Prayer and fasting

 

                                                                                                            To Cardinals and Bishops of the Catholic Church

 

Venerable fathers of the Church,

hereby we present to You a description of a prayer- and fasting practice for the benefit of the Church.

 

Jesus’ disciples could not cast out the demon that was the cause of the boy’s sickness. To their question why they were unable to do it, Jesus replied that the main reason was their unbelief, and He added: “This kind of demons never comes out (of man) except by prayer and fasting.” (Mt 17:14-21) These words are topical even today.

 

Jesus is not speaking here symbolically but realistically. Demons are not a mere symbol of evil but they are real spiritual beings. Even the present-day pagans do not doubt the existence of demons. They have personal experience with them. However, only few Christians have experience that Jesus heals today, that His Word holds true even in the present time and that the living faith in His Word, prayer and fasting bring not only physical healing but also liberation from different kinds of bondage – demonic slavery.

 

Let us pay heed to the biblical fasting practice. Moses fasted 40 days before receiving the Decalogue from the Lord. Esther along with all the nation fasted three days – they did not eat or drink anything. Judith fasted in a similar way. In the times of Jesus the fasting practice was two days a week. Jesus fasted, the early Christians fasted, and different fasting practices have been used until this day, as in the Western so in the Eastern Church and likewise by all other Christians. As the Eastern so the Western saints were an example of fasting and temperance.

 

There is a topical question whether in the modern times of bustle and mental stress fasting should not be set aside.

Someone, on the contrary, may object that Friday without meat is no fasting, for in their opinion such food is tastier than meat.

 

In recent years various slimming cures have come into fashion. These, however, have nothing to do with fasting. The essence of fasting is penitence connected with humble prayer. Likewise vegetarianism has become the fashion, this being related with so-called reincarnation which denies the fundamental truths of the Gospel (one God, immortality of human soul, sin, forgiveness of sins through Jesus’ death on the cross, God’s Judgement, eternal life and eternal condemnation). Jesus and the Apostles were no vegetarians. Every year they ate the Passover lamb. Jesus, the Apostles, the early Christians and even all Christians who took their faith seriously practised fasting. The forms of fasting were different. In the first millennium there was a common practice of fasting on bread and water. Fasting was not kept on Saturday, Sunday and on other feasts.

 

Experience of an older monk: “I started fasting in my 16 years, namely from Thursday evening until Saturday morning. In the seminary it was no more possible to fast in this way. After finishing the studies I underwent 40-day spiritual exercise in solitude, tied with a strict fast on bread and water (one slice of bread a day). Beside positive experience there also appeared some negative – e.g. for about half a year afterwards I had a problem with overeating. Several years later, after going through the revival in the Holy Spirit, I began to try various fasting practices again. 40-day, 20-day or 10-day fasts several times. Sometimes on bread and water, another time just on water and another time on water mixed with juice. Unless fasting is connected with prayer, the spiritual effect is little. Before one begins to fast, it is good to have several health- and practical principles taken over from those who have experience of fasting.”

 

We ask today how the people are to fast who have been converted from a lukewarm faith or who came out of the world and want to become true disciples of Christ and His witnesses.

 

The present time destroys human mind and turns people into dependent weaklings who become slaves to various bad habits (alcohol, smoking, slot-machines, drugs, onanism, pornography, impurity, fears, depressions, rock music or music of the New Age, various false philosophies and ideologies...). Through these bad habits and false systems the soul of the individual has been entered by a demon or demons which in critical moments control reason and will and keep man in the slavery of darkness. Certainly, it is possible to pray the prayer of liberation or small exorcism, but every time it holds true that the key part is played by personal cooperation of the person concerned. Those who want to help him may pray and fast for him, but it is necessary that he himself, if he is able, should fast and pray, too. Jesus’ Word is true even today: “This kind of demons never comes out except by prayer and fasting.” (Mt 17:21)

 

What was the practice of the early Christian centuries or of the whole first millennium? In 863 the missionaries St. Cyril and Methodius, today the patrons of Europe, came to Moravia from Byzantium. They both were monks with the rules of St. Basil the Great. They translated the Holy Scripture, the Eastern Liturgy (of St. John Chrysostom and of St. Basil the Great) for us Slavs, as well as the Nomocanon, i.e. the Christian life-practice recorded in writing. Certainly, some rules cannot be applied to the present time, but many of the principles may inspire us to become rooted in the Spirit of true repentance and life.

