Fasting & Forgiveness

Before we fast, we forgive. Today, we celebrate Forgiveness Sunday. Tomorrow, we begin to fast. Jesus first commands us to forgive one another (just after teaching us the Lord’s prayer) and then he teaches us how to fast (Matt 6:15-18).

This is the right order of events, because if we do not forgive one another, our fasting will be worthless. I repeat, if there is someone you will not forgive, you will not be forgiven. Now is the time for us to purge ourselves of all resentments and unforgiveness.

The Great Fast is a time of freedom from bondage. It is a time to let go of our enslaving passions – to forgive even those who don't deserve it – rather than carrying the weight of all that hatred or resentment toward them. Let’s just take that weight – that burden – and drop it – and let it go – and we’ll feel a thousand pounds lighter. Maybe fasting for 40 days will make me feel a thousand pounds lighter in body as well as soul.

The Great Fast should free us from our extra useless weight: the weight of our addiction to various sins, to overeating, to drinking too much, to being lazy about prayer, to all manner of sins of the flesh, but, above all, to being unloving and unforgiving to others – to our enemies, our family, and our friends.

Living in freedom from all of this, paradoxically gives the Fast an almost festive feeling. Jesus says today that, when we fast (not if we fast, but when we fast), we should anoint our head and wash our face. In the Byzantine tradition, we are anointed on our heads on feast days. It is a festive thing for us to do. Yet, last night we celebrated Litija at Vespers, which means we were all anointed.

And there's Litija again next Saturday evening. All this anointing during the Fast! Because there is a paradoxically festive element to this season. We call this in the Triodion bright fasting.

We will sing tonight at Vespers, “Let us begin the time of this bright Fast, giving ourselves over to spiritual struggle. …. Let us not only fast from food; let us also abstain from every passion and cultivate spiritual virtues. And let us faithfully persevere in this, so that we may be worthy to see the holy Passion of Christ our God and the joy of his holy Resurrection.”

We rejoice that we are being freed. And the path to that freedom in Christ is confessing our sins to one another and forgiving one another in his name. Forgive me, the sinner.