Episode 118: Not only during Lent

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. It's now one week since our

entrance or commencement of our fast or entrance in the Great

Fast. And I'm so encouraged to see and

read various posts on different social media platforms, ranging

from verses from the Holy Scriptures, quotes from the

Church Fathers, personal advices and experiences, and all

pertaining to fasting and in particular, giving up,

refraining from whatever it is during Lent.

But two very important points, beloved #1 is that it's not a

mere refraining from or giving up, but rather repenting,

seizing, doing away, cutting off, and not so much food alone.

And the second point is that it's not only during the period

of Lent that we need to repent or give up, but continually,

indefinitely, constantly, daily. Why?

Well, if we're during this time of Lent, we are to cancel out

all distractions, desires, our desires, our habits, and to be

attentive to the Word or the voice of God, which means to be

obedient, not only listen, but to be obedient to the Word of

God. Then the word of God is not for

a certain period of time only. That is not only for 40 days of

the 365 days of the year, not only the seven weeks of the 52

weeks of the year. It's like when we are at church,

we're such good people at church, we become emotionally

spirit move. We're at church some, some

continue, continue to disrespect the sanctified sanctuary by

being on their phones, on their social medias and the phone

rings and they're texting one another or they're talking

constantly disrupting another person's spiritual mood or

spiritual focus, right? But most people are very good at

church. But once we leave church, all,

literally all hell breaks loose. So when we're at church and we

are good people at church, it doesn't mean that as soon as we

leave the church, then we go back to our old rigmaroles.

No, we need to continue to live the church life.

And we spoke about the church and what we miss out when we

don't attend church. So too, the Word of God is not

temporal. Beloved, let's look at some

scriptures. Isaiah chapter 40, verse 8, the

Isaiah 40:8

grass dries up and the flower fades, and the Word of God

stands for eternities, not only for a certain period of time,

not only when you're sick, you're not only when you're

happy, not only when you're warm mourning, but every day of our

lives and I live. Isaiah chapter 55, verse 11.

Isaiah 55:11

Thus my word shall be that proceeds from my mouth, and it

shall not return to me empty handed, But surely it does the

thing that I please and accomplishes that for which I

have centered not only at one period of time, but

continuously. It's alive, beloved Matthew

Matthew 22:35

chapter 22, verse 35, Jesus says heaven and earth will pass away.

Now, now let's go back Isaiah, Isaiah 55 and Isaiah 40.

This is God speaking. Look at what Jesus says.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words, My words will not

pass away because He is God, praise and glory be to His name.

He's not claiming what the Father has unrighteously.

No, no, He is God and He can claim it rightly.

So when we are instructed to fast in the Holy Scriptures,

that is Matthew chapter 6, verse 16.

Matthew 6:16

When you fast for those who are trying to convince you that you

don't need to fast because they don't want to fast, they don't

want to humble themselves. They don't want to ruffle the

feathers of the, the, the physical and, and, and you know,

the fleshly desires. No, no, no, Jesus said when you

fast, there is going to come a time that you need to fast.

But when you fast according to scriptures and we're being

obedient now, right When you fast and the matter of fasting,

Jesus continues to say, do not look sad like the hypocrites,

for they disfigure their faces so that it may appear to men

that they are fasting. Truly, I say to you that they

have already received their reward.

The manner but rather continues verses 17 and 18.

But As for you, when you fast, wash your face and anoint your

head so that it may not appear to men that you are fasting, but

your Father who is in secret and your Father who sees in secret

will reward you may be saying well, there you go.

But it's exactly this pertains to this period.

Now this period we're fasting and Jesus giving us

instructions. Let's go on before we expand on

this the the conduct of our fasting, the conduct and the

deeds during our fasting in Isaiah chapter 58, verse 5 and

Isaiah 58:5

6. To loosen the bands of

wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the

oppressed go free. And that ye break every yoke to

deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor

that are cast out to thy house, when thou seize the naked, that

thou cover him, and that thou hide not thyself from thine own

flesh. Now we're going into is this

only for when we are fasting? So your charitable deeds only

are accepted and are valid and are required and demanded by

God, commanded by God only during a period of fasting, only

seven weeks of the 52 weeks of the year, only 40 days of the

365 days of the yes, we do fast 40 days, by the way, we're not

going to go into that. Maybe another episode, the

Epistle for the Sunday, Entering the Great Fast.

