👉🏽👉🏽👉🏽A Holy Exhortation on the Sacred Fast of #Akfulot
Brethren beloved in Christ, heirs of the heavenly promise,
Peace be multiplied unto you by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who endured the Cross, despising the shame,
And brought forth light from the tomb!
Today, let us sit at the feet of the holy Fathers and drink deeply from the wellspring of divine instruction as we contemplate the sacred tradition of Akfulot a holy practice veiled in awe, trembling, and reverent silence, handed down from apostolic times and preserved with zeal by the Bride of Christ, the Holy Orthodox Church.
What is Akfulot?
The word Akfulot means “to fold,” “to fold upon,” or “to bind together.” But not merely in the literal sense. Spiritually, Akfulot is the folding together of two days into one solemn fast binding the hours of Friday and Saturday into one extended vigil of prayer, mourning, and contrition.
It is a sacred act of setting aside two days as though they were one breath held in the soul awaiting the dawn of Resurrection.
It is to fast the hours of Friday and Saturday as one single offering before God, in remembrance of the Lord’s betrayal, Passion, death, and burial.
Just as the body of Christ lay silent in the tomb, wrapped in linen and spices, so too do we fold our souls in silence, wrapped in the cloth of prayer and the incense of repentance.
The Tradition and Its Apostolic Roots
Let not any soul suppose this to be a custom born of human imagination. No, my beloved, for this sacred tradition is ancient. Its roots are sunk deep into the apostolic soil, watered by tears of saints, nourished by the blood of martyrs, and blessed by the very footsteps of the apostles.
On the Friday of the Passion when our Lord was betrayed, crucified, and gave up His Spirit the faithful, after completing their sacred prayers, partake only of a small portion of food in the quiet of their homes. Why? For the mortification of the flesh and the imitation of the suffering Christ.
From that moment onward until the dawning of Sunday, when the angel declared “He is risen!” they abstain from all food. This sacred period of two days joined in one fast is Akfulot. It is to live the burial of Christ in one’s own body, awaiting the joy of the Resurrection.
Why Do We Fast? Why Do We Pay This Sacred Debt?
We do not fast merely out of ritual. We pay this holy debt as an offering of love, as a participation in the sufferings of Christ. As the holy apostles James and John those Sons of Thunder, faithful to the end vowed not to eat or drink until they saw the Risen Lord, so too do we, by grace, join their sacred vigil.
Even as our Lady, the Virgin Mother, wept beside the tomb and watched through the hours of that sorrowful Sabbath, so too do we watch, mourn, and fold time into prayer.
The blessed ecclesiastical writers—Herenius and Eusebius recorded with reverence that the apostles, during the days of the Passion, would eat nothing but dry bread and drink only a little water. This holy custom began on Thursday, when the Lord was betrayed with a kiss and delivered unto sinners.
Though the apostles themselves urged others to follow as best they could, they made allowances for those unable to fast from Thursday. For such souls, the Church instructs: at the very least, fast from Friday until the glorious hour of the Resurrection.
This is not only the tradition of holy men, but it is the very teaching of our Holy Church.
Testimony from the Law of Justice
Hear also the solemn decree of the Law of Justice, Article 15, Number 578:
“During the six days of the Passion, they should eat nothing but bread, salt, and water.
The days of the Passion are days of mourning, not days of joy, for they are separated from wine and meat.”
Continues 👇🏽