 

The passover to a new life in Christ was realized through penitential practice. Unbelieving or lukewarm Christians were bound to do penance for several years – the most frequent norm was 7 years, but also 10, 20 years and some up till death (e.g. for adultery the punishment was 7 years, for an impure act with an animal, for homosexuality, for an intentional murder, for magic, divination, spiritism, for denial of belief in Christ – 20 years). Later on, the punishments were moderated (e.g. for divination – only 7 years) (see Rules of St. Basil the Great, can. 50, 57...).

 

This practice, which we actualize here, makes sense only for those who experienced interior conversion and who also desire deep inner healing.

 

Realization of punishment

 

1.      Prohibition of the Eucharist

 

The penitent was bound e.g. for 3 years during the Sunday Liturgy to stand in front of the temple and ask the people entering for a prayer; he was not allowed to enter. That was humiliating, yet also healing. The soul was thus being liberated from the darkness of human pride which is the root and at the same time the main fruit of sin!

 

Then e.g. for 1 year the penitent could stand in the vestibule of the temple until the Gospel, thereafter he was bound to leave the temple and spend the rest of the Liturgy outside.

 

Then e.g. for 1 year he stood in the temple only until the ektene (litany) before the Creed, then for 1 year he could be present at the whole Liturgy but could not receive Holy Communion. Only in the seventh year he was allowed to receive the Eucharist!

 

2.      Bows

 

Apart from that the penitents were to do so-called bows every day. The person stands up, makes the sign of the cross, from a squatting position falls down on knees and touches the ground with his/her head. While doing this, he/she says: “O Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me!” (the practice of so-called bows was used especially by the monks on the Mount Athos )

 

The practice was even 300 bows a day. For a healthy man it is a question of about one hour. Older people can kneel and only with their head bow down to the ground.

 

I can lay on the ground a picture of Christ or Christ’s cross and make the sign of the cross with faith, then kiss the cross or just touch it with my head with the consciousness that Jesus paid for my sins and that by His wounds I have been healed. During this I repeat the prayer: “O Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.”

 

3.  Prayer

 

The next important element of spiritual life is prayer. Jesus said: “Could you not watch with Me one hour?” (Mt 26:40) We can pray intimate prayers but they must not be mixed with the spirit of yoga or zen-buddhism. The prayers must be directed to Christ or through Him to the Father. We should spend at least one hour daily in interior prayer. That is to be before God’s face, which means to strive to keep watchful, to perceive that God sees me now and here. In His presence, through sorrow over my sins and through giving up my problems and crosses, I endeavour after full commitment, I wholly trust in Him now.

 

(For instructions how to live out one hour of interior prayer – see Golgotha – the first three words from the cross; www.community.org.ua):

 

Prayer

 

A) Three words from the cross

 

First word from the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do!” (Lk 23:34)

 

First third – 15 minutes:

 

a)      5 minutes

Position a).

I (we) repeat slowly for five minutes: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Lk 23:34)

This was how Jesus prayed when His hands and feet were being nailed to the cross.

 

b)      5 minutes

Position b).

I quietly utter with my mouth: “Father” and then with a thought: “forgive us” (Mt 6:12). It is good to realize my and my brother’s concrete guilt.

 

c)      5 minutes

Position c).

Quietly with my mouth, or rather with my breath, I call: “Aaaa-aaaa… aaaa-aaaa” (I perceive – Abba). Consciously before God I (we) forgive concrete guilts.

 

d) 5 minutes – a break – reading from the Holy Scripture

 

Second word from the cross: “Assuredly, I say to you…” (Lk 23:43)

 

Second third

  

a)      5 minutes

Position a).

I repeat slowly: “I am condemned to death. Jesus, remember me.” (cf. Rom 6:23; Lk 23:42)

 

b)      5 minutes

Position b).

I pronounce quietly: “Jesus”, and I perceive the reply: “Assuredly… you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Lk 23:43)

 

c)      5 minutes

Position c).

Mouth open, I call with my breath “aaaa-aaaa” (I perceive – Jehoshua). In this calling is contained the confession: “Jesus forgave me all sins.”

 

d)      5 minutes – a break – reading from the Holy Scripture

 

Third word from the cross: “Behold, your mother!” (Jn 19:26)

 

Third third

 

a)      5 minutes

Position a).

