Patriarch Daniel: By fasting, man brings his offering of love to God

Patriarch Daniel homily

On the Sunday of Cheesefare, Patriarch Daniel urged the faithful to bring the effort of fasting as an offering of our love to God.

During his homily delivered Feb. 26, the Patriarch explained why fasting is necessary and how should the faithful perform the fasting sacrifice as a spiritual ascent towards Resurrection.

His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel assisted the Divine Liturgy celebrated on the Sunday of the Expulsion of Adam from Paradise at St Gregory the Enlightener Chapel at his Patriarchal Residence.

Although the Gospel reading on the Sunday of the Expulsion of Adam from Paradise has simple and few words, it has deep meanings, the Patriarch said opening his homily in which he focused on the mystical greatness of fasting.

Forgiveness is the first deed we ought to perform in order to fast properly. Patriarch Daniel said that no one can enter the fasting period without forgiveness because man’s relation with God depends on the relation with our fellow human beings.

Forgiving our neighbour for doing us wrong often implies to crucify our own selfishness and to open our soul for resurrection, for a new state of communication and communion with God and our fellow people, the Patriarch said.

Only by loving God can we be determined to fast, Patriarch Daniel noted.

We fast for we love God more than His material gifts that we consume. Human life in the flesh is maintained through His gifts: air, water, light and the fruits of the earth. The life of the soul is nurtured with the love of God, which one feels in prayer and in partaking of the Holy Mysteries of the Church, the Patriarch said.

Prayer is part of the ascent to Resurrection achieved through fasting. The Romanian Patriarch recalled that he who fasts but does not pray does not gather spiritual light in his soul, thus conducting a mere biological and psychological exercise, from hygienic or aesthetic reasons.

His Beatitude quoted St John Chrysostom saying that all members of our body should fast by abstaining from sinful glances, words, gestures or deeds.

The Patriarch of Romania went on to reflect on humbleness as a defining condition of the one who is fasting.

Fasting is a spiritual labour well pleasing to God when it is performed out of love for God. That is why we should not fast in order to be praised or admired by people for the strictness or the length of the fasting period we observe.

The Patriarch ended his homily by urging the faithful to participate mystically in the Christ’s fasting in the wilderness, because no one can fight evil spirits and the darkened, selfish passions without first acquiring through fasting and prayer the light of the divine grace.

Photo credit: Lumina Newspaper

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