Episode 150: Unable to fast?

In the name of the glorious Trinity, Father and Son and Holy

Spirit, forever Amen. Glory be to the everlasting

mercies which sent you to us, O Christ, the Light of the world

and the life of all. Give us wisdom by your law and

enlighten our impulses by Your knowledge.

Sanctify our souls by Your truth and grant that we may be

obedient to Your words and may fulfil Your commandments at

every hour. O You who enlightens the

rational with the knowledge of Your greatness, do enlight, O my

Lord, our thoughts, that we may meditate upon Your holy and

divine Scriptures at all times. O Lord of all, Father and Son

and Holy Spirit, forever. Amen.

The question is back during the fasting period or the lentil

period, what if I cannot fast due to medical reasons or

ailments The past three episodes.

This is the fourth episode we're discussing fasting because we

are during this period of offering how fast during the

great fast period. Last episode, we discussed and

ascertained the three ways that we can fast.

But then we also, you know, we, we came to a conclusion or we,

we discussed that, you know, you can offer a fast between you and

your Lord. However, we must be careful that

we cannot, we cannot mock God, we cannot fool God.

We cannot say something to mankind and fool mankind and say

the same thing to God and expect that God will not know God's.

God is omniscient. God is omnipresent.

God is omnipotent. The last episode was tips on

fasting. Today we'd like to discuss this

question and thank you for those who.

I think there was a few people who reached out to me through

text. It was 2 texts I believe and a

message on messenger. In any case, what if I cannot

fast during medical reasons for due to medical reasons or

ailments? Well, what I'm going to do in

this episode, I'm going to quote Saint John Chrysostom, a lot of

Saint John Chrysostom's homily. I will quote two different

homilies. I will quote it because he

replies it very beautifully, very divinely inspired.

So for those who cannot offer a fast genuinely now, let me give

you a disclaimer beforehand. There are people that I have met

in hospitals, young and old, who have have been admitted to

hospital and had to go treatment.

But their advice or their request was that during, for

example, outside of the lentil period during Wednesdays and

Fridays or on Wednesday or on a Friday, they will abstain from

eating meat. They fast on Wednesdays and

Fridays they're in hospital, they're sick.

And at times the physician or the hospital has recommended

that no, you need to, you gotta, you know, you need to have this

type of foods. But they replies no, no, no, on

a Wednesday and on Friday, my religious, this is my religious

responsibility and my religious right, my spiritual right, that

I will not eat meat on a Friday or a Wednesday.

Now during lentil period during fasting again, there has been

some elderly who have been in hospital for treatment and they

have requested that during their fast that they do will not

consume any non fasting food, no poultry, no dairy products.

OK, So, and this is not to not not playing on your you know,

this is not a guilt trip. No, no, it's not.

But I'm just as a as a disclaimer, just want to share

this with you that there are people that have been in some

dire situations, yet they have still offered their fast.

Now has God granted them the strength?

Possibly. Maybe some can't and some have.

So this is not to compare, but just as a disclaimer and maybe

as an encouragement, an encouraging point.

In any case, Saint John Chrysostom writes in reply to

the question, what if I am sick and I cannot offer a fast?

He writes this. No logical man will be able to

criticize you for that. Besides, we have a Lord who is

meek and loving, philanthropic, and who does not ask for

anything beyond our power. How beautiful is that?

Yes. Ring that.

You know, bells are ringing. Matthew.

Yes. Matthew 11.

What verses? Yeah. 28 to 30.

That's right. Come to me, all you who labor

and carry burdens, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and

meek in my heart, and you will find rest for your souls, for my

yoke is pleasant, and my burden is light.

Amen to that. Hebrews chapter 4, verse 15.

Hebrews 4:15

Saint Paul writes and this is one of my favorite verses in in

the Scriptures many verses but Hebrews 14 Hebrews chapter 14.

Sorry. Hebrews chapter 4 verse 15 for

Hebrews 4:15

we do not have a high priest who cannot suffer with our weakness.

Now some versions have translated it sympathize.

No, no, no, no. Suffer with our weaknesses

because we don't sympathize when we're when we're when we sin, we

suffer because of us blessed. Those who mourn mourn, suffer

because of our sins, right or over our sins.

We mourn over our sins. For we do not have a high priest

who cannot suffer with our weaknesses, but one who was

tempted in all things like we are apart from sin.

However, however, to burst your bubble, as you're probably

thinking, well, what last week's episode was about, it's totally

now contradicting. No, no, no, no, no, it's not

contradicting. Jesus still fasted, right?

Jesus didn't need to fast, He still fasted.

Jesus didn't need to pray. He still prayed.

He still showed charity right. The question is, what if I

cannot fast when I am ill? Genuinely, you cannot fool God.