I repeat slowly: “Jesus said to the disciple: ‘Behold, your mother!’” (Jn 19:26)

 

b)      5 minutes

Position b).

I quietly pronounce the name: “Jesus” and add in thought: “I receive Your mother.”

 

c)      5 minutes

Position c).

Mouth open, I call with my breath: “aaaa-aaaa” (I perceive – Jehoshua), now the spiritual transplantation takes place, I receive a new heart (cf. Ezek 36:26).

 

d)      5 minutes – a break – reading from the Holy Scripture

 

B) Living out the basic truths

 

Within the first 15 minutes I experience the consciousness of judgement over myself and receipt of forgiveness under the cross through the word: “If we walk in the light, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.” (1Jn 1:7) or: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.” (Rom 6:23) If the Holy Spirit does not reveal a concrete sin and I do not feel inner pain of heart for a concrete sin, it is good to realize that I am a doer of my own will, a judge (of others), a hedonist (pleasures of the flesh). I have to humble my reason and will before God in such way that I no longer consider them the highest norm of truthfulness but I submit them to the truth of God’s Word. Then I stand in faith under the cross and I realize that Jesus is the Son of God and that He also died for all my sins. I receive by faith this manifestation of God’s mercy on me. I kneel during all the 15 minutes and repeat spontaneously two-syllabic words (e.g. “Abba”), and in spirit I realize my sins and receive forgiveness under the cross. There follows a 5-minute rest, a possibility for reading the Holy Scripture. Then the second truth follows – crucifixion with Christ, or discipleship. Here I experience the mystery of my powerlessness together with Christ. It is enough just to realize: “Jesus and I” and further “crucified together”, “now and here” (see Gal 2:20; Rom 6:6). The point is to be in God’s presence and in God’s Word at least for one minute. This requires watchfulness and both interior and exterior self-denial (hands lifted up, kneeling, sighs of faith /Rom 8:26-27/). All this disposes me to live out this mystery. Then there is a 5-minute break again and after it is finished I stand for 15 minutes with hands lifted up and I receive Christ’s testament (see Jn 19:25-27). I realize again that I am a disciple, that Jesus now sees me, that He speaks to me and that He gives me His mother and that at this hour I receive Her into myself (Gr: eis ta idia, Lat: in sua) as the new spiritual centre – heart, as the new Eve, the new Mother.

 

It is good if these prayers may be prayed together in a community of at least two, three or more people. God’s Spirit thus has a space to teach, encourage and lead to growth.

 

C) Concrete time of prayer

 

9ºº – stop for one minute and call with faith for the Holy Spirit. You can repeat 7 times the petition “Come, Holy Spirit!” and awaken a living faith for a few seconds.

12ºº – remind yourself that God became man. According to the Church Tradition we pray Angelus at this hour.

15ºº – realize that at this hour Jesus died for you on the cross. Try to perceive the five wounds (stabbed feet, hands, heart) and repeat: “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, have mercy on me!” (5 times) Once you will be dying, this prayer will give you an assurance of salvation.

 

Holy hour (20ºº - 21ºº): Provided you are not bound by working duties (job), give this time to the Lord. You will thus gain it for yourself, your family and your neighbours, too. In this time most people watch TV. Therefore it is necessary that right at this time as many people as possible turn their hearts to God and remind themselves of the most important events and truths related to eternity. Television for the major part offers vanity. Even if it offered religious films at this very hour, it is more useful to devote this time to prayer.

 

The blessing of priests at 21ºº: At this time a lot of priests give a blessing to the four cardinal points by making the sign of the cross and calling on God’s name. Wherever we are, let us receive this blessing with faith. Jesus Himself will heal us and liberate us from various dependences (alcohol, drugs, impurity, despair...). How many people will die during that night, and for many of them this may be a decisive moment for their salvation. Let priests give this blessing with faith and let believers receive it with faith, too.

