This letter highlights the habit of fasting. Also for physicians. As a way for doctors to raise their healing arts.

Does Your Doctor Pray & Fast?

Jesus bestowed on his Apostles the ability to cure evils.

But in the case of one epileptic boy, the Apostles were unable to cure the boy of his evil. Hence, the father of the boy approached Jesus to request—in faith—that Jesus cure his son, because the Apostles failed to succeed. And when Jesus cured the boy, his Apostles came to him after to inquire on why they could not succeed in casting out the evil spirit. And Jesus replied to them, “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” Which means, if a doctor treats tough-to-treat cases, it’s helpful for the healer to make prayer and fasting a spiritual habit in order to gain an edge in their healing art.

Matthew Chapter 17 (KJV)

14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,
15 Lord have mercy on my son: for he is a lunatic, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.
16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

The Didache

Chapter 8 of The Didache reveals the normative fasting method taught:

8:1 But as for you fasts, let them not be with the hypocrites, for they fast on the second and fifth days of the week, but do you fast on the fourth and sixth days.

Note: The fourth day is Wednesday. And the sixth day is Friday.

Saint Nikodemus the Hagiorite on The Canons of Saint John The Faster

Some Pertinent Subjects Outside of The Canons of The Faster

Concerning Fasting on Wednesday and Friday Canon 69 of the Holy Apostles designates that any hierarch or priest or deacon or subdeacon or reader or chanter who does not fast during Great Lent and Wednesday and Friday is to be deposed. If a layperson does not fast during these times (unless he cannot fast on account of bodily illness), he is to be excommunicated. Do you see how the Apostles numbered the Wednesday and Friday fast together with the fast of Great Lent? Therefore, just as the fast of Great Lent consists in the eating of dry foods, namely, to eat but once a day, at the ninth hour, without consuming oil or wine, likewise, the fast of Wednesday and Friday is to be conducted in the exact same manner. Saint Epiphanios also says: “We fast on Wednesday and Friday until the ninth hour.” Likewise, Philostorgios says that the fast of Wednesday and Friday does not consist in the abstention of meat, but it designates that one is not to eat any food until the evening. Saint Benedict (Canon 41) also designates that the fast of Wednesday and Friday is until the ninth hour. And Balsamon forbids the consumption of shellfish on Wednesday and Friday just as during Great Lent. Let us therefore stop insensibly thinking that the fast of Wednesday and Friday is not an Apostolic directive, for behold, the Apostles in their Canons number this fast together with that of Great Lent, and in the Apostolic Constitutions they number it together with the fast of Holy Week, saying:

“One must fast during Holy Week and Wednesday and Friday.” But why should I say that this regulation is only of the Apostles? It is a regulation of Christ Himself, for this is what the Apostles say in Book V, ch. 14 of the Constitutions:

“He (that is, Christ) commanded us to fast on Wednesday and Friday.” We therefore fast on these days according to the Holy Hieromartyr Peter (Canon 15): “On Wednesday because on this day the council of the Jews was gathered to betray our Lord; on Friday because on this day He suffered death for our salvation.” The divine Jerome says the same thing.

Therefore, because the fast of Great Lent is equal to the fast of Wednesday and Friday it follows that, for those who are sick or weak, the relaxation of the fast is also to be equal during these fasts. For this reason, as Canon 8 and 10 of Timothy allow a woman who is pregnant during the Great Fast to consume as much wine and food as is necessary for her condition, this also applies to the fast of Wednesday and Friday. The same holds for those who have become weak from excessive sickness, that is, they are allowed to consume oil and wine during these fasting periods. So says the divine Jerome: “The fast of Wednesday and Friday is not to be broken unless there is great necessity.” The divine Augustine says the same.* [Footnote: Note however that the divine Apostles in Book V, chapter 20, of the Constitutions also command the following: We order you to fast on every Wednesday and Friday, and out of the surplus of your fast to give to the poor” (SC 329, p.284). The same is said by Ignatios the Godbearer (Theophoros) in his Epistle, To the Phillipians (chapter 13), namely, that those who fast on Wednesday and Friday are at the same time to distribute alms out of their abundance to the poor (PG 5, 937A)].

But because those who are lovers of the flesh desire to eat and break the fasts of Great Lent, Wednesday and Friday, or pretend that they are sick (without actually being so), or if they are indeed sick they say that oil and wine are not sufficient to carry them through their illness, because of these pretenses a Spiritual Father or hierarch should not believe only the words of those claiming these things, but should ask an experienced and God-fearing physician about their condition, and according to his recommendation allow the sick to break the fast.

