THE HOLY ORTHODOX METROPOLIS OF BOSTON

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LENTEN ENCYCLICAL

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The man who during his whole life loves the conversation of this yoke-mate fasting is a friend of chastity. Just as the satisfaction of the belly is the source of all evils, so fasting, vigil, and wakefulness in God’s service . . . crucify the body throughout the day and night, and are God’s holy pathway and the foundation of every virtue. Fasting is the champion of every virtue, the beginning of the struggle, the crown of the abstinent, the beauty of virginity and sanctity, the resplendence of chastity, the commencement of the path of Christianity, the mother of prayer, the well-spring of sobriety and prudence, the teacher of stillness, and the precursor of all good works. Just as the enjoyment of light is coupled with healthy eyes, so desire for prayer accompanies fasting that is practised with discernment.

(St. Isaac of Syria, Homily Thirty-Seven)

Thus does one of the Church’s pre-eminent authorities on the spiritual life speak of the God-given discipline of holy fasting, my beloved Orthodox Christians.

This universal practice—taught to us by Our Saviour, the Saints of both the Old and New Testaments, and the countless millions of God’s holy men and women, and the unnumbered millions of Christians of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church down through the ages—this practice trains us and makes us true athletes of Christ.

Once when Saint Seraphim of Sarov was approached by a mother who sought the Saint’s counsel on choosing the best spouse for her daughter, the Saint advised her, "Make sure that your daughter’s future husband keeps the holy fasts." At this point, one might reasonably ask: "What does fasting have to do with finding a good husband or wife?" When a young woman is looking for a mate, her usual concerns are that he be a gentle person, a good provider for his family, handsome, etc. Likewise, when a young man is looking for a wife, he is looking for a woman that is a good companion, beautiful, intelligent, and so on. Indeed, one might say, what an odd piece of advice the hermit of Sarov gave the mother! What person takes such habits as fasting or prayer into consideration when looking for a spouse?

And yet, the married lives of our young people would be far happier here on earth, and their attainment of life everlasting in God’s Heavenly Kingdom would be far more certain, if they took Saint Seraphim’s words seriously to heart.

Why so? If a young person were to look for the virtue of fasting in their future spouse, they would find many treasures. They would, for example, find a person who is more conscious of the spiritual life, less selfish, more temperate and moderate, less prone to anger with others, more reproachful of self, more open to accepting spiritual correction, less arrogant, less stubborn, more patient. As Saint Isaac of Syria says, "No one has ever seen a discerning faster enslaved by evil desires" (Homily 37).

Imagine how much more blessed the lives of our Orthodox Christian couples would be if the words of Saint Seraphim were taken seriously! What a boon to themselves, what a blessed heritage to their children! What a benefit to society in general!

Again, as Saint Isaac of Syria teaches us:

Fasting with discernment is a spacious mansion for every good thing; but he who neglects fasting makes every good waver. For fasting was the commandment that was given to our nature in the beginning to protect it with respect to the tasting of food, and in this point the progenitor of our nature fell. There, however, where the first defeat was suffered, the ascetic strugglers make their beginning in the fear of God as they start to keep His laws.

(Homily 37)

With these sentiments, therefore, and with this spiritual understanding, my beloved, let us enter with gratitude and joy into the holy season of the Great Fast, with the words of Saint Theodore the Studite on our lips and in our hearts:

Come, O ye faithful, eagerly laying hold of the weapon of the fast as it were a shield, let us turn away every device of the enemy’s deception. Let us not be enticed by the pleasures of the passions, nor let us fear the fire of temptations; for thereby Christ, the Friend of man, shall crown us with the prizes of patience.

(Sticheron of Vespers, Monday of the First
Week of the Fast)

Great Lent 2001 Your fervent suppliant unto God,

Protocol Number 1920

X Ephraim, Metropolitan of Boston