JACK HINTON (Parishioner, Russian Orthodox Cathedral, St. John the Baptist, Washington, DC): In general, the purpose of fasting is preparation for an important event that takes place at the end of the fast, and this is true not only of Great Lent, but of the other fasting periods as well.The very cause of the fall of man was an act of disobedient eating.
Fasting is voluntary, but it's expected unless you're physically unable to. What I hope to achieve is weakening myself physically so that it's easier for me to remember that I depend for my very existence and for my daily sustenance on my Creator. I want to deemphasize the day-to-day material world and to emphasize spirituality.There's a strict fast, which means abstain from everything for, obviously, short periods of time, and this applies to the preparation for every Holy Communion.
The basic fast is abstain from meat, and meat includes fish with backbone; dairy products; animal byproducts; oil; and wine. There's fasting on Wednesday and Friday virtually every week -- Wednesday because that's the day when the conspiracy to murder Jesus was hatched, and Friday is the day when that conspiracy was carried out, and Jesus was crucified.
It's also customary on Great and Holy Friday to abstain from everything, even water. At least hold out for as long as you can and then gradually have what you need, starting with water and then maybe a little fruit juice. If you need bread or a little bit of rice, go ahead. But do your best to abstain completely.
There is a spiritual and a physical dimension to the fast. It doesn't do you any good to not have the kinds of food that are prohibited and forego the period of introspection and deep contemplation of your own spiritual state.