We must also note the following, just as there must be a fast from food on Wednesday, Friday, and Great Lent, there must also be a fast from pleasures of the flesh. For this reason weddings cannot take place on these days, because the divine Paul commands that married couples are not to come together during a time of prayer and fasting: “Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer” (1 Corinthians 7:5). And the divine Chrysostom, bringing the saying of Joel as a witness: “Sanctify a fast… Let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet” (Joel 2:15-16), says that even newlyweds, who have strong desire, vigorous youthfulness, and unfettered urges, are not to come together during a period of fasting and prayer. How much, then, are other married couples, who do not have such impulsiveness of the flesh, not to come together? Therefore, Balsamon says that married couples who do not exercise self-control during the Great Fast are not to commune on Pascha and are also to be penanced. Likewise, married couples who come together on Wednesday and Friday must be corrected through penances.

Concerning the fast on Monday, even though designated in the Rubrics for monastics, many people in the world however, and especially women, observe this fast. Worthy of mention and trustworthy is the saying which some wise men put forward concerning fasting on Monday: “Our Lord commands that if righteousness does not exceed that of the Scribes and the Pharisees (cf. Matthew 5:20), we will not be able to enter the kingdom of heaven. And because the Pharisees fasted two days of the week, as the Pharisee said: ‘I fast twice in the week’ (Luke 18:12), we Christians, then, are obligated to fast three days of the week, in order for our righteousness to exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees.”

[Source: Exomologetarion A Manual of Confession by Nikodemos the Hagiorite, translated by Father George Dokos (ISBN 978-1-63941-001-9) — Uncut Mountain Press]

Note: the ninth hour is 3:00 pm in modern time keeping. Scripture also teaches to approach fasting humbly and quietly.

Matthew Chapter 6 (KJV)

16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

Chapter 12 Elder Cleopa of Romania – The Truth of Our Faith

Elder Cleopa: Fasting, according to the testimony of St. Basil the Great, is the oldest commandment given by God to man…. “Indeed, this commandment was given in Paradise when God said to Adam: ‘Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it. For in the day that thou eatest therof, thou shalt surely die.'”

With the word “fasting” we mean abstinence from food, but also from evil desires…The fast, in practice, is of many types. In particular:

• The complete fast, when we do not eat and do not drink at all for almost an entire day.
• Fasting with uncooked foods, when we eat, privately, dry foods in the evening only (i.e. bread and water, dry fruit, fruit, etc)
• The conventional fast, when we eat all the accustomed fasting food, abstaining from food such as meat, fish, cheese, milk, eggs, wine, and oil.
• The light fast, when we eat food, such as fish, wine, oil etc., allowed by the Church on Great Feasts which fall on days normally reserved for fasting.

Source: Elder Cleopa of Romania – The Truth of our Faith – Discourse from Holy Scripture on the Tenets of Christian Orthodoxy – Uncut Mountain Press

Ancient Chinese Medicine

Interestingly, fasting was not only revered in Biblical scripture. In the ancient Chinese medicine classic Nei Jing Su Wen, there is evidence that emperor Huang Di would fast before he stored the medical teachings that were taught to him by his teacher Qi Bo.

One example is in the closing of Chapter 8 of the Nei Jing Su Wen, after Qi Bo ministered medical teachings, Huang Di replied:

8-60-2
Huang Di:
“Good!”
I have heard
‘the Way of the essence light,
this is the achievement of the great sages.’

But as far as [their] promulgation of the Great Way is concerned,
if it is not after [a period of] fasting and chastity and if [I] have not selected an auspicious day,
[I] do not dare to accept it.”

Huang Di thereupon, chose an auspicious day and a good omen,
and stored these [teachings] in the Numinous Orchid Chamber
to have them transmitted and treasured there.

Source
Huang Di Nei Jing Su Wen
Unschuld translation

Fasting Warning

Fasting has become the new buzzword. A careless person will use it to meet lustful desires and vain health goals; rather than for spiritual sanctification. And as a result, profit nothing and be deprived of the fruit of fasting. Saint Athanasius of Alexandria wrote in his Festal Epistle Letter in 347 A.D. “For actions not done piously, are not of advantage…but they rather argue hypocrisy in those who venture upon them.”

Thus, be careful with how you approach fasting. If not done for righteousness (spiritual!) reasons, then you have the potential to cause great harm to your body. It would be wise to adopt a simple five (5) flavors diet, and repentant prayer habit, before you begin fasting.

Sanc·ti·fi·ca·tion (noun)

Definition: The ongoing process of being made righteous and progressively set free from the power of sin. 

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