The Dormition Fast is about to begin. This Wednesday and the two weeks that follow are given to us as a time of preparation to consider and celebrate all that Christ has done for us through His Mother, who is truly Theotokos, the “Birth-giver of God.” The Fast is one of the four major fasting seasons of the Church year. It is meant to be a time of repentance, increased prayer, confession, and restoration in anticipation of the Feast to come. In the midst of the fast, almost halfway through we are invited to participate in another Great Feast of our Lord—the Holy Transfiguration, a Theophany of our Lord, i.e., the manifestation of His divinity, that He is truly God. It’s customary throughout the Orthodox world to set aside time in the fasting seasons to pray more, attend more services, enjoin the physical fast with spiritual strengthening and feasting. The fast in an opportunity to grow, to heal, to take a step forward in faith, beseeching the Theotokos to pray for us before her Son and our God. The measure with which we take this fasting season seriously, applying the fast to our lives, will also determine how much we benefit from this holy season, how much we avail ourselves of St. Mary’s prayers on our behalf, her aid in our battles with our passions and the flesh. May this holy season be for each of us a time of renewal, growth, healing, and salvation.**
In His love and wishing you every blessing of the Fast, Fr. Robert+
**Please consult our Mission Calendar for the general dietary guidelines for the Fast. As always, if you have ANY questions about the fast as it relates to you and your abilities or physical condition, it’s always most blessed to consult with the priest. Part of the Fast, is fasting under obedience, learning humility, and accountability in the Church. The fast is made for us and not the other way around. That said, we never fast well when we follow our own individual thoughts about what to do or to eat.