You can fool the Church, you can fool your parish priest, you can

fool your diocese and Bishop, you can fool the Catholic or

Patriarch, but you cannot fool God.

You cannot put one over God. We fast.

We must fast. We should when we are able and

well enough to do. And yet again, going back to the

disclaimer, there have been people that have been ill and,

and, and not well physically and you know, medically, yet they

have still offered their fast. So John Chrysostom continues

with his homily as to why there cannot be any criticism of those

who are ill in a fasting. He writes this because he, that

is Jesus, did not require the abstinence from foods.

Jesus didn't say you need to abstain.

He said when you fast, that means we will fast, right?

When you fast, we will fast and we should fast.

Why? Because Jesus fasted, neither

does he require that the fast take place for the simple sake

of fasting to keep Dasha Gennard happy so that he, when he sees

me, he won't, you know, when he's, when he, when he's looking

at my pictures and you know, so that he can't see that I'm not

fasting. I'm going to put all those

pictures where I'm eating the falafels and the Pachen and what

have you. But the others I'm going to

block him from. No, no, no, that's not the

fasting that Jesus has has required of us when you fast.

He said this is not the don't do it just for the sake of fasting

saw melechina. You know, some say, are you

fasting? I saw mele like I have to do it

for the sake of doing it. No, no, you fast because you

want to do it because simply Jesus did it.

And why? Because of our sins.

Jesus fasted. Remember, he fasted 40 days and

40 nights to take on Satan. Did he need to like this was his

armor. This was his energy boost

because he fasted, he took on Satan and he hammered and

destroyed Satan. No, no, no, that's an example

for us that through fasting and praying and holy scriptures and

the lives of the Saints and attending church services and

offering charity, which is what what we're going to be talking

about next episode to show us that this is how we can overcome

our sin and the one who causes us to sin because of our evil

desires. Neither is his aim.

That is Jesus aim and John Chrysostom writes that we may

remain with empty stomachs. That's not his aim.

So those who are ill and sick and cannot fast, we cannot

criticize, but that now he's, he's the bursting of the bubble.

But that we fast to offer our entire selves to the dedication

of spiritual things, having distanced ourselves from secular

things. Some people cannot fasten it

physically because of the medical situation.

But this is the fast that see, they still need to fast.

They still need to abstain from having distance, abstain by

distancing themselves from secular things.

Christ mentioned something along these lines when it comes to

gaining the secular world and all that is in it.

Yeah, again, bells are ringing. Mark 8, Mark chapter 8, verse 36

Mark 8:36

for he. How is a man profitable?

What profit does a man have if he should gain the entire world

and yet should lose his soul? What profit is there?

So, you know, he's talking about the secular world during Lent,

during fasting, if you're unable, genuinely unable to

abstain from food or to or to, you know, abstain from food that

is outside of the fast, well, fast with the soul again.

Again, beloved, so that we don't assume that Saint John

Chrysostom is totally dismissing fasting.

This is what he writes now for there exist, there really exist

ways which we are even more, which are even more important

than abstinence from food, which can open the gates, which lead

to God with boldness for those who can't fast, you know the

food product. He therefore who eats and cannot

fast let him display richer alms giving.

Do more Thanksgiving charity help.

Everyday you see someone homeless, go and buy that person

a meal. You see someone who's lying in

the streets, go and book them in in a hotel for a few days, help

them. You see someone who is who is

with ragged clothes and torn and shags.

Whatever, you go and buy that person some some new clothes.

Clothe the person. If you can't fast from food, let

him pray more. Let him have a more intense

desire to hear divine words. Reading the Holy Scriptures in

this our somatic illness is not a hindrance, St.

John Chrysostom writes. You can't say I'm sick.

I'm physically not well, therefore I can't read the

Scriptures, or I can't pray, or I can't give arms.

No, that then becomes a lie. Not a deception, but a blunt,

outright lie. Let him become reconciled with

his enemies. I can't fast from food, but I'm

going to pick up the phone and call my enemy, not my BBF.

We haven't spoken for a week. My enemy, the person who has

hurt me, I'm going to call and try to reconcile.

This is the fast that I'm going to offer to God, because I

genuinely cannot offer a fast which pertains to food.

But when I but can, it is both the food factor, because we

spoke about this on the second episode, and also the spiritual

factor. Let him become reconciled with

his enemies. Let him distance from his soul

every resentment, anger, bitterness, hatred.

In another homily he writes. How do you fast?

Give me proof of it by your works again.

Here it is. This is he's echoing St.

James. You have faith, you will tell

me. Show me your faith.

Show me your faith without works and I will tell you.

I will show you my faith with works.

Give me proof of it by your works.

If you see someone who is poor, take pity on that person.

If you see a friend being honoured, do not be envious.

Why do we try to put people down when they're successful in life?

Why do we try people down when they're, when they reach a point

in life there that they've accomplished something?

