Today is the second Sunday of the fast of the Virgin lady St. Mary and the Gospel from Saint Luke, chapter 5 when some people Questioned Jesus About Fasting saying,
“John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.” Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.” As you know this commanded was fulfilled when the bridegroom Jesus Christ ascended to heaven his disciples and all the churches started to fast.
St. Mary’s fast was fasted by our fore fathers the Apostles themselves when St Tomas came back from his preaching journey in India. When he came back he asked his fellow Apostles about the Virgin Lady, when they told him that she has passed then he asked to see the burial site. When they reached the grave, they did not find the holy body, here he started telling them how he saw the holy body been lifted to the heavens……..so they fasted for 15 days asking the LORD to show them what has happened, then the LORD GOD showed them that the holy body was lifted to the heavens, and thus this feast is called the feast of the announcing of lifting of the body of the Virgin Lady and not the ascend of the body to the heavens.
We are all happy with the fasting of Saint Mary. The Fasting loved by all people and the Church does not make an effort to encourage people to fast it. It is almost said that this fast was imposed by the people on the church more than the church had imposed on the people.
The Virgin Fasting was used to fast only by the virgins, and it became a popular world fast. Although this fasting is one of the fasts in which the Church allows people to eat fish, the majority rejects and says how come we eat fish during the fast of the Virgin Mary, although the Church does not forbid that. Some people work in a spiritual match during the ritual fasting of the Virgin Mary and showing asceticism in fasting. Some do not eat cooked food, eat boiled food, and some do not eat hot food and invented food called (Cha-Lolo- is dry molokhia and put it cold water). Some refrain from eating sweets, cakes,.. and some girls wear the Virgin Mary dress (the long white dress and the belt in the middle and the veil on their head which is what the virgin appears in the icons, and this dress becomes their uniform throughout the fasting period. Many types of asceticism that they learned from the Coptic Church and the pleasant thing is that many non-Christians share this fast with us.
The fast of the Virgin Lady St Mary is an area for spiritual revival in all the churches they prepare a spiritual program, daily sermons, praising and daily masses even the churches that do not carry the name of the Virgin.
The fast of the Virgin Lady St Mary is a call to all of us to live in purity and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14). Good News.
“John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.” Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.” As you know this commanded was fulfilled when the bridegroom Jesus Christ ascended to heaven his disciples and all the churches started to fast.
St. Mary’s fast was fasted by our fore fathers the Apostles themselves when St Tomas came back from his preaching journey in India. When he came back he asked his fellow Apostles about the Virgin Lady, when they told him that she has passed then he asked to see the burial site. When they reached the grave, they did not find the holy body, here he started telling them how he saw the holy body been lifted to the heavens……..so they fasted for 15 days asking the LORD to show them what has happened, then the LORD GOD showed them that the holy body was lifted to the heavens, and thus this feast is called the feast of the announcing of lifting of the body of the Virgin Lady and not the ascend of the body to the heavens.
We are all happy with the fasting of Saint Mary. The Fasting loved by all people and the Church does not make an effort to encourage people to fast it. It is almost said that this fast was imposed by the people on the church more than the church had imposed on the people.
The Virgin Fasting was used to fast only by the virgins, and it became a popular world fast. Although this fasting is one of the fasts in which the Church allows people to eat fish, the majority rejects and says how come we eat fish during the fast of the Virgin Mary, although the Church does not forbid that. Some people work in a spiritual match during the ritual fasting of the Virgin Mary and showing asceticism in fasting. Some do not eat cooked food, eat boiled food, and some do not eat hot food and invented food called (Cha-Lolo- is dry molokhia and put it cold water). Some refrain from eating sweets, cakes,.. and some girls wear the Virgin Mary dress (the long white dress and the belt in the middle and the veil on their head which is what the virgin appears in the icons, and this dress becomes their uniform throughout the fasting period. Many types of asceticism that they learned from the Coptic Church and the pleasant thing is that many non-Christians share this fast with us.
The fast of the Virgin Lady St Mary is an area for spiritual revival in all the churches they prepare a spiritual program, daily sermons, praising and daily masses even the churches that do not carry the name of the Virgin.
The fast of the Virgin Lady St Mary is a call to all of us to live in purity and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14). Good News.