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Spiritual Exercises During Fasting |
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SPIRITUAL EXERCISES DURING FASTING
By H.H. Pope Shenouda III
THESE DRILLS MAY INCLUDE RESISTING some weak facets in the life of a fasting person, certain virtues that such a person lacks, or spiritual longings pervading his heart. A person who fasts must feel that he/she has before them certain TARGETS to attain from fasting.
1. Drills pertaining to fasting: Some of the drills pertain to self-control:
They may include the person who fasts stopping himself from eating kinds of food that he covets, to reduce the quantity of food, or to abstain from certain items of delicious food. Self-control drills may include the period of abstinence, its limitation, during such a period. Some people resort to a system of gradation even within one fast. For example, Lent covers eight weeks during which one who fasts may gradually advance as to the degree of his asceticism and abstention from food.
Self-control also includes pre-fast days. Eating on these days should not be gluttonous and uncontrolled. Drills and exercises may be for the virtues accompanying fasting:
In this way they include the spiritual aspects of fasting such as self-control in general outside the scope of eating, general control of body, abstention from bodily lusts and all sensuous luxuries sitting-up-late, and staying away from luxuries.
2. Drills pertaining to repentance:
Since fasting is a period of repentance, the repentance drills are numerous such as:
a) Concentration on a point of weakness or a favorite sin:Everyone knows well which sin is always repeated in his life and confessions. Let one then take such sins as a field of training to overcome them.
b) One who fasts may train himself to quit a certain habit:An example of this is a smoker who trains himself while fasting to quit smoking. Likewise is the one who is addicted to drinking and can’t get rid of this dominating habit, and the one who is addicted to wasting much time watching television which affects his responsibilities.
c) Fasting may be a period of drilling in quitting a sin like anger or judging others.This is one of the well-known sins into which many people slip. Drills may deal with a number of verbal sins that man has become accustomed to. In fasting, he may train himself in their elimination one by one.
d) Remembering certain verses dealing with sinfulness: For instance, if he/she slips into the sin of nervousness, he reminds himself of the Bible verse “For the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:20). He should repeat this verse often every day especially in situations where anger attacks him. He should rebuke himself saying: What would I benefit by fasting if during it I got angry and did not do God’s will? If he/she slips into any of the verbal sins, he puts the following words of the Bible before his eyes: “Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the Day of Judgment (Matt.12: 36). He then says to himself in reproach: what would benefit me if I fasted, but didn’t control my tongue and said to my brother, “You fool” and thus deserved “hell- fire?”(Matt.5:22).
e) Whenever you feel hungry and covet food, rebuke yourself:Say to yourself: when you give up this sin, I shall allow you to eat, for the Bible says, “If any would not work, neither should he eat” (2 Thess: 3:10).
f) Take your point of weakness and make it the target of your prayers during fasting:Fully concentrate on it from the point of view of aspiration, accuracy and resistance. Pour out yourself before God and ask Him: “Save me, O Lord, from this sin, I admit that I am weak in this particular case and will not conquer it without your help. Have mercy, O lord, on my weakness and helplessness.
g) Collect Bible verses that deal with this sin. Place them before you to read them continuously.
3. Seclusion and silence drills:
The Bible states: “Sanctify you a fast, call a solemn assembly” (Joel 1:14). What is meant by seclusion is being in seclusion with God, not with the radio, or TV, or arguments at home. The spiritual seclusion needed is in your closed bedroom with God alone. Seclude yourself with the Bible, with the history of the saints and prayers. If you have a spiritual schedule you will love seclusion. Use the drill of some” closed days”... If you cannot close your doors during a fast, then at least close your mouth against sinful talk. As one of the fathers said: “He who talks much is empty inside”. Which means that he is void of spiritual grace inside his/her heart.
4. Resisting lost time drill:
Someone’s main problem may be wasting time. To him, time is a trivial thing. He wastes this time without benefiting of it. This is a primary sin. As a result of wasting his time, he neither prays, reads, nor have any spiritual thoughts. Consequently, Spiritual laxity, and perhaps slipping into sin may ensure. Save the time lost in talking with people, in meetings and visitation in useless discussions, in reading newspapers and commenting on the news. This drill helps us in another one, which is: Fasting of the tongue. St. Isaac the Syrian said, “a tongue’s fast is better than the fast of the mouth”. So, train yourself to keep silent as long as you could. If you are unable to do so, then use the following three exercises:
a) Do not initiate a conversation except when necessary.
b) Give short answers.
c) Occupy your mind with some spiritual acts that help you to keep silent.
5. Penitence & self-abasement drills:
Train your self in them until pulling yourself down to the level of the dust and ashes. Use penitent words in your prayers like psalm 6, “O Lord do not rebuke me in Your anger, nor chasten me in Your displeasure”. If you feel hungry or sit down to eat, say to yourself, “I do not deserve this food because of my sins. Fasting days offer a good opportunity for confession and self-reproach.
6. Memorization drills:
You may also take the period of fasting to memorize verses, psalms, chapters from the Bible and hymns.
a) Memorize for instance the Sermon on the Mount, which includes 111 verses. If you memorize 3 verses a day, you will finish them in 37 days.
b) Memorize the 36 passages of the Agpeya.
c) Memorize the thanksgiving prayer, psalm 50, the Trisagion (Holy God, Holy mighty, Holy immortal), the hours absolutions, which include 8 of them, and the conclusion of every prayer…
d) Memorizeselected Bible verses, preferably with their references.If you memorize 3 verses every day, then you will memorize 150 verses every year during Lent alone.
e) Memorize golden chapters like 1 Corinthians 13, which is devoted to love: Romans 12:1; Thess. 5; Eph. 6:10-18; Phil.3: 7-14, etc. You may also memorize Biblical verses in an alphabetical order, or verses about the seven sacraments or about certain virtues or dogmas.
7. Prayer drills:
a) Prayer drills on the road:While on your way, let your heart be occupied with God through a Psalm or short prayers.
b) Train yourself to pray while among the people: Whether you are in a meeting, or in the midst of people anywhere, lift up your heart to God with a secret prayer. In this way you keep silent while your heart is busy with the Holy Spirit.
c) Drill in praying while working:Manual work helps a lot in getting one involved in prayer. Even if your work is totally mental, Lift up your heart to God from time to time with a short prayer.
d) Drill in continuing to pray:Train yourself that whenever you find that prayer is about to come to an end you prolong it for some time.
e) Drill in the spirituality of prayer:These drills include prayers performed with understanding, depth, warmth, humility and without distraction.
f) Drill in praying for the sake of praying:Saint Issac was asked,” How do we learn to pray?” He answered, “By praying”.
g) Drill in praying for others:Let not your prayer be for yourself alone, But train yourself to pray also for others, for any hardship, or sickness and for the departed. Pray for the church, the safety of the country, for those who do not know God with metanyas (bowing down).
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