Comments

17 responses to “Fasting without Force”

1. 

   Rhonda

   October 14, 2011

   Thank you, Fr. Stephen, for a very good reminder!

2. 

   Lisa

   October 14, 2011

   This was exactly what I needed to hear today. Thank you.

3. 

   Jim vivanco

   October 15, 2011

   Excellent!

4. 

   Brian

   October 15, 2011

   “All are done with joy.”

   This is the key to Orthodox Christian asceticism. To love, to give the gift of self to one’s Beloved is always a joy regardless of the sacrifice or the pain involved. All the work, all the sacrifice, all the pain are seen only by those who are on the outside looking in, while they are as nothing but joy to the one who loves. Everyone who has ever truly loved another another person knows this intuitively.

   Without love there can be no joy. Without love the practice of self-denial is no longer Christian, having become warped – reduced to drudgery at best or the heresy of salvation by works at worst.

5. 

   Aunt Melanie

   October 15, 2011

   Would you recommend fasting for a person who has an eating disorder? Also, at what age would you recommend that a person begin fasting?

   I am open to answers or suggestions from anyone; and especially Fr. Stephen if you have the time.

6. 

   Philip Jude

   October 15, 2011

   Father,

   This is somewhat off topic, but . . .

   Can a Jew who comes to Christ generally, and the Church specifically, continue to observe the Law? If not, why did God command Israel to keep the Law for perpetuity?

   Is the Law sufficient for salvation of those Jews who do not follow Christ?

7. 

   Aunt Melanie

   October 15, 2011

   Philip Jude,
   I have a few posts on Old Testament Law on my blog:
   http://oldpagesnewlife.wordpress.com/tag/old-testament/
   I will be making more such posts in the future, probably on a weekly basis.

8. 

   navyguns

   October 16, 2011

   Phillip, the Law was not sufficient for anyone, else why did Saul suffer so much in preaching Christ? Please read through his epistle to the Galatians. Yeshua Ha Machiach fulfilled the Law in all respects, the only Jew ever to do so, and the last that ever needed to do so. Salvation/reconciliation is now and has always been by faith, repentance, and humility before the Almighty. Paul sets forth Abraham as our example. Before ever there was the Law or circumcision, Abraham was justified by faith. We, with the same faith as believing Abraham, are justified as well. Abraham looked forward to the seed which would bless all nations, we look back to the seed, Christ.

9. 

   fatherstephen

   October 16, 2011

   Navyguns. St. Paul’s arguments are, of course, correct. But they rarely apply to Judaism today. It’s been 2000 years and Judaism has taken a number of forms and has a very subtle relationship on the question of the Law. Frequently modern Christians only know about a Judaism that was part of an argument at the beginnings of the Christian faith. I would add, that much that today is considered “justification” is a mishandling of St. Paul (sort of St. Paul read through the lens of Luther). We are saved by God’s grace, through Christ alone, no argument.

10. 

    Philip Jude

    October 17, 2011

    Does the Old Testament speak of the Messiah as the one who fulfills the Law? Is this a clear messianic standard established in the OT?

    It has just always bothered me: If the Law was so imperfect, why does God (supposedly) establish it for perpetuity? I have read Galatians, and I understand Paul’s argument. Of course, many Jews “understand” Paul’s argument — and disagree with it because they have contradicting premises.

    Does the “perpetual fulfillment” of the Law by Christ have something to do with the Son’s infinite Godhead? If the Law was meant to be temporary, a didactic place-holder, so to speak, why is it spoken of as ever-lasting? Are these the words of man’s tradition, imposed upon the Divine command of God? If so, what does this say about our understanding of the Scripture?

    I am, of course, a practicing and (I’d like to think) pious Catholic, so I am not arguing from a position of unbelief, just uncertainty. This has always bugged me, and a clearer understanding would make it much easier to hold conversations with my Jewish friends.

    I appreciate all the help thus far.

    +Philip Jude

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    October 17, 2011

    […] Becoming holy and fighting evil. […]

12. 

    mushroom

    October 17, 2011

    “…for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

13. 

    Andrew

    October 17, 2011

    Like everything else under the sun, the law is only another way of speaking about the love of God. A circumlocution. Saying it, without actually forming the words. That’s why heaven and earth pass away before one jot is abrogated.

14. 

    Byzantine Jewess

    October 20, 2011

    Father Stephen, thank you for your thoughtful and nuanced response to Philip’s question – as one of those rather ambiguous Jewish Christians, I appreciate it muchly!

    and Philip, thank you as well for posing such questions.

15. 

    Drewster2000

    October 21, 2011

    Fr. Stephen,

    You are a source of good things. I looked up “Wounded by Love” on Amazon and other sources. Not only can people not stop praising him and his works, but the areas he addresses seem to all be very relevant and practical to the issues we struggle with most. Definitely on my list. Thanks again for your guidance in these dark times.

    drew

16. 

    Lina

    October 21, 2011

    This is my own pondering on the law, so here goes. Laws are basically designed to protect us. Our communities have laws that say, for instance, that we don’t go through a red light. I do not receive a reward for obeying this law. I could get a fine, cause an accident, or kill someone because I didn’t obey this law. Or I might get away with it.

    It seems to me that God gave us the Law for three reasons.

    1. So that we might better know Him: what kind of a god is he?
    what are His standards? What does he expect from us?

    2. He gave us the Law so that we can know what pleases Him.
    Just as a child will want to please his parent or teacher
    so we need to know what pleases God.

    3. He gave us the law for our own protection. Often we are our own worst enemy. We kid ourselves when we say that we have reason and can set our own standards. The Law gives us a standard to measure our thoughts and behavior.

17. 

    Aaron Taylor

    July 10, 2012

    Father, do you know the page number for this passage?