By the way, were you at church when you commence your fast,

when you enter the period of the fast, it's encouraging in one

way, discouraging in many way that you see that on the 1st

Sunday of the beginning of Fast Lent there are more people at

church. That's encouraging because you

know that these people, you most probably are going to commence

fast, but it's discouraging that coming to church is not only for

fasting and celebrating the resurrection or the birth of

Jesus Christ or holding branches of olive branches and saying

hosanna, no, every week there is church there.

There are more services during the week on special occasions,

but every Sunday there is church.

Not only just coming to church for that specific function or

that specific event. So were you at church when you

kicked off your fast anyway? If you weren't, God bless you

and your your fasting. I pray that the Lord will hear

your supplications and accept and be appeased with your

fasting. But if you read the epistle

reading that was presented on that Sunday, Ephesians chapter

Ephesians 4:25–32

4, verses 25 to 32, then chapter 5, verses 3:00 to 5:00, and then

chapter 5, verses 15 to 21, Let me summarize some significant

instructions. And isn't it beautiful how the

Church Fathers and the, and the orders of the church, the

liturgy of the Church, the ecclesiastical calendar of the

Church, that during the entrance of the feast of the, of the

great fast, the epistle reading is from Ephesians and there's

some instructions there. We're going to talk about that.

Paul says to put aside lying. Yeah.

Robbie, you know, during fast, I'm trying my best to, you know,

not to say any fibs. I'm trying my best not to lie

and speak the truth. God bless you.

Be angry, but do not sing and do not let the sunset on your

anger. You know, I'm sort of taming

myself now. I'm still, you know, dropping

the ball. I still, you know, fall and

stumble, but I'm trying. God bless you do not give place

to the slanderous. You know, I'm I'm away from

those who are constantly mocking.

I'm not joking much. I'm more serious.

I'm humble and that's how we should be.

By the way, beloved, you can't fast and be in a, a hookah

lounge or, or in a, in a restaurant drinking and there's

social events, activities going out and you're still enjoying

your social, you know, so your social life.

That's not fasting. It's a period of contrite spirit

humbling yourself. It's a period of entering your

wilderness. Just at Jesus Christ did enter

the wilderness, a place of barren.

There is no joy. There is no socializing.

There is no alcohol. There is no such element that

will fulfill my desires. No, that's how we are fasting.

We have entered that barren land.

Paul goes on to say do not steal, find a job, get a job,

earn so that you can help the needy, those who are constantly

making a living through distortion and and and

deceptions. Well, Saint Paul says no, no,

you need to cut that out. So if you're into that and

you're fasting, but you're still defrauding people, well, the

fast is not pleasing to God. It's only a diet.

Do not utter hateful words so that you do not grieve.

Disappoint the Holy Spirit. Now this was the reading on the

Sunday entering the Great fast. Yes, I'm trying to do that.

You know, I'm, I'm trying my best to do that.

Expel the bitterness, the fury, the rage, the clamor, the

insults, the wickedness from you.

Expel them. I'm trying my best.

This is what I'm doing. I know it's not the food factor

that is so much important, but what we, how we conduct, conduct

ourselves. Great.

A lot more than Impossible burgers, isn't it?

What Saint Paul is saying? It's a lot more than Impossible

or Boca burgers a lot more than than Bachan and and Murtanos and

and you know Marsha because some people hop on the element of the

food. But go back and read these

verses, Ephesians chapter 4 and five.

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

He continues be sweet, be affectionate, forgiving one

another, just as God has forgiven us in Jesus Christ.

Be imitators of God and walk in love fornication, sex before

marriage. I don't care, it's love.

No, that's not the love that God is pleased with.

When it comes to intimacy, God is only pleased with the bridal

chamber or the bed or the mattress of a husband and wife

who have been joined together in holy matrimony in the Church by

the priest. Regardless of what the world

teaches now and how people perceive love fornication, all

impurity and greed are not even to be named at all among you

fornication. Don't tell me I love this

person. I want to share my love with

this person. If you're fasting and you're

still sharing your mattress with a partner, that is fornication

as it is appropriate for Saints. Do away with abusive language,

worthless words of disgrace, nonsense and unnecessary.

