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Private Fasting
The Holy Scripture declares:
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)
“Listen to me, you who seek righteousness, you who seek the Lord.” (Isaiah 41:55)
When practiced rightly, fasting disciplines the body and trains the soul. It strengthens the will, humbles pride, and prepares the heart for divine grace. Thus, the faithful are led from outward fasting to inward fasting from the discipline of the flesh to the training of the spirit. This is the second kind of fasting: personal fasting, offered privately before God, in secret devotion and holy purpose.
Private fasting is a sacred practice performed secretly by believers to whom God has granted strength and spiritual discernment. When a person has a deep need before the Lord, they fast privately disciplining their body, humbling their heart, and seeking divine mercy. This type of fasting is often done under the guidance of one’s spiritual father, especially in times of repentance.
This tradition has existed since ancient times. The great prophets Moses, Daniel, David, and Nehemiah each fasted before God in secret. In the New Testament, Saint Paul and Saint Peter also practiced personal fasting, offering their solitude and hunger as prayer before the Almighty.
Private fasting is divided into two types: penitential fasting and voluntary fasting.
1. Penitential Fasting
Penitential fasting is undertaken after a believer has confessed their sins and received a canon (a spiritual rule or period of fasting) from their father of confession. It is done privately, without display or announcement, as a hidden act of repentance before God. In this fast, the believer seeks purification of the soul and reconciliation with the Creator, as it is written: “Your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” (Matthew 6:18)
2. Voluntary Fasting
Voluntary fasting, also called the fast of virtue, is an act of devotion performed either privately or communally. It is observed by those who serve God with diligence individual believers, communities of the faithful, and monks living in monasteries. They fast not out of obligation, but from love and spiritual longing.
Believers practice voluntary fasting for many reasons:
1. To overcome difficulties—to remove problems from their personal and family lives, and to lift obstacles that hinder peace in their church and their nation.
2. To train the soul—to bring the body under control, as the psalmist David said: “I have humbled my soul with fasting.” (Psalm 35:13)
3. To receive divine revelation—for God often grants greater blessings when one asks in humility for little.
4. To seek divine help—to ask the Creator for strength and guidance in carrying out spiritual duties.
5. To share in holiness—by remembering sacred events, meditating on the sufferings of the saints, and cleansing the soul from sin.
Throughout the generations, many monks, nuns, and devout believers have kept voluntary fasts with great zeal. Among these are the Tsige Fast (Tsome Tsige) observed from Meskerem 26 to Hidar 5 and the Fast of Yodit (Tsome Yodit), kept during the month of Pagume . These fasts, though not required by law, are embraced out of love, faith, and a longing for deeper communion with God.
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