Lent is More Than Fasting

I read from the hagiography of the day from the Prologue of Ohrid by St. Nikolai Velimirovich every single day. The stories of the saints are beautiful. If this is all you ever know in life, count yourself blessed. One of the saints for February 28 is the Blessed Nicholas of Pskov. Blessed Nicholas was one of Russia's "fools for Christ". They had gone on to despising all things in order to become worthy partakers of Christ. They were typically scorned at by upper members of the society. They devoted themselves to unending prayer and fasting, giving up wealth, home, education, fame, all these things the typical man aspires to.

The great and terrible ruler Ivan IV whom historians have permanently scorned as "Ivan the Terrible" was coming through the town of Pskov one day. The town offered him bread and salt. Ivan IV refused. This "fool for Christ", Nicholas, had scorned Ivan as having a hunger for human flesh and blood. Instead of offering the terrible ruler bread and salt, Nicholas offered him meat. Ivan IV rebuked the Blessed Nicholas stating that "I am a Christian! I fast during Lent!" for this visitation to Pskov took place during the first week of Lent. Blessed Nicholas had known this. He offered the meat for this reason. He now rebuked Ivan IV for his hypocrisy. For while he abstains from meat, his hunger is for human flesh and blood. The planned massacre for the city of Pskov did not go into effect for these words certainly had stricken at the heart of Ivan the Terrible.

Lent is more than just fasting and refraining from meat. Fasting is a means to an end. Fasting is a just and righteous means to an holy end but if we are fasting for the wrong end, an unholy end to satiate our appetites with something other than God or the sake of holiness, then we are just as ruined as Ivan the Terrible. Let us heed the warning of Blessed Nicholas of Pskov as we continue to struggle through Lent. As our Kontakion goes for this second Sunday of Lent,

The time for action is now revealed; the Judge is at the door.
Let us rise then and keep the fast, offering tears of contrition

with alms and crying aloud:

Our sins are more numerous than the sands of the sea,

but forgive us, O Maker of all, that we may receive incorruptible crowns.