 

D) Continual prayer – prayer fight

Beside the holy hour the God’s fighter has one concrete hour of prayer-guard for ten days a month. There are three groups, each keeps guard for 10 days in a month. The first one from 1st to 10th, the second one from 11th to 20th, the third one from 21st to 30th (31st) day in the month. Each group, consisting of 23 people, fills 23 hours of day. 24th hour – the so-called holy hour (20ºº - 21ºº) – is common for all every day. It is appropriate if all three groups have one common intention for the holy hour in a particular month (e.g. a spiritual revival in the town, in the nation) and, in addition to it, if each group also has its own topical intention for their ten-day guards every month. On Sunday before the start of the prayer guards the groups choose by lot the intentions of prayers and on Sunday after the end of the guards it is good to give a testimony out of those 10 days to the encouragement of others. It is also appropriate if more groups can have their own short journal for encouragement.

 

A tenth of the time of day is 2½ hours. If only we could devote one hour thereof to interior prayer (see booklet Golgotha, www.community.org.ua). The above-mentioned prayers are not just a practice for religious persons; they have likewise been practised for years by families in the Czech and the Slovak Republics, Ukraine and elsewhere. These families live a normal life, bring up children and go to work. So this is no exorbitant thing.

 

4.      Celebration of Sunday

 

One can celebrate the Resurrection beginning with the holy hour on Saturday e.g. until midnight or longer, or one can get up early in the morning and thus celebrate this night of Resurrection as well as this day when the risen Christ appeared to the women and to the disciples. It is also possible to gather for prayer on Sunday afternoon as well. One should pay heed to 4 demands here: 1) the apostles’ teaching, 2) fellowship, 3) the breaking of bread (the Eucharist), 4) prayer. These four principles were the foundation of the life of the early Christians in Jerusalem. These then became a pattern for Christians of all times. God worked through them great wonders and signs (see The Acts of the Apostles). The motto is: “True celebration of the Resurrection Day will bring true resurrection to the individual, the family, the Church and the nation!”

 

Baptism of repentance

 

Did the Apostles go through this baptism? Yes; even the Lord Jesus Himself received the baptism of repentance from John the Baptist. The Apostles then received the sacramental baptism from Jesus. On the tenth day after Jesus’ Ascension they received the baptism with the Holy Spirit and finally they received the baptism of blood when they died martyrs for Jesus’ sake and the Gospel’s. Even on this way we will have a chance to follow them in the present time. Nowadays we are witnesses to mass secularization. Many people were baptized; however, later they opened themselves fully to the spirit of the world because they had not received true Christian education. Many have turned into practical atheists and many do not even know whether they were baptized indeed! What to do with these spiritually dead or lukewarm Christians when they come to the Church? Is it necessary to enlighten them and to administer to them the sacramental baptism again so that they could receive it consciously and for their benefit? No. There is only one sacramental baptism. However, the present time requires that the practice of John’s baptism, or the baptism of repentance, be renewed, with such difference that the Apostles first received the baptism of repentance and then the baptism of Christ – the sacramental baptism. The nowaday baptized non-practising or lukewarm Christians should receive the baptism of repentance which would restore in them the sacramental baptism and would dispose them to receive the Holy Spirit in fullness (baptism with the Holy Spirit) so that they may become true Christ’s witnesses (martyres) and that they may likewise be disposed to receive the baptism of blood (Lk 12:50; Mk 10:39).

 

Let us take notice of a certain model in the Bible. The Apostle Peter came to the house of the Gentile Cornelius where he made a short evangelization for these disposed and truth-seeking people. Practically it was a testimony of his personal experience with Jesus who not only died for our sins but also in evidence of His Divinity rose from the dead and gave the Apostles the Holy Spirit in fullness. And while he was witnessing to Jesus in this way, God’s Spirit descended on all the Gentiles and they received the baptism with the Holy Spirit. When Peter “heard them speaking in tongues” (cf. Acts 10:46), he could not understand how unbaptized people could receive the same gift as the Apostles. So he baptized them on that very day. Thereafter, however, they had to go through a certain stage of repentance so that they could be innerly healed by Jesus through the Holy Spirit and that they could become rooted in Christ and in His Gospel! When the Apostle Paul had received the sacramental baptism and on the same day even the baptism with the Holy Spirit, he left for the desert in Arabia. Here he stayed for three years, doing penance, transforming his mind and thus having time to become rooted in Christ and to learn to walk in the Holy Spirit.

 

Likewise today, when many unbelieving or lukewarm Christians experience conversion, they need to go through the stage of the desert. After receiving the fullness of the Holy Spirit, who descended upon Him when He had received John’s baptism of repentance in Jordan, Jesus left for the desert! Full of the Spirit He left for the desert where He prayed and fasted and then He returned full of power! Jesus calls us to imitate Him: “Follow me!” (Mt 16:24, Jn 21:22). In the desert he fought with the devil and three times overcame him by the word of truth!

