In this video, Fr. Philip Hall speaks about the most important aspects of fasting in the Orthodox Christian life.
This is a sermon recorded on March 2nd, 2025 at the All Saints of Lincolnshire Orthodox Christian Church, Lincoln, England.
Watch the full sermon on Archimandrite Philip’s channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VlgXwpMn7I
Fr. Philip:
When you fast, says the Lord, you do it secretly. You anoint your face as if you’re going to a party. You put on good clothes. You don’t put on sackcloth. You don’t rub soot all over your head. You go as if you’re going to a party. You make nobody realize that you are going to fast and then you fast.
The same with prayer. When you pray, you go into your secret place and you pray. When you give alms, the Lord says, “Don’t set the trumpets going. Do it secretly so nobody knows that you gave money away.” You might even choose to deny that you are fasting. You might choose to deny that you are praying. You might even choose to deny that you’re giving any money away. Just keep it to yourself. And if people are say, “Well, not really.” Something like that. So that you don’t ingrandise yourself in some sort of spiritual way. So that’s the first thing, a really important one. You do this secretly so that not even other people in your home know that you are fasting to the extent that you are.
Now something else to remember: what other people are doing says St. Paul in Romans is none of your business. None of your business. You might see them fasting hugely. You might find them fasting badly. You might see them fasting incorrectly. Is that your business? No. That is their business. Take your big nose out of their business. It’s nothing to do with you. So if you see somebody in the middle of the fast eating beef burgers and swallowing down liters of ice cream, this is not your business. So mind your own business.
So then what might be your business then? Well, go and sit somewhere quietly. Think and pray quietly and carefully. Look into your life. Say to yourself things like, “What can I really give to the Lord in terms of prayer?” And then do that. “What can I really give to the Lord in terms of giving away money and my time, giving arms?”, and then do that. “What can I really do when I fast?” And then do that. Do something you can do and not something you can’t. And push it a little bit. So, you’re doing a little bit more than you think you might do. And stay with that. Ask yourself, “how am I going to fast? How am I going to pray? How am I going to give alms?” and then get on with it and do it in secret so that, as I said before, not even other people in your own household have any idea what you’re doing.
Now let us say that you fast really well. Not one atom of animal products, animals with backbones, cross your lips, not so much as a sniff of alcohol, and you haven’t even looked with longing at anybody else for the whole of Lent. But not only has this to be done secretly, but you must do it with forgiveness. Because you might have spent a huge amount of money on other people. You might have spent hour upon hour upon hour praying. You might have fasted so much that you’re now almost a skeleton. But if you don’t forgive other people, God cannot forgive you. Cannot.
So start there. Make that your first action in fasting. Forgive others. In this particular Sunday, we are enjoined to forgive other people. We’re told to do it. And we must get on with that because if you don’t forgive others, God cannot forgive you. It’s not possible for Him. So, fast secretly. So, give arms secretly. So, pray secretly. But above all, forgive, forgive, and forgive. May your fast be joyful, secret, rewarding to you both in heaven and on earth. Your prayers, God bless you! Amen.
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