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Fasting and Repentance_by H.H.P.shenouda
[center]Fasting and Repentance[/center]
[[center]H.H. POPE SHENOUDA III [/center]
Those who fast and receive no benefit from it must have fasted in a wrong way; in this case, what is to blame is not fasting itself, but the method followed.
Fasting is a period of concentrated spiritual activity, a period of loving God and adhering to Him. As a result of this love, one who fasts is lifted above the level of the body and its concerns. He soars above worldly matters, to get a taste of the heavenly. It is a period of sacred feelings towards God, and ultimately, it harbours the feeling that one is close to, and familiar with, Him. It is a period of being spiritually content with the self and with God, and of standing against the Devil.
Days of fasting are specifically for spiritual energy, and are a period of storage.
From the depths of spirituality acquired, through fasting, one who fasts receives spiritual energy which supports him during his non-fasting days. Thus, he who is honest in his spiritual activity during Lent, for instance, receives a spiritual stock that strengthens him throughout the following fifty sacred days, during which there is neither fasting nor metanoias.
If one wants to fast in a spiritual fashion, one must bear in mind the following remarks:
1. Fasting must be spiritual in its target and motives.
It should not be performed as an obligation, for praise, or out of custom. In fasting, one must place the love of God above materialistic and bodily things, in order to allow the soul its chance.
2. Fasting should be a period of penitence and purity of heart.
In fasting, the person must lead a holy life, acceptable in the sight of God, in which he confesses his sins and repents, then partakes of the holy sacraments.
3. Fasting should be a period of spiritual nourishment, and it should follow a strong spiritual schedule.
[glow=red,2,300]more[/glow]
http://www.youthbishopric.com/HomePage.asp?Lang=en
[[center]H.H. POPE SHENOUDA III [/center]
Those who fast and receive no benefit from it must have fasted in a wrong way; in this case, what is to blame is not fasting itself, but the method followed.
Fasting is a period of concentrated spiritual activity, a period of loving God and adhering to Him. As a result of this love, one who fasts is lifted above the level of the body and its concerns. He soars above worldly matters, to get a taste of the heavenly. It is a period of sacred feelings towards God, and ultimately, it harbours the feeling that one is close to, and familiar with, Him. It is a period of being spiritually content with the self and with God, and of standing against the Devil.
Days of fasting are specifically for spiritual energy, and are a period of storage.
From the depths of spirituality acquired, through fasting, one who fasts receives spiritual energy which supports him during his non-fasting days. Thus, he who is honest in his spiritual activity during Lent, for instance, receives a spiritual stock that strengthens him throughout the following fifty sacred days, during which there is neither fasting nor metanoias.
If one wants to fast in a spiritual fashion, one must bear in mind the following remarks:
1. Fasting must be spiritual in its target and motives.
It should not be performed as an obligation, for praise, or out of custom. In fasting, one must place the love of God above materialistic and bodily things, in order to allow the soul its chance.
2. Fasting should be a period of penitence and purity of heart.
In fasting, the person must lead a holy life, acceptable in the sight of God, in which he confesses his sins and repents, then partakes of the holy sacraments.
3. Fasting should be a period of spiritual nourishment, and it should follow a strong spiritual schedule.
[glow=red,2,300]more[/glow]
http://www.youthbishopric.com/HomePage.asp?Lang=en
Comments
Does this mean I do not have to keep the fast if I do not think it would be very spiritual or something for me and if I think there is other ways I can come closer to God? because I am skinny.. I think maybe its not very hard for me to control myself from eating non-fasting food.. maybe as a result of a medical condition (like clinical depression maybe) I have.. and not because im raised above the body ? or something