وجبـــــــة روحيـــــ(†)ــــــــــة يوميـــــــــة

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III

In his fast, the Prophet Daniel offered the repentance of the whole nation.
He fasted, confessing to God, saying: “We have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. ... O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face ... O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You.” (Dan 9:5-8).

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III

We therefore reconcile with God through fasting.
Do not say: “How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? (Ps 13:1). You should rather say: 'How long will I forget You, O Lord, forever? How long will I hide my face from You?
Therefore purify and sanctify your soul. Prepare for these special days, Make ready to have God residing in your hearts and not by merely abstain from food.
If you are in sin, be reconciled with God, and if you are reconciled with Him, deepen your love for Him.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III

If you removed sinfulness in a fast, continue in the same way afterwards.
Repentance is not confined to fasting alone, but made fit through fasting. Through fasting, man heart is purified, and this purity continues with him.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III

In all this, be ready to strive against the Devil.
Joshua, son of Sirakh, told his son that if he set forward to serve God, he should prepare himself for all trials.
When the Devil sees your fast and repentance, he becomes envious of your spiritual acts. Thus, he fights you to deprive you of the fruit of your labour and seeks every trick to bring about your downfall, saying: I shall not leave you until you give up. Remember the words of the Apostle Peter, who said, “Resist him, steadfast in the faith. “ (1 Pet 5:9).
Thus, fasting is a period of spiritual warfare as was the case with Jesus Christ. (Matt 4). It is also a period of triumph for him who shares it with Christ.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III

Fasting Accompanies Prayer and Worship


Fasting without prayer is a bodily act. As such, it loses its spiritual nature and benefit.
Fasting does not mean depriving the body of food, which is a negative aspect. The positive aspect manifests itself in giving the soul its nourishment.
Those who fast without any spiritual act, such as prayer, contemplation, spiritual reading, Psalms, Hymns, or prostration, their fast becomes a useless burden. What is the difference between their fast and that of the Buddhists and Hindus? What role did the Holy Spirit play in your fast?
Fasting provides an opportunity for prayer. A prayer while fasting is more profound than one hundred prayers conducted with a full stomach full and a voice jolting mountains.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III

The Church teaches us that prayer and fasting are interrelated. In the Lent Fraction during the divine Mass, the statement “Through prayer and fasting” is repeated a number of times. When the Lord Jesus Christ spoke about exorcising devils, He said: “This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” (Matt 17:21).

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III

Well-known fasts in the Bible were also bound to prayer.


Thus, when Nehemiah fasted, he said: “When I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned ... And I said: "I pray, Lord God of heaven, ... let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night... “ (Neh. 1:4-6). He then started confessing his sins and the sins of his people calling for the Lord’s intervention and mercy.
Ezra's fast was also accompanied by prayers. (Ezra 8:21,23).
The Prophet Daniel's fast was accompanied by prayer and struggle with God. He said, “O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. "O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.” (Dan 9:18,19).
In the fast of Nineveh, the people cried “mightily to God” (Jon 3:8).

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III

Therefore, cry to God during your fast, lifting up your abased heart to Him.
Be confident that God will respond to your fast and clamour, and that when He reproaches the winds and the waves, the sea will become calm, How deep indeed are your prayers if conducted on sacred days from a humbled hearts before God through fasting and purified by repentance. How much more profound they become if accompanied by attendance to the Holy Mass and communion.
Train yourself while fasting in the love of prayer and the struggle with God.
In Chapter five, we have written out a up a guide for your prayer.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III

It is important in prayer, to submit your heart and thought to God.
Do not subdue your conscience with formalities and with shallow readings not emanating from the heart, and then say: " I have fasted and prayed!" God will blame you, saying: “This people honours Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.” (Mark 7:6). Prayer is a fellowship, thus, during your prayer and fasting feel that you are in communion with God.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III

If consecrating a fasting means devoting it to God, then have you devoted your fasting period to prayer and spiritual work?
Is it a period of prayer, contemplation, spiritual storage, and devotion to God and His company? Are your prayers double or triple those of your regular days? If you have not devoted most of your time to God, have you devoted your feelings and emotions to Him?