Pope Shenouda III
Have you heard of the fast that exorcises evil spirits?
About these devils the Lord said: “This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." (Matt 17:21). What power is in these fasts that even the devils cannot stand but are exorcised? Is it mere abstention from food? Of course not, Rather, it is the strong relationship that binds the person who fasts with God and which the Devil cannot stand. It is the harmony between man and God, of love and spiritual relationship with God, which the Devil is deprived of. As soon as the Devil sees it, he grows weary and flees.
It is through fasting, that the man’s heart clings to God which the devil cannot withstand, and escapes.
