Lenten Fasting

Lent is a period of spiritual preparation, during which we fast for 40 days.  Below are some answers to questions you might have about fasting.

Why is it important for Christians to fast?  What is the religious significance of fasting?

Fasting and abstinence are ways of doing penance.  According to St. Krikor of Datev, "fasting is: grief and penance," because we repent and mourn for our sins.  Christians observe weekday fasts as days of abstention in atonement for the sins of the first man and woman, Wednesdays for Adam and Fridays for Eve.  The remaining fasts are all for the atonement of our sins.  As long as one fasts, he is doing penance. 

Fasting and abstention are similar to physical exercise.  The strain of exercise on arms, legs, and other parts of the body do not discourage the athlete from going on.  In fact, despite the pain, fatigue, and stress he may experience, he continues to exercise with the expectation of improving his health.  Abstinence from food, pleasures, and worldly ways may not be a pleasant experience, but it is a constant and sure reminder to faithful Christians to bring ourselves in line with holiness. 

Different kinds of abstinence from pleasures and vices remind us that we have knowingly or unknowingly drifted away from righteousness and holiness.  The awareness of this leads Christians to a kind of introspection that makes us come to grips with reality and feel sorry for the sins that we have individually committed.  It also serves as a cleanser of the soul and the heart.  The rigors of such discipline will ultimately make faithful Christians realize with certainty that "Man shall not live by bread alone."

Our Lord spoke about fasting as an accepted tradition for His followers.  In His instructions to His disciples He made no reference to abolish the ancient practice known from the Old Testament.  On the contrary, He told His followers the manner in which they should observe abstinence and fasting so that only God would know about their actions.  He also indicated to them that God rewards the person who is fasting. This is evident in Christ's statement in Matthew 6:16-17:

And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Abstinence from food should serve only as the tip of the iceberg.  We must aim at abstaining from our sinful ways through meditation, prayer, good works, charity, forgiveness and so on.  Unless we truly repent, all the fasting and the abstinence from food will not be of any use.  Fasting and abstinence, unless accompanied by true contrition and repentance, will be reduced to a formality and not lead us anywhere.  We must truly strive to change.  

Why do we fast for 40 days? What is the theological significance of 40 days?

The 40-day fasting period or Lent that precedes Easter is in memory of the Lord’s fasting in the desert, as described in the Gospel according to Luke: 1-4:

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit for forty days in the wilderness, tempted by the devil.  And he ate nothing in those days; and when they were ended, he was hungry.  The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."  And Jesus answered him, "It is written,'`Man shall not live by bread alone.'" 

The ancient "Apostolic Instructions," which form the first chapter of the Armenian Book of Canons, have the following to say about Lent:

Before the day of the passion of our Savior they shall for forty days abstain from all wickedness, sins and food, and then celebrate the day of the passion, the pasech of the Lord and the day of the Savior’s Resurrection.. because our Lord Himself also, the Lord of the annual feasts, fasted forty days and forty nights; and likewise because of fasting Moses spoke with God on Mount Sinai like a beloved friend, and being greatly honored by the celestial King, he came down to the people with an awe-inspiring countenance, bearing the royal commandments and canons.  Likewise the zealous Elijah worked great miracles and wonders because of his fasting for forty days, and then he ascended to heaven in a glorified state.  Also, because of the cleansing [effect] of fasting the Three Children [Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed'nego] survived the death wrought by the king, as the angel of God descended in their midst..  and they lived with their good reputation, becoming worthy of Christ’s kingdom.

What are the traditions of the Armenian Church with respect to fasting?  Why don't we simply "give something up" like others?  Why are we not to eat meat or animal products during the forty days of Lent?

Meats, animal products, poultry, and fish are considered to be rich foods that supply energy to the body.  Abstinence from such foods and a strict dietary regimen over a period of time discipline us to cease from preoccupying ourselves with what pleases the palate or the body, and instead turn our thoughts to matters that concern our spiritual welfare. 

Abstinence from animal products and fasting are the minimum requirements.  In addition to foods with rich contents, you may choose to give up things that you like, such as chocolate or candies.

There is a more severe way of fasting in the Armenian tradition, which is called Dzom, whereby the faithful abstains from all kinds of food, and eats something light only once a day.  Lent was originally observed in such a manner -- the faithful ate a piece of bread dipped in salt.  That is why the alternate name for Lent in Armenian is Aghoohatsk -- Agh ["salt"] oo ["and"] hatsk ["breads"]. 

Are we to fast on Saturdays and Sundays during Great Lent?

Yes, unlike the Eastern Orthodox, during Lent the Armenian Christians are also required to abstain from meat, animal products, and rich foods made with oil on Saturdays and Sundays.

Is Holy Week considered a part of Lent?  Are we to abstain from meat and animal products during Holy Week as well?

The Holy Week is not a part of the 40-day cycle we call Lent.  Lent or Quadragesima ends on Saturday preceding Palm Sunday -- the commemoration of the Resurrection of Lazarus.  The faithful must abstain from meat, animal products, poultry, and fish not only during the Lenten season, but also on Palm Sunday and throughout the Holy Week, until the Saturday before Easter, when the Church allows the partaking of milk products and eggs, but no meats and no fish. 

Some parishes today customary serve meat dishes at banquets on Palm Sunday.  This is not right, since the official Calendar of the Holy See states in black on white that Palm Sunday is Bahk, a day of fasting.  Palm Sunday is a feast from a liturgical, not from a dietary, perspective. 

One must note that in our tradition Bahk, besides its dietary restrictions, also refers to abstinence from all kinds of sinful ways: idle garrulousness, lust for luxuries, arrogance, purposeless loitering, excessive personal grooming, acquisition of riches, possessions and clothing other than what is necessary, curiosity for gossip, desire for glory and position, anger, envy, vindictiveness, avarice, adulation, excessive rest, excessive sleep, excessive indulgence in pleasures, and so on.  The list above is taken from a homily of an early medieval Armenian Church father, who suggests that the faithful resign from the above, repent and turn to prayer and good works.