Fasting in the Orthodox Church is a profound spiritual tool, shaped by centuries of wisdom and communal experience. Yet, it’s easy to misunderstand what fasting truly means, especially when comparing it with modern or non-Orthodox approaches. While many of our other posts focus on what fasting is, here we explore what fasting is not—helping clarify some common misconceptions so we can enter into the Fast more deeply and authentically.
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1. Fasting is not about our personal preferences
In many Christian circles today, Lent has become a personal, customizable journey: one person might give up chocolate, another might stop playing video games, and someone else might skip one meal a day. In the West, fasting often means “pick your own challenge and go on your own spiritual adventure.”
Related: Different Levels of Fasting in the Orthodox Church
But in the Orthodox Church, fasting is not a private spiritual experiment. It is a corporate act—the whole Body of Christ moving together, following the same calendar and dietary guidelines. The Church, in her wisdom, has shaped these rules over centuries, not to burden us, but to unite us as a family journeying toward Pascha. Submitting to the Church’s fasting rules is an act of humility and trust, laying aside our own preferences to walk together in obedience and love.
2. Fasting is not a private matter between you and God
Many assume that fasting is a secret, private matter, strictly between the individual and God. But Orthodox fasting is not just a one-on-one transaction. The whole community fasts together. We are not isolated spiritual athletes, but members of one Body, striving alongside each other.
This shared discipline helps protect us from pride—the temptation to compare ourselves to others or to think we’re spiritually superior because our fast is stricter or more creative. Instead, we all take up the same challenge, supporting one another and reminding ourselves that fasting is about our need for God, not about showing off spiritual strength.
3. Fasting is not about suffering.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that fasting is mainly about self-inflicted suffering or deprivation. Certainly, fasting involves some struggle—it wouldn’t have any spiritual value if it were always comfortable. But the Church does not teach that God is pleased by our suffering for its own sake, or that fasting is a kind of punishment.
Instead, fasting is meant to be a joyful exercise of self-discipline. As St. John Chrysostom teaches, fasting is a medicine for the soul—a way to heal our desires and train our will. We fast so that, with God’s help, we might become more like Christ: freer, more loving, more attentive to the things of God. “Let us joyfully begin the holy season of abstinence; and let us shine with the bright radiance of the holy commandments of Christ our God,” proclaims the Lenten hymn.
4. Fasting is not just about food
The Orthodox Church teaches that fasting has both a physical and a spiritual side. The physical side involves abstaining from certain foods—meat, dairy, eggs, and so on. But the spiritual side is even more important. Fasting means working to abstain from evil thoughts, gossip, anger, selfishness, and all the passions that draw us away from God.
Related: 5 Lessons We Can Learn From Fasting
St. Seraphim of Sarov calls fasting an “indispensable means” for gaining the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The Lord Himself tells us that some spiritual battles cannot be won without prayer and fasting (cf. Matthew 17:21). If we only change our eating habits and ignore the call to prayer, repentance, and almsgiving, then our fasting is just another diet. The Church encourages us to use the extra time and money saved by fasting to pray more deeply and to give more generously to those in need.
The real goal: fasting from the Passions
Ultimately, the purpose of fasting is not simply to tame our stomachs, but to soften our hearts. True fasting means turning away from unkind words, selfish actions, and impure thoughts. As St. Basil the Great says: “True fasting lies not only in abstaining from food, but in refraining from sin.”
Let us approach this fasting season not as a burden or a competition, but as a joyful opportunity to grow together in humility and love. May the Lord grant you strength to persevere, the grace to get back up when you fall, and the joy of walking this path alongside your brothers and sisters in Christ. A blessed and fruitful fast to all!
Keep Reading: What are the Passions? And How Do We Fight Them?