Such also was the fast of Nehemiah and that of Ezra

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III

Such also was the fast of Nehemiah and that of Ezra.
Ezra, the scribe and priest, said: “Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones ... So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer.” (Ezra 8:21,23).
Nehemiah also said: “I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” (Neh 1:4). He said this about himself, but as for the people, he said that they “were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads. Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for one-fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God.” (Neh 9:1-3). Is this not also an integrated fast: through prayer, weeping, lamentation, Bible reading, repentance, confession, and abasing oneself in sackcloth and ash! Therefore, fasting is not merely abstention from food.