Abba Dorotheus
God commanded the sons of Israel to offer a tenth of the year's harvest for the poor. Everyone who did this was blessed by God.
The holy apostles knew this well, and so, for the purification of our soul and the remission of our sins, they appointed a tenth of the days of the year for us as a fast: they divided the year into ten parts, and dividing the 365 days by ten gave 7 weeks. The holy fathers added one more week to the fast of repentance. It befits us all to honour the holy fast in remembrance of how our Lord Jesus Christ fasted 40 days in the wilderness. Let us all set about the labour of fasting.
At first the apostles appointed 7 weeks of fasting. Seven weeks without the Saturdays and Sundays make 35 days; to these was added the fast of Holy Saturday and of the night of Pascha, as half a day. So in all it came to 36½ days, that is, exactly a tenth of 365 days.
Blessed is he who keeps this fast; for if anyone has sinned during the whole year through weakness or negligence, by this holy fast he can purify himself through repentance. Through fasting his soul will be renewed; he will become “a new man” and, purified, will go out to meet the radiant feast of the Resurrection, having partaken of the incorruptible Blood and Body of the Saviour. The one who has fasted, filled with spiritual joy, will keep the fifty days of Pentecost from Pascha onward. Pentecost is “the rest and resurrection of the soul”; that is exactly why no one kneels during these days.
Whoever wishes to purify his soul by fasting must first of all restrain himself from immoderate eating and drinking, for, as the holy fathers say, “gluttony is the beginning of every evil.” Let us not be anxious to feed on tasty and varied dishes. There are two kinds of gluttony: the first is fondness for delicacies, when a person does not want to eat much but what matters to him is getting tasty food, and if he is offered a dish that is not tasty he will not swallow a mouthful but spits it out again. Such a person is a lover of delicacies. The second kind of gluttony is when it is all the same to a person what he eats, so long as his stomach is filled.
We must restrain ourselves from both kinds of gluttony. If anyone wishes to be cleansed of sins, he must first of all get away from these two sins.
Just as union with one's wife and fornication are, as acts, seemingly one and the same, yet differ in intention, so too eating is, as an act, one; but eating to strengthen oneself is one thing, and eating out of gluttony is another.
Take food in moderation like this: eat a little. If it was not enough, add a little more, and so on until you are satisfied. Learn the measure; eat like this with prayer, and say in your heart: “I am not worthy even to eat this!” Do not imitate those who take excess food for the comfort of the flesh.
In the monastery of Father Seridos I saw great ascetic elders. I was present at the elders' meal. One of the elders was sitting with his disciple. The disciple said to me: “You know, brother, these elders you see take only a very little food for the comfort of the flesh. They are like men who have filled their treasuries and saved up another thousand pieces of money for the time of old age and weakness. So too are the elders. From their youth they gathered spiritual treasure, and now they are spending it in the time of old age and weakness. But we have not yet acquired anything — so where are we to spend from?”
Therefore, first of all, we must fast with the belly. After that let us fast with the tongue: let us keep ourselves from slander, lies, abuse, anger and every sin that comes from the tongue. Let us fast with the eyes: let us not look at anyone boldly and shamelessly. Let us fast with hands and feet, so as not to keep the fast of repentance carelessly.
St Basil the Great says: “By a fast pleasing to God let us draw near to the radiant feast of the Resurrection; renewed and purified, let us be made worthy of Holy Communion.”
With palms let us go out to meet our Lord Jesus Christ, seated on an ass, entering the holy city. The word of the prophet was fulfilled: the Saviour mounted an ass, so that our nature, which had become like the beasts, might be turned back and deified by the Word of God.
What does it mean to meet the Lord with palm and olive branches? In former times, when a king who had been victorious in battle entered a city, he was met with palm branches. And if someone was being harmed in some way by his enemy, he would go with an olive branch to one who could protect him. The olive branch signifies mercy.
So let us too go out to meet our Lord Jesus Christ with palm and olive branches: with palms as the Conqueror, Who has overcome the enemy of the human race, and with olive branches as the Lord from Whom we await mercy. It befits us too to overcome the enemy through the Lord, by His help and grace, so that we too may openly bear His victory, through the prayers of all the saints and the help of God, to Whom is due all glory, honour and worship unto the ages of ages. Amen.
