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jeudi23juin2016

StatementofrepresentativesoftheSerbianOrthodoxChurchonbehalfof
youngtheologians,OrthodoxyouthfromSerbiaandtheUSonfasting
The way we fast nowadays (when we only eat certain types of food and avoid others) has
annulled all other kinds of fasting, which are found in the tradition of fasting and which
demonstrate the creative nature of Christian fasting (for example, in our tradition we find: 1.
complete abstinence from eating, 2. fasting until midafternoon, 3. eating less in order to save
moneyforcharity,or4.abstainingnotfromfood,butfromfavoriteactivities,etc.).Whatmattered
wasthereasonforfasting,nottheduration,whichwasdirectlydependentonthatreason.Also,the
realmeaningoffastingliednotinthetypeoffood,butonabstinence.Butunfortunately,veryoften,
deliciousand luxurious dishes are welcomed by our Church as fasting food, provided they do not
contain prohibited ingredients. In that way the Church enables rich Christians to be good
Christians, who can fast for months using different types of very expensive food while poor
ChristiansbecomebadChristiansbecausesometimestheytakesomecheeseoreggs,iftheycannot

afford to eat Lenten foods for more than six months every year, or only two or three types of ,
foodthattheycanafford. ,
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Another quandary for our Churchs actual understanding of fasting are vegetarians and
vegans.WhatshalltheChurchdowithvastnumberofvegetariansandveganswhodonoteatmeat
anyway?AccordingtoChurchrulesconcerningfasting,suchpeoplealreadyfastallthetime.So,our
currentunderstandingoffastingdeprivesthemofthepossibilitytobe,fromtimetotime,engaged
in the common enterprise of the Church, because the Church already sees them as fasting from
particularfoodsallthetime.

Also, fasting as we now understand it, with the fasting periods on which the Church
insists(whichismorethanhalfayear),ontheonehand,isnotreallypossibleformanycategoriesof
Christians (for example: the old and the sick), who, on the other hand, being Christians, want to
fulfill the commandments of their Church. As such we create an inner conflict in these people
withoutreason.

Furthermore,ourTypikonisnotinaccordancewithourfastingregulations.Letmetakeonly ,25.2016.
one example: the Feast of Transfiguration of the Savior (6 August). One important aspect of the 19(GMT+2)
meaning of this feast is that it represents a sign of the final resurrection of all. But the way we
practicefastingonthatday(onlyfishisallowed,butnotmeat,cheeseoreggs)contradictsnotonly ,
,26.2016.
themeaningofthefeast,butalsotheprinciplethatthefeastsofChristcannotbesubordinatedto 9(GMT+2)
otherfeasts.Asyouknow,itwastheByzantineemperorLeoVItheWise(886912)whoabolished
thefestalcharacteroftheTransfigurationfeast,bannedmeat,whichwasformerlyallowedonthis
feast, and joined its five fasting days with the Dormition Fast. Yet we know that even after one

century some continued to celebrate the Transfiguration properly, as a nonfasting day. Why
wouldntwedothistoday?
,

Moreover, it is of special importance that, as late as in the 12th century, the Byzantine
canonistTheodorBalsamoninsistedthatonlythefastsofWednesday,Friday,andtheGreatLent ,

were the obligatory ones, established by the Holy Canons, whereas all the others were not

obligatory. Therefore, the history of our Church shows that multiplying and extending the fasting .
periods has never been a unanimous and unquestionable practice. Long fasting equally as long
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prayers are not necessarily a token of piety they may well be reason enough for condemnation
(sufficeittocompareChristswordsintheGospelofMark12:40andLuke20:47).

2016(43)
Thankyouforyourattention.
juin(43)
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