Lent is coming, and a person who has just begun his journey to God becomes confused. So many bans: both on food and on entertainment. We'll have to "tighten the belt" and put up with abstinence for the duration of the fast.
What can not be done in the post? How does chicken affect the salvation of the soul? How will reading a fiction book affect the soul?
What is fasting?
Before we know what not to do while fasting, let's find out what it is.
Fasting is bodily and spiritual abstinence. In total, Christians have four fasts, two of which are long and two are short. Advent fast falls on the period from November 28 to January 7. Great Lent is a transitional one, it lasts almost 50 days and falls in the spring. Peter's post as well as the Great - passing. Its duration is from 80 to 40 days, falls on summer time. And one more summer post - Assumption. It starts on August 14th and ends on the 28th of the same month. Lasts only two weeks.
Why post?
Before answering the question of what not to do in a post, let's find out why they are needed at all.
Christmas is dedicated to the birth of the Savior into the world. This is a joyful post, festive. And not strict: it is allowed to eat fish and vegetable oil on all days of the week, except Wednesday and Friday.
Great - the most strict and long. Established in honor of the sufferings of Christ. The Lord Himself fasted for 40 days in the wilderness. Fish cannot be eaten during this fast. Except for the Feast of the Annunciation, if it does not fall on a Wednesday or Friday. Vegetable oil is allowed only on weekends. Raw diet is required on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. On other days you can have hot food without oil. And as already mentioned, it is permissible to spice it up with butter on the weekend.
Petrov post. Established in honor of the apostles Peter and Paul. Fasting is easy, because it falls in the summer, when vegetables are available and are not expensive. What can not be done in Petrov fast and in the rest - we will find out below.
Uspensky is equal in severity to the Great. But it lasts only two weeks, during which time you don’t have much time to get hungry.
Spiritual prohibitions
If the food is relatively clear (animal products are prohibited), then the spiritual component is not very clear. The whole post will have to walk with a mournful face and refuse everything, frowning and saying: "I will fast"?
No, of course not. It is said: "We fast with a pleasant fast. And during fasting, anoint your head with oil," that is, fasting is a holiday for the soul.
What holiday is there ifYou can’t listen to music, you can’t read, you can’t sit at the computer? This is a mockery.
If you really want to - everything is possible. And eat a piece of chicken, and listen to music. Think for yourself: what is more useful? Walk and take out your anger on others because hunger gives rise to irritability? To read a prayer without zeal and understanding only because you really want to listen to just one song? Or eat a piece of chicken and smile at others? Listen to the song and strive in prayer to God with all your soul?
Someone will say - this is wrong reasoning. This is worldly reasoning, we do not live in a monastery. This is asceticism there. Of course, we can also try to live like this, but with the blessing of the priest, with whom we regularly confess.
As one young but very wise priest says: "God doesn't care what's in our stomach. Our souls are important to Him. And if a person has a split in his soul due to the fact that he took on an unbearable feat fasting, is such a fasting good?"
What can not be done in the post?
- All kinds of entertainment events are prohibited: going to the cinema, to concerts, to the theater, to guests, to discos, restaurants and clubs.
- Can't listen to music.
- Fiction books that describe certain intimate scenes are banned.
- You can't sing and dance.
- Do not drink alcohol, smoke, use foul language. Although these three points are undesirable even without fasting.
- You can't tell jokes, laugh at shameful jokes.
- Husband and wife are not allowedenter into carnal relationships.
- Musical instruments must not be played.
- You can not offend anyone, offend.
- What can not be done in the post? Swearing with neighbors, getting angry, annoyed, shouting. In general, it is necessary to suppress the manifestation of all negative emotions.
- You can not get married and register an official marriage.
What can I do?
What can and cannot be done in fasting? We de alt with the latter above. You can go to church, pray, read Christian literature. Be restrained and humble. Fasting is a time of spiritual cleansing that each of us needs.
Conclusion
We figured out what not to do in the post. You read such a list and the desire to fast disappears.
Actually, these are only recommendations. Spiritual life is discussed only with the priest. Someone needs indulgence during the fast, but someone will not bear them. Go to the temple before the start of the fast, consult with your father what needs to be excluded and what to bring into life for this period.
There is a wonderful phrase: "If it were food, then cows would be saints." Fasting is necessary, but it must be possible. Can't give up music? Replace it with a rejection of sweets, for example. Once again, we note that they talk in more detail about their spiritual life with the priest, to whom they confess.
