His Grace Bishop John Yazigi Sunday Sermon
Dean & Abbot of Balamand March 17, 2002
Beloved, in these days, we speak about fasting. We have heard today the Lord Jesus speaking in the Gospel passage about fasting and about food. What is fasting and why do we fast?
Fasting is yearning to God. By fasting, man declares that he does not live by bread alone but by every word coming out of the mouth of God. Generally man holds on to his will, to his desires, pride, power, belongings, and passion for food. He does not want to let go of all that. That's why fasting is, in a way, this hunger to whatever heavenly and not to whatever earthly. It is like saying, we are abandoning a little of whatever earthly and perishing, and holding on to whatever is heavenly and divine.
The hymns we chant in this holy period speak of fasting and describe it in many ways. For example, speaking of fasting, the prayers of this morning declared that the field for practicing virtues has been opened to us. Fasting is a field for practicing virtues. The time has come for starting the spiritual struggle. Fasting is a period of spiritual struggle in which man is invited to rid himself of vices and run after virtues.
My beloved, man fasts, ceasing to eat meat and all dairy products. However, this is not what fasting is all about. Every human being is made up of a body and a soul and he ought to give his whole self, his body and soul, to God. Fro this reason, man fasts, striving by the grace of God to stay away from sin, idle talk, hatred, pride, evil passions and all weaknesses, and to practice more love, humility and every good work.
So everyone ought to struggle through his body and soul, striving to grow in grace and stature with God and man, as the Lord says. Let's remember one of the hymns we chanted this morning: put on faith as a shield, almsgiving as a helmet, and fasting as a sword that amputates from the heart all vices. Yes, beloved, let's try to arms ourselves with these spiritual weapons: faith, prayer, almsgiving and fasting. They help us amputate all vices from our heart. For this, the church invites us directly before entering into Great Lent to remember this matter and persevere in prayer and fasting, purifying ourselves spiritually. In this way we will not be fasting only in body ceasing to eat certain kinds of food. As St. John Chrysotom says, "What good is it for us if we cease to eat meat and at the same time devour our brother by our words?" In this Great Lent, the church reminds us to fast in a way acceptable to God. This way involves the whole man, with all his being, heart, mind, soul, body, senses, and members. This is the way taken by those who love God and seek Him, desiring to purify themselves and to enter into a closer fellowship with the loving God. He was crucified for us. He trampled down death by death and rose again to raise us and make us the sons and daughters of light and the children of the Resurrection, abiding in Him in His kingdom with all the saints who were pleasing to Him. When we speak of fasting, we also speak of the Resurrection. Fasting is connected to resurrection. The scope of fasting is the purification of the heart, mind and body. When this happens, the grace of God fills man and he is enlightened. This grace raises him up and he will be in a "resurrectional state." This is struggle in which man, as a bride, seeks to give himself to God, pure and free of sin, by the grace of the One who rose from the dead, Who is blessed and glorified forever. Amen.