Why don't we applaud and, and pray for that person?

Why don't we become a beacon of help and advice for that person?

In other words, congratulate the brother and then tell the

brother that I will continue to pray that you will succeed even

more, but I will pray more so that you do not enter pride.

I will pray that you do not forget the Lord, your God, your

Savior. I will pray that every success

you have, you share with those who are not successful, the

deprived ones, don't be envious, maybe even speak and and receive

advice. You know, how did you do this

and those who are on it, right? Don't withhold information,

share it. Share your success with people.

Have everyone become successful as you I I know friends and

brothers. When they have been successful,

they actually go out and advise their friends, their relatives,

family, friends. Do this.

Go out and try this. This is good.

You'll be successful and in this way you can help your family,

you can help your friends, you can help your relatives, you can

help your nation, you can help your church, you can help the

needy that you can do more charitable.

This is this is Christianity. There's nothing wrong with being

wealthy and successful in anything, not just wealth,

education, capabilities, whatever it is during fast.

If you can't offer the faster food, don't be envious.

When your brother is successful, don't be envious, period.

Do not let only your mouth fast, writes St.

John Chrysostom. But also the eyes and the feet

and the hands and all the members of your bodies.

Let the hand fast by being free from greediness.

But I'm going to go one step further.

Let the hand fast from evil and abominable acts of, of, of

fulfilling the desires of the flesh.

Let both male and female, both male and female e-mail.

Let the hands fast from be and showing, expressing your anger,

your hatred. Let the hand fast from stealing

from greed, from working any evil.

Work with the hand. Let the feet fast by ceasing to

run, ceasing to run after sin. Let the eyes fast by

disciplining them not to glare at that which is sinful.

Delete that site. Delete the site.

And we've spoken about this and I will continue to hammer this

message until the Lord returns. Delete the site.

You don't need to go there. Refrain from going into your

room and closing the door and locking it so that mom or dad or

sister don't enter that room. No, no, leave it open.

Leave it open. Come, I'm fasting.

I'm trying to overcome this addiction, this demon of sexual

immorality. I'm going to leave my door open

so that I don't have to hide anything.

That's what's in John Chrysostom is saying if you can't fast

pertaining to food when you're sick.

But if you're not, if you can, you need to do both.

Let the ears fast by not listening to evil talk and

gossip and and filthy lyrics to music and rap and pop and hip

hop and mop pop and top top. I don't know what they called.

You know, I'm I'm getting old. I'm I'm I'm in 60.

I'm I'm not with the trend anymore.

Can I ask a question? You post something of yourself

on Instagram in front of the mirror and you've posted

yourself and you hardly see the face because the camera's in

front of the face. And then the background music is

all cussing and swearing and the B word and the F word and why I

feel like what? What is in that?

What, what joy is there? Let the ears not listen to talk

and gossip and evil lyrics. Let the mouth fast from foul

words and unjust criticism. Going back to the songs, and I

said this in in the Assyrian segment, our beloved performers,

artists, artists, singers, performers, vocalists, whatever

you want to call them, we love you and we thank you for what

you do. We'd like to see more of you in

church number one. And some do, some are in church,

some are entertaining a wedding feast.

But then on a Sunday they're praising God as well.

But how can I entertain on a wedding feast with some words

that are quite not Christian and not a not respectful and then

come back in the House of Lord and say Baba and Bishmaiya and

in an in on on the Saturday evening or in in my own song I'm

talking about breasts and why? How can that be?

Saint James writes, How can a fountain produce both sweet and

bitter water? How can with the mouth you

praise God, you curse, See. Yeah.

We need to go far. We need to go further than this.

That's going too far. How far do you go for how far do

you go for holiness? How far you know Jesus, how far

Jesus went for our righteousness?

He died on the Christ. He shed his blood.

He shed his blood. He didn't just come and speak to

us and showed us and, and said a few jokes and then gave us some

parables and said God bless you. I'm your friend.

Hey, you know I'm your friend. No, no, he didn't do that.

He died on the cross for you and I.

How far do you go for righteousness?

How far do you go to show your respect and your love?

And your appreciation to the Lord Jesus Christ, who died on

you before you on the cross. So John Chrysostom goes on, show

me your fast bite. For what good is it if you

abstained from birds and fishes, but bite and devour your brother

and sister. We've spoken about this, so show

me your fast bio works. If you can't fast, the question,

what happens if you're sick and you're ill and you're genuinely

cannot fast or fast with your hand, with your mouth, with your

eyes, with your feet, with your heart, with your mind, with your

soul and heart and, and, and the entire body to glorify God, to

come closer to God, to open that gate that will draw you closer

to God, our Creator. Praise him.

Glory be to his holy name now in the old times and forever.

Amen. We hope you enjoyed this week's

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Until next time, God bless you all.