Fasting is a special time in the life of every Christian who considers himself Orthodox. This is a special period of abstinence and longing for God. There are several posts in the year. They all differ in the severity of abstinence in food. However, there are those principles without which it is impossible to imagine the correct storage of the post.
Fasting in the Christian tradition is called the "spring of the soul." This is a special time of repentance, a person’s aspiration for some moral ointirs, achievement of holiness. There are prohibitions on the use of food of animal origin. So, it is forbidden to eat meat, eggs, dairy products, and, sometimes, fish. However, fasting is not a diet in the truest sense of the word. For a Christian, fasting is not the main purpose of fasting.
To abide by fasting, it’s not enough just to refrain from certain foods. First of all, a Christian should try to refrain from sins, various passions. There is not only the bodily side of fasting, but also the spiritual. The latter can be considered as a more important component of Christian abstinence.
During fasting, a Christian needs to pray more often, try to spend more time in the church for divine services, and participate in the holy sacraments of confession and communion. Without this, ordinary abstinence in food does not matter, since diet alone does not benefit the human soul.
During fasting, one must strive to become at least a little better in the moral sense. It is necessary to try less to participate in disputes, conflicts. You can not condemn and swear with others. If a person has any passions, then the Orthodox should try to overcome them.
During fasting, the Orthodox Church recommends reading the Bible more often, the creations of the Holy Fathers of the Church. At the same time, you need to try less to watch unnecessary programs and films. Instead, an Orthodox person is recommended to read Christian literature and prayer.
Only the fulfillment of the two sides of the fast (bodily and spiritual) can be the correct Christian abstinence. If a person only refuses certain types of products, then fasting turns into a diet, meaningless from the point of view of Orthodoxy.