But in place of these Thanksgiving, you know that no

fornicators, impure or greedy persons, who is an idol

worshipper, has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of

God. These are from the Scriptures.

These are from the Scriptures, beloved.

So yes, during fast I abstain from that.

But as soon as fast is over, well, is all hell going to

broke, break loose Now, just because these Scriptures, the

epistle was read on the first day of entering the great fast.

It does not limited to just those seven weeks and those 40

days, beloved. No, it is continuous and it's

not a mere giving up refraining, it's repenting, seizing, doing

away with what we are fasting now, doing away of what has

brought us down to a stooped us to such a low level that we

cannot even lift up our face to the Lord and say Lord have mercy

upon us, but we bow our heads and ask God to forgive us.

So what are you giving up during this Lent?

First and foremost that should be all dairy and poultry and

meat products. Why people ask why food?

Well when you read those who offered their fast, the

prophets, Jesus himself, he didn't eat anything.

They offered a fast of what was from the land.

Adam when Adam was created, beloved.

When Adam was fashioned, he was a herbivore.

He wasn't a carnival. Some animals are known to be

both herbivore and carnival. They can they can survive in

both characteristics. Lack of a better term, Adam was

a herbivore. When did he become a carnival Is

when sin entered, listen, when sin listen, When sin entered the

world and through sin death entered, that's when animals

were to be slaughtered and to be consumed.

So when we abstain from dairy, poultry and meat products, the

Church is teaching us, the Fathers are teaching us, God is

teaching us, reminding us that you were at one time sinless,

but you dropped the ball because you disobeyed me.

You disobeyed me. So during this time, not only

the meat products obviously, but most importantly, we have to

give away, repent, seize our disgraceful and putrid deeds,

beloved, and again, not merely give them up for a period of

time, but repent from them, cast them away, put them away, get

rid of them, not only during Lent, but every day of our life.

Saint John Chrysostom writes on fasting.

Are you fasting? So this is a question of one of

the Church Fathers to all of us. Are you fasting?

Yes. Show me your fast with your

works. This is what James says in James

James 2:18

chapter 2 verse 18 when he talks about faith and deeds and works.

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show me about

you my faith with deeds. Show me your works.

And if we ask which works? And he continues, If you see

someone who is poor, show him the mercy.

If you see any enemy, reconcile with him.

If you see a friend who is becoming, let, let me go back,

let me go back. If you see an enemy, reconcile

with him. Are you fasting?

Do you have enemies? Do you have people that you have

a beef with? You have people that have some

sort of an issue with? You need to reconcile with these

people, beloved, and Christ has given us the procedure.

Let's go back and read the gospel.

And I'm not just going to give you the chapter and the verses.

Read the entire Gospel of Matthew.

If you see an enemy, reconcile with him.

If you see a friend who is becoming successful, do not be

jealous of him. If you see a beautiful woman on

the street, pass her by. No wolf whistles and lust and

lust in your mind because that is fornication.

Jesus said, go away, steer away. In other words, not only should

the mouth he continues, not only should the mouth fast, but the

eyes and the legs and the arms and all other parts of the body.

Listen to me, gentlemen and ladies, all the parts of the

body should be fasting that have defiled us, he continues.

Let the hands fast, remaining clean from stealing and

greediness and sexual immorality.

Let the legs fast, avoiding roads which lead to sinful

sites. If you're going to go to a

certain place, a certain avenue, a certain event, a certain

venue, and you know that there are sinful sites during this

time, fast. Avoid, repent.

Let the eyes fast by not fixing themselves on beautiful faces

and by not observing the beauty of others, even if, even if they

are, they are being advertised. No, you avoid it.

And those who advertise their beauty, those who want to want

to show their beauty and their glamour and their figure and

their and their and their and their beauty.

You need to repent from that as well.

You are not eating meat. He continues.

Are you? Well, you should not eat the

bawtry wickedness with your eyes as well.

