lent, broadly speaking, is that during Lent you cannot eat food of animal origin: meat, poultry, eggs, dairy products, fish. There are days with stricter regulations, and others with relatively mild ones. There are four types of regulations, differing in degree of severity:
- “Dry eating” - these days you can only eat “dry” food: bread and nuts, as well as fresh, dried or pickled vegetables and fruits. You cannot add oil to food, cook or fry food;
- “Boiling without oil” - the same as with dry eating is permissible, in addition, you can boil or stew food, but without oil;
- “Permission for wine and oil” is given to strengthen the strength of those fasting: on some days (all Saturdays and Sundays, except the last Saturday before Easter) you can consume vegetable oil and wine, but in moderation;
- “Permission to fish” is given twice during Lent: on the Feast of the Annunciation (April 7) and on Palm Sunday (The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem). In addition, on Lazarus Saturday (the day before Palm Sunday) you are allowed to eat fish eggs.
On Orthodox websites you can easily find nutritional calendars created for fasting people. For convenience, the one you like the most (for example, this one) can be printed out and used as a hint for all the days of Lent. True, it should be remembered that this calendar was created for monks, and not for lay people. There is no special calendar for the laity, and the severity of fasting for each believer is determined by his confessor. In this case, the nutrition calendar is needed so that the laity understand the severity of a particular day of fasting, and also know what they cannot eat during Lent.
An Orthodox priest, rector of the Church of the Ascension of the Lord in the city of Kineshma, Roman Posypkin, who became our “spiritual expert” in the preparation of this material, recommends starting to fast small - not eating meat and dairy foods, as well as eggs on Wednesdays and Fridays. These days, by the way, are considered fast on all other days of the year, regardless of whether there is a church fast or not.
Is it possible to eat Lenten dishes in cafes and restaurants during Lent?
This issue causes fierce debate among the laity. So, some do not see anything contrary to the rules in this, others, on the contrary, believe that lean food should bring satiety, but not pleasure
“The modern rhythm of life is such that some townspeople simply have no choice,” explains Father Roman. “Either you eat in a cafe, or you remain hungry all day.” Nowadays there are many recipes for lean and at the same time delicious dishes. A simple person cannot eat without pleasure. The priest Afanasy (Sakharov) said: “Eat tasty, but lean food.” But if you go to a cafe deliberately in order to fill yourself up with dishes more fancy than non-Lenten food, then you should think: is this fasting?
What else, besides food, should you limit yourself to?
The rules of Lent are based on a more complex basis, on the answer to a more complex question: “Why is Lent needed?” To answer, let's go back to the origins. Great Lent “grew” out of the fast observed by the first Christians who wanted to be baptized on the Bright Feast of the Resurrection of Christ, that is, on Easter. By restricting themselves in food and practicing spiritual discipline, they prepared themselves to meet this day with dignity. It is also a tribute to the forty-day fast of Jesus Christ in the desert and his sacrifice in the name of people. And, of course, the meaning of Lent is much broader and deeper than simply following a diet.
“The essence of fasting is not to give up certain types of food or entertainment,” explains Roman Posypkin, “but to give up that which completely absorbs us and removes us from God.” Fasting is a time of serving God through prayer and repentance.
This means that a person who observes fasting must try to give up his bad habits, be kind and compassionate to people, and take care of his small church - his family. It is also important to remember that during Lent it is obligatory to visit church, go to services, confess and receive communion.
Prayer during Lent is the first thing that should be on the lips of believers during these seven weeks. You can also read some secular literature - for example, the works of Russian classics. On the website of the Orthodox magazine “Thomas” there is a selection of soul-saving literature that is useful to read during fasting days.
Is it possible to watch TV during Lent?
Another rule of Lent: it is, of course, better to give up watching TV during Lent, and if that doesn’t work out, then at least reduce the time you spend in front of it. This is especially important if you know that you have such a habit. But if you succumb to temptation and turn on the treasured button, it is advisable to watch programs that carry at least some semantic meaning and have a beneficial effect on you. Great sin it won’t be if, for example, you look at it on YouTube sermon Archpriest Vladimir Golovin or a program on the “Culture” channel, but you still shouldn’t run to the TV, worrying about the fate of the participants in a fashionable reality show.
Personal experience
Viktor Andronov, honorary donor of the Russian Book of Records, director social movement"The energy of life":
— I have been fasting for more than ten years. And at first, of course, a lot of things raised questions. For example, a wine permit. But over time, understanding came. Here we can draw a parallel with sailors who also drank alcohol. This was vital for them so as not to get a mental disorder due to being in confined space. During Lent, the monks prayed more and spent almost all their time in their cells, and they also needed wine.
photo: Ilya Snopchenko / Dialog news agency The main misconception is that people think that food restrictions are the main thing that needs to be observed during fasting. But that's not true. The most important thing is spiritual food. You can eat meat, but do good deeds - and be closer to the very essence of Lent than someone who starves, but does not change anything in his spiritual life. In my opinion, one should not suffer from fasting. The closer to Easter, the greater lightness should appear in the soul. If you are going to fast for the first time, then you should definitely go to the priest - he will tell you what is better to give up, maybe it will be just one thing. My confessor makes concessions to me, since I am a donor and must take care of my health and think about another person. And in order not to go astray and go through all seven weeks of fasting, strength must be sought in prayer.
Lenten recipes collected by Dialogue correspondents can be seen.
Prepared by Alexandra Zaspa / News Agency “Dailog”
Helped the “Dialogue” correspondent understand church canons Orthodox priest, rector of the Church of the Ascension of the Lord in the city of Kineshma Roman Posypkin.
Loading...
