Winter landscape with church. Artist: Stephan Feodorovich Kolesnikov
How good it is to kiss the cradle of Christ from afar, to worship the Savior!
Let us go like the wise men, to travel ahead of time!
Archpriest Geogiy Breyev
Two Approaches to Preparing for the Fast
The Nativity Fast is approaching. With two weeks left, there are various ways for us to spend this time.
There are two primary ways to prepare for the fast.
The First Approach. This can be summed up in one word: carnival. Originally, the word “carnival” meant “farewell to meat” (from carnem—“meat” + vale—“farewell”). This is the spirit of the tradition: farewell to meat, milk, cheese, and other such foods, for a full forty days. A thorough farewell, indeed. In the worst case, it takes the form of, “I’ll eat so much of my favorite foods that I won’t want them for forty days!”
The problem with this approach is that such a “farewell” can seriously harm one’s health. Physically, it’s clear: We are not camels, and binge eating in advance is harmful. Spiritually, it’s just as troubling. If we indulge ourselves and seek as much enjoyment as possible in the days leading up to the fast, where is the guarantee that forty days of fasting will be enough to just get back to baseline?
As St. Alexey Mechev once said:
“Try to behave yourselves so that I don’t have to pull you up by the ears to put you back in place—but so each time I can lift you a little higher.”
Our goal is to rise higher and higher, not to allow ourselves to sink down with the hope that the fast, like a magic wand, will pull us up and elevate us in one swift motion. If we know that in three days we will begin our climb to the summit, yet we dive headfirst into a swamp in the meantime, what guarantee is there that forty days will be enough to pull ourselves out? How, then, will we reach the summit?
Is this not part of the secret to a spiritually fruitful fast? Transforming the negative into the positive, as it’s often said today.
The fast is not a time of loss but a time of gain. Then, even the anticipation of the fast changes from fearful and reluctant to joyful, eager, and active.
Tactical Steps
We should we begin?
Start by defining a strategy. It’s best to plan any strategy in advance. Waking up on the first day of the fast and feverishly trying to put your internal and external life in order isn’t ideal. For someone who tosses random things into his backpack minutes before leaving the house, the chances of a successful journey are slim.
So, let’s take a notebook and pencil and list our tactical goals. This list can include:
1. Establish a prayer rule. Decide in advance what and how to incorporate into it, so that the days of the fast are filled with living, focused, thoughtful, and attentive prayer.
Maybe try new forms? Open, for instance, the hymns of the Pre-Feast canons, which beautifully reveal the mystery of the Nativity. Should we establish a daily rule for a certain number of Jesus Prayers? Take the Psalter off the shelf for these days?
Anything, as long as it warms and enlivens the heart.
2. Reading Holy Scripture and the Writings of the Church Fathers
We all know that:
“Our fasting should correspond to our prayer and our reading.”
We should establish a daily rule of reading the Gospel and—finally!—the Epistles. But let’s not stop there.
“Anyone who has practiced reading spiritual literature knows how this reading transforms the heart,” Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov once said.
Would we like to experience this ourselves? During these days, let’s create a reading list for the fast.
The selection is vast! From Abba Dorotheos to the Homilies of St. Paisios of Mount Athos, from Notes by Fr. Alexander Elchaninov, to the Teachings of the Optina Elders, from St. Tikhon of Zadonsk to Igumen Nikon (Vorobiev), from the Letters of Archimandrite John (Krestiankin) to the sermons of St. John of Kronstadt, and the Thoughts for Each Day of the Year by Archimandrite Thaddeus of Vitovnica.
Just so that we read.
It would be helpful to place the selected books on a dedicated shelf as a visible reminder: “Take it and read it!” Experience shows that when a book is within sight, the likelihood of actually reading it increases significantly.
3. True fasting Is spiritual, and not just physical. One of the hymns (from Lent, though it still applies) states: “Rejoice not, O my soul, if you fast only outwardly and not also with the spirit.”
The next step, then, is to establish self-control of the soul, especially over our speech, sight, and hearing. An “informational fast” brings purity of thought, clarity, and a refreshed mind.
4. Then Comes the Heart. Many priests advise setting a specific spiritual goal for the fast and focusing all efforts on achieving it.
St. Theophan the Recluse recommends identifying your primary passion and directing all efforts toward overcoming it. St. John of Kronstadt believes that a person who sincerely strives to follow one commandment will, in so doing, naturally begin to fulfill others as well.
What else should we not overlook? The most important of all—love.
“At least during the fast, try to set aside your own ‘self’ and serve others so that they feel joy, peace, and warmth. Don’t grumble at them, don’t complain, don’t pity yourself, don’t take offense, but help find joy in doing so. Be like sunshine to everyone around you,” as Archpriest Fyodor Borodin advises.
This, then, is a four-step approach to the Nativity Fast.
And for its ultimate purpose, Archpriest Vsevolod Shpiller provides the best insight:
”Do you wish, O man, to bring gifts to God who has come to you, as did the wise men of the Gospel? Then walk toward the cave in this way! Do you bear the gleaming gold of your soul, your powerful creative force and energy? Do you wish to bring Him your frankincense—the prayerful sighs of your heart rising to Heaven like incense? Would you lay myrrh at the feet of the incarnate God—the symbol of love for God and humanity? Then bring your gifts along the path of goodwill and peace! There is no other way to the Child lying in the manger. This, perhaps, is the deepest meaning of the humble, peaceful holy cave.”
