THE DORMITION FAST: COMMON MISTAKES AND FALSE REPRE-SENTATIONS THAT BRING THE ENTIRE FAST TO NAUGHT

What you need to pay attention to during the Dormition fast – Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich).

The Dormition Fast is named after the feast of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos, which completes the fast, and this is its culmination.

One of the common mistakes, connected with this particular fast, is that many people consider this fast tragic and gloomy, because it is as strict as Lent, and reminds us of death. But this is not the case.

The Assumption fast speaks about the greatness and immortality of a person who has accepted the Lord into his heart.

This fast is filled with joy and hope of meeting the creature with its Creator. The meeting is not only as a physical death, a transition from one reality to another, but the main meeting is the meeting of a soul with the Lord here, on earth.

The location of the fast at the end of summer is symbolic. August is the time for summing up, collecting fruits, preparing for winter. This also applies to the spiritual life. Fasting is another opportunity to analyze your life, evaluate your actions, deeds, thoughts; to detect your weaknesses that hinder further movement and development, and to try to transform them.

This is what the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord tells, which falls on the Dormition fast, reminding us of the importance of humility in the face of the God’s willing and readiness to overcome all difficulties, to pass everything prepared for us without grumbling, with gratitude.

Unfortunately, some people associate this holiday only with the consecration of fruits, and it has no relevance to spirituality. It’s sad that people ignore the opportunity to become closer to God, to move closer to the Light, to get out of the darkness of unbelief and their passions. By incorrectly celebrating the holidays, people only aggravate their sins and multiply harmful habits.

There is also a common misconception that fast is an externally imposed restriction from without. Fasting is a voluntary and intended step. This is the desire of the soul to be closer to God, the desire to become like Him.

And the restriction in food is an attempt to learn not to waste time and not to distract attention to earthly pleasures, which are secondary in our life, but to focus on the main and daily – on personal relations with God.  This is the meaning of any fast, and of Christianity itself.

Christianity is an opportunity to become a new person in Christ, it is the beginning of a new life in Him. And fasting is one of the forms of achieving this goal.

Our faith and the Sacraments of the church unite us with Christ, and He enters into our life, sanctifying it. Everything good that is in our life comes from God, who dwells in us. Living with Christ does not mean just thinking about Him, it means that He begins to act in our life, to act through us.

Christianity is a personal choice of each of us to give his life to God like He once gave His life for us.

Recorded by Natalia Goroshkova

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