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St. John Chrysostom on Fasting

The value of fasting consists not in abstinence only from good, but in a relinquishment of sinful practices, since he who limits his fasting only to an abstinence of meat is he who especially disparages it. Do you fast? Give me proof of it by your works. If you see a poor man, take pity […]

The value of fasting consists not in abstinence only from good, but in a relinquishment of sinful practices, since he who limits his fasting only to an abstinence of meat is he who especially disparages it. Do you fast? Give me proof of it by your works. If you see a poor man, take pity on him! If you a friend enjoying honor, do not envy him. For let not the mouth only fast, but also the eye, and the ear, and the feet, and the hands, and all the members of our bodies. Let the hands fast by being pure from avarice. Let the feet fast by ceasing from running to forbidden spectacles. Let the eyes fast by being taught never to fix themselves rudely upon handsome countenances. For looking is the food of the eyes, but if it be unlawful or forbidden it mars the fast and overturns the safety of the soul; but if it be lawful and safe, it adorns fasting. For it would be an instance of the highest absurdity to abstain from meats and from unlawful food because of the fast, but with the eyes to feed on what is forbidden. Do you not eat flesh? Do you not feed on licentiousness by means of the eyes. Let the ear fast also. The fasting of the ear is not to receive evil speaking and calumnies. ‘You shall not receive an idle report,’ it says. Let also the mouth fast from foul words. For what does it profit if we abstain from birds and fish, and yet bite and devour our brethren? ~St. John Chrysostom, Lenten Homily (taken from The Bible and the Holy Fathers for Orthodox, Friday of Cheesefare Week)

With this in mind, Eunomia will be slowing down quite a lot over the next several weeks. If there is something edifying or worthwhile to post, such as a quote like the one from St. John given above, I will put it up, but to try to take Lent seriously and not serve as a stumbling-block to others the blog, which is of dubious spiritual value at any time, will not be hosting the usual mix of politics, policy and polemics.

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