The Apostles of Fast
God, to an understanding of the Apostles and to
those who received instruction from disciples of the Apostles, “He appointed
twelve, whom He also named Apostles to be with Him and to be sent out…” (Mark
3:14)
The twelve apostles formed the inner core of the
Lord Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry. They were personally chosen by the Lord
Himself, had the power of working miracles, and were inspired to teach and to
do extraordinary mission work. On the Feast of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came
down on the apostles and they became great, giving witness with the power of
the life and death and the resurrection of Lord Jesus as He declared they
should. “When the Bridegroom shall be taken from them…..then they shall fast.”
(Matthew 9:15) The Apostles’ Fast is the oldest fast and the first one kept by
the Christian Church. During the Apostles’ Fast, the Holy Spirit spoke to
them, “As they ministered to the Lord and Fasted the Holy Spirit
said separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
And when they fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them
away.” (Acts 13:2-3)
The Apostles served the Lord Jesus and later
provided leadership to the first generation Christian believers. They were of
such importance that the word “Apostle” occurs approximately seventy-nine times
in the New Testament. Acts of the Apostles portrays the Apostles as leaders of
the first Church in Jerusalem during the Church’s first decade. The Apostles truly
established the church and with their fast we contemplate the glory of God,
their faith, and hardships in which they overcame.
Origins of the Fast of the Apostles
The Fast of the Holy Apostles is dated back to
early years of the Church. The first evidence of this fast is found in the
writings of Saint Athanasius the Great (373). In his letter to Emperor
Constance, he writes: “During the week following Pentecost, the people who
observed the fast went out to the cemetery to pray.” Some 20 years later,
Saint Ambrose (397) writes: “On the days following his ascension into
heaven, however, we again fast.” (Sermon 61)
The famous pilgrim Egeria mentioned the Apostles’
Fast also in her fourth-century-writing which records that “on the day
following the feast of Pentecost, a period of fasting began.” In the same
period, the fourth century, the Apostolic Constitutions prescribes: “After
the feast of Pentecost, celebrate one week, then observe a fast, for justice
demands rejoicing after the reception of the gifts of God and fasting after the
body has been refreshed.”
Until the second half of the 3rd century, the
Fast of the Holy Apostles was linked to Pentecost and lasted only for one week
(Apostolic Constitutions). Later on, after the martyrdom of the Apostles Peter,
Saint Paul and following the development of the commemoration of their death
around the year 258, the Apostles’ Fast became linked to the feast of Saints
Peter and Saint Paul on June 29. Consequently, it became a fasting period of
preparation for the celebration of the feast of the great apostles. Saint
Symeon of Thessalonica (1429) explains: “The Fast of the Apostles is
justly established in their honor, for through them we have received numerous
benefits and for us they are exemplars and teachers of the fast … For one week
after the descent of the Holy Spirit, in accordance with the Apostolic
Constitution composed by Clement, we celebrate, and then during the following
week, we fast in honor of the Apostles.”
Subsequently, the duration of the Fast of the Holy
Apostles changed from one week to a variable period depending on the date of
the Feast of Pascha (Easter).
The fast of the Holy Apostles starts, Monday
after the feast of Pentecost. The duration of this fast varies, depending on
the date of Pascha (Easter). The rule is that the Fast starts on the first
Monday after Pentecost and ends on June 12, on the feast of Saints Peter and
Saint Paul. According to the new calendar, the Apostles’ Fast could last as
short as 8 days and as long as 30 days (42 days according to the Church
Calendar).
The Fast of the Holy Apostles is not as strict as
the Fasts of Pascha (Easter) and the Nativity of Christ; rather it is more
lenient in its duration and rules. The current rules of fasting, during the
Apostles’ Fast, were established first for the monks of the Monastery of the
Kiev Caves by Metropolitan George of Kiev (1069-1072). These rules are still
practiced today amongst most Orthodox Christians with minor variations, depending
on the jurisdiction.
The Apostles fast has emerged since the very
early days of Christianity. It is honored and preserved in the Church as a part
of our Holy Tradition. Like all Fasts in the Orthodox Church, the Holy
Apostles’ Fast aims to help us put on the “armor of light” to against the
attacks of the enemy that may befall during our spiritual journey to become
united with God through His grace. No better words may express the importance
of fasting in our life like the words of Saint Abba Isaac the Syrian who
says, “… since fasting is a weapon established by God …the human race knew
no victory before fasting, and the devil was never defeated by our nature as it
is: but this weapon has indeed deprived the devil of strength from the outset.
As soon as the devil sees someone possessed of this weapon (fasting), fear
straightway falls on this adversary and tormentor of ours, who remembers and
thinks of his defeat by the Saviour in the wilderness; his strength is at once
destroyed and the sight of the weapon given us by our Supreme Leader burns him
up. A man armed with the weapon of fasting is always afire with zeal. He who
remains therein, keeps his mind steadfast and ready to meet and repel all
violent passions.”
May God grant us mercy through “The Fast of Apostles,”
Amen!
Source:- Homily of Bishop Youssef and
Archpriest Ayman Kfouf
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