“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:16-18

“All that God has made is ‘very good’: to fast is not to deny this intrinsic goodness, but to reaffirm it...Evil resides not in created things as such but in our attitude towards them, that is, our will. The purpose of fasting, then is not to [deny] the divine creation but to cleanse our will....(fasting is) a fight not against but for the body; the aim of fasting is to purge the body of alien defilement and render it spiritual”
- Bishop Kallistos

Bottom Line

Fasting prepares your whole self to experience God’s transforming presence.

Fasting prepares us for prayer and communion with God.

“There is no other virtue that is either higher or more necessary than sacred prayer, because all other virtues (fasting)...do not unite man with God, but only render man fit to be united”
- St. Nikodemos

Fasting reveals what’s happening underneath the surface.

“Fasting reveals the things that control us”
- Richard Foster

Fasting helps us be more grateful to God for what we do have.

Fasting helps us to be more generous and other-focused.

Fasting helps us cultivate spiritual discipline.

Action Step

Pick a day to fast this week using the instructions below:

• Identify a specific reason why you’re fasting.
• Choose a prayerful response for when you feel hunger.
• Eat and drink nothing but water for 2 or 3 meals.
• Create space for reflection.
• When you do eat your next meal, be thankful and celebrate the ways God provides for you.