Continued 👆🏽
Could anything be clearer? Wine is set aside. Meat is laid away. Joy is hidden in the tomb. These are days of sacred grief, of mourning with the Virgin, of aching with the Apostles, of yearning for the breaking of the stone.
How Do We Fast the Akfulot?
1. Join Friday and Saturday into One Fast – The faithful are called, as strength allows, to refrain from eating both days as a single fast, in remembrance of the Lord's Passion and entombment.
2. The Highest Offering – Those who are able do not eat at all until the cock crows late Saturday night, echoing the vigil kept by the faithful women and the disciples who awaited dawn in grief and expectation.
3. If One Cannot Do Both – Then, at the least, let the faithful fast on Saturday with reverence, in union with the Church’s teaching.
Whether in weakness or in strength, let each give his portion with humility and devotion.
A Holy Summons
Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
Do not neglect so great a mystery.
Do not cast away the crown of Akfulot which our fathers wore with trembling.
Fast not only with your mouths but with your hearts.
Let your eyes fast from vanity, your ears from slander, your hands from idle labor, and your feet from wandering paths.
Embrace the silence of the tomb with reverence, and you shall behold the glory of the Resurrection with unspeakable joy.
Let your fast be folded,
Let your heart be folded,
Let your prayer be folded with the prayer of the Church.
And may our Lord, Who rose in glory and shattered the gates of death,
Raise us also in spirit and in truth,
That we may join the chorus of angels, and cry with joy:
“Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!”
Amen.
“May our God, in His mercy, grant us peace for the light of His Resurrection.”
Let all who hear this teaching share it freely, and may the light of the Fast shine upon your households.
May the name of the Holy God be praised forever and ever in every tongue that He has created, today and always.
May the blessings of God's mother, the virgin, and the cross be upon us.
Amen.
© John's Repentance
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