 

After our conversion, baptism of repentance (renewal of the sacramental baptism), we should necessarily spend certain time in the spirit of true repentance! (the desert – a process of inner healing)

 

Numbers 7 and 3½ in the Bible

 

When we become converted and give our whole life under the power of the holy blood of Jesus, all our sins are forgiven. However, our mind has been injured by our sinful thinking and way of life. These mechanisms are deep in our soul and after some time they begin to demand the old life style again. A converted person, in fact, is usually not led to change also his/her life style.

 

Unless after conversion or coming out of the world (the slavery of Egypt) the individual, the community, the Church or the nation observe the well-tried God’s regulations, they will thus open themselves to false spirituality and through magic and divination will fall into the slavery of “Babylon” as it was in the history of Israel, too. This is given as a warning to us!

 

In connection with spiritual fight, God’s Word points at the number 3½. It mentions 3½ years and 3½ days. This is a half of seven. The seventh day in the week is consecrated to God, and the seventh year similarly (cf. Lev 25:2-7; Deut 15:1-9). Jesus said: “In the days of Elijah the heaven was shut up three years and six months (3½ years) and there was a great famine throughout all the land.” (Lk 4:25) The Apostle James writes: “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months (3½ years).” (Jam 5:17) The Apostle John was shown in many symbols and visions the fight of the kingdom of God with the kingdom of darkness: “Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying: ‘Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months (i.e. 3½ years). And I will give power to my two witnesses (martyres), and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days (that is 3½ years), clothed in sackcloth.” (Rev 11:1-3)

 

“And from among the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations do men look upon their dead bodies three days and a half, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves... And after the three days and a half the breath of life from God entered into them.” (Rev 11:9-11)

 

Let us notice this number 3½. It is tied with the number of days and with the number of years.

3½ days is a half of the week and 3½ years is a half of seven years. The number 3½ symbolically points here at the spiritual fight with the powers of darkness!

 

Fasting practice

 

The Israelites considered the sunset to be the end of the day. Beginning with the sunset they counted a new day. For us the day ends at midnight, and sunset or sunrise plays no part here. If we average the time of the sunset, the result would be – between 18°° and 19°°. In accordance with this it is convenient to begin and end the fasting day.

 

Fasting days: Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

From Sunday evening till Monday evening = 24 hours = 1 day

From Tuesday evening till Wednesday evening = 1 day

From Thursday evening till Saturday morning = 1½ day

3½ days altogether = half of the week.

The first stage is fasting on bread and water on these days.

The second stage – we fast only on water.

The third stage – without any food or water.

According to the Tradition the fast is broken in the week after Easter, Pentecost and Christmas as well as every Sunday.

 

For the rest of the days one can choose a form of temperance, try not to overeat and to keep discipline in eating. One should learn to eat simple food. Unhealthy dietary habits are the cause of many diseases. One should eat such food which is easy to buy and should not give food more time than is necessary. The motto: “We live not to eat, but eat to live.”

 

The biblical rhythm of seven years includes six years of public penance and the seventh year is the spiritual resurrection (sabbatical year). If we adopt the fasting practice of 3½ days a week and if we keep to it for 3½ years, then in the remaining period we may adopt a milder practice. However, it does not mean that once we adopted a healthy rhythm of diet, we are now to become slaves of gourmandise. In the seventh year the fast is changed by temperance and freedom.

 

Conclusion

 

Jesus said: “This kind of demons never comes out except by prayer and fasting.” (Mt 17:21) These words are topical even today. The time of fast – 3½ days and 3½ years – encourages us for the fight with the powers of darkness. The seventh year is the year of spiritual resurrection.

 

In Christ,

                Fr. Markian V. Hitiuk ThLic. OSBM

                Fr. Eliáš A. Dohnal ThD. OSBM

                Fr. Metod?j R. Špi?ík ThD. OSBM

                Fr. Cyril J. Špi?ík ThD. Ing. OSBM

 

Pidhirtsi 28th October2007

 

Copies to:

-          His Holiness Benedict XVI

-          Bishops of the Orthodox Church

-          Representatives of all Christian denominations