Let your hearing also fast. The fast of hearing is not to

accept bad talk against others and slay defamation and songs of

cussing during fast. You don't do that.

You can't be fasting and hearing a song that every 3rd word is AF

bomb. You can't.

That's not fasting, beloved, that's still fulfilling the

desires of the flesh. And you want to hear all these

songs and this music? Let the mouth fast from

disgraceful and abusive words. Because what gain is there when

on the one hand we avoid avoid eating chicken and fish, That's

what he writes, chicken and fish.

And on the other, we chew up the and consume our brothers gossip

away from gossip, give up gossip and return repent from gossip.

Beloved, during this period of fasting, if you haven't noticed

yet, will be prepared. And this is a this is a warning

and this is a wake up call. You have entered the battle of

food, and not only food gluttony.

You have entered a battle of testing God now how gluttony,

how food. You know, we're constantly, as I

said, we're constantly, you know, so mindful of what goes in

our mouths and be careful, you know, there's a speck or there's

a a speck of powder of milk in product in this because you read

the ingredients and we're so into it.

And then and then we're constantly I'm hungry.

I just need to eat. I just need to eat.

Don't worry about food too much, beloved.

Our forefathers used to eat 50 dinners, 50 meals and for

supper. We've entered a period of a

battle of the food. We're missing our daily food.

We have entered a battle of testing.

Don't test God. God, if you give me this and I

my fasting is so that you can give me this.

No, no, no, no, God Father, I fast because I am not worthy, I

have sinned. Forgive me Lord Jesus Christ,

Son of God, forgive me for I have sinned.

I am a Sinner, period. I don't need anything from God,

only Lord to have mercy on me. And we have entered the battle

of glory and the wonders of this world.

Each time you turn on the television, there it is.

When you go on your Instagram and your social media, there it

is. It's constantly before you.

All the sexual immorality, all the trickery, all the

enticements are always there. And Satan will intensify these

attacks on you. But what do you do?

You repent from them. When you click on that that

enter button, when you click on that enter to enter that site.

Don't do that. Don't when you want to get on

your phone and let me see what's happening on TikTok 90% is foul

foul. Don't do that for go away.

Steer away from that in particular during this time of

Lent, however, however, it does not give us the right to go back

like a dog that returns to his vomit.

You abstain from immorality. God bless you.

You've abstained from fornication.

If not, don't fast. Don't fast.

I recommend you visit in and out and McDonald's and what have

you. If you're in fornication and,

and debauchery and and gossip and hatred and you have no

compassion of those that are poor, your fast is, is useless.

I will say that. But when you are fasting and you

have ceased from this and you're repenting, it does not mean then

after the fast is finished, the period of fast, you go back and

you've missed it so much and you intensified threefold.

It's still a sin. It is still abhorred by God.

Beloved, during this time as you are offering your fast and

you're taming the body, you are taking full control of your

flesh and the desires of your flesh, and you're continuing in

prayer and reading the Holy Scriptures and reading the lives

of the holy Saints of our Lord, and you're attending church.

You're partaking in the all sanctifying body and blood.

If it's just mere bread and wine, well, those in one

Corinthians who were not worthy to partake of this bread, this

normal bread, why were they falling asleep?

What was in this bread? It is the body of Christ,

beloved, you shall eat the bread I give you, you shall eat my

body, you shall drink my blood, the bread I give you, the body

that you will have to partake in.

He who does not eat the body of the Son of man and does not

drink his blood has no life in him.

Jesus took bread and said, this is my body.

So you need to also attend the holy sacraments of the body and

blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Savior.

And once the period is over, you continue, continue to live in

that holiness. Yes, we may fall, we may drop

the ball, we may stumble, but hey, nothing is holding you back

to come back and fast one more time.

Beloved, what the battles I was talking about of food testing,

God and glory wonders of the world were the temptations that

Satan in his trickery, in his dare attempted Jesus Christ.

But Christ overcame and Christ hammered Satan.

We have that power especially during this period of time and

continuing and extending for every day of our life.

Praise and glory be to Jesus Christ our Lord now and that all

times and forever. Amen.

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double edged sword. Until next time, God bless you

all.