💤ume @ultimatezume - Twitter Profile

If you are going to start this fasting with a single goal - not to eat meat, milk and eggs, better right now, go to the fridge, cut yourself a piece of bliss and settle down. You are not saving yourself, you are in mortal danger. I will never forget the lesson in learnt in my youth. Then I thought faith was a feat, hunger, strict rules. And here, at the monastery table in Great Lent, the old man, whom everyone revered as a saint, grabbed from the young listener the empty plate of porridge and threw it on the floor. Dead silence, everyone froze, afraid to breathe. And the old man looked this boy in the eyes and spoke quietly, but in such a way that I got goosebumps. - Who are you fooling? You do not please God with your hunger, you are feeding the devils. Eat everything they give you until you become a human being. Then I realized: How come? Fasting is a sacred time. Why did the old man do that? 20 years have passed and now when people come to me for confession, I understand why. I see this everyday and want to keep you safe. I remember my 30 year old self, hot, jealous. I decided to fast according to the Old Testament: dry eating, water, bread, no relaxation. I've lost weight, I feel like a spirit hero. See I was thinking how I humble my flesh. And what was going on inside me? Christ didn't live there, a crocodile settled there. I've become unbearable. I was annoyed by my wife, who loudly stirred with a teaspoon. I was annoyed by children laughing while I was praying. I was walking down the street and looking at people with ice cream, I thought, "Here are the sinners, eating and not repenting, all will perish and I will be saved." "I was clean on the outside, without a gram of butter, but inside I was rotten with pride. I have become a Pharisee who hates people but obeys the law. And behold, for once, the Lord made me understand. I met a simple grandmother, a man of God. He looked at me, and I was so holy and frowning, and with a smile he asked me: - Father, do you know who is the greatest fasting person in the world? I started counting the Holy Fathers, and she shook her head: - No, Father, the most ideal fasting person is Satan. Think about it, the devil never eats at all. Never sleeps, awake 24 hours a day. And, pardon the details, he's a virgin, he doesn't do fornication. He is a perfect ascetic, but he is in darkness. Do you know why? Because there is not a drop of love or an ounce of humility in it. That's the trap. Fasting without love is just a demonic diet. If you gave up chops but ate your daughter-in-law with rebuke, you are not fasting, you are sinning worse than the drunkard under the fence. If you've read all the prayers but haven't called your single mother, your post is not worth a penny. God is not staring at your plate as closely as you think he is. He is looking at your heart. I know a lot of you listening to me now are old people, someone has gastritis, the other has diabetes, your blood pressure is jumping and crying: - Father, I cannot starve, I am so weak, I am so sinful. Dear me, wipe your tears. I tell you like a priest: - Illness is now fasting. Your humility in the face of weakness is a feat higher than refusing food. Better eat that chicken if you don't have strength, but find strength to smile at your husband who came home tired from work. Better drink milk, but don't drink the blood of your children with your murmuring. "Close your mouth of judgement. Try this simple experiment this week. Make a list of the people you have offended. Whom you haven't called for half a year, for whom are you holding grudges? Call up, say : forgive me. It's harder. Pride will shout, resist, but if you do this, the Heavens will rejoice. So I bless you, my angels, not for hunger, but for humanity. Be full, but be good. Don't turn yourselves into evil saints. Let your house smell like pancakes, but let peace reign, not swear by law…