How to hold fast for the first time before Easter? How correctly to keep Lent?

Before you start talking about how to properly hold Lent for the first time, you need to say a few words about the Great Post and its purpose. According to Christian teaching, the meaning of a person's life is the salvation of the soul, achieved through moral perfection. Without him, the path to eternal life is closed. The most important component of churching is repentance, which includes an awareness of sins and a sincere desire to overcome their power. Without this, a person is doomed to spiritual death.

Renunciation for the time of fasting from worldly worries

It is very important that the person who has entrusted this work, and who thinks only about how to hold fast before Easter, nothing distracted, did not interfere with fully devote himself to the most important of affairs.

It is for this in the days of fasting that all worldly things should go to the background, leaving room only for thoughtful prayer, repentance and reflection on their own lives.
The posts are long (four in a year) and one-day, corresponding to some of the evangelical events.

The longest and most rigorous is Lent. It lasts for about forty days and ends with the Great Week - the week preceding Easter. It recalls the end of the earthly journey of Jesus Christ. Thus, its duration is 47, and sometimes 48 days. It is about how to properly keep Lent, how to prepare for it and how to achieve the maximum benefit for the soul and body, will talk in this article.

Preparation for the beginning of Lent

Preceding the beginning of the post four preparatory weeks. Their purpose is to gradually introduce believers into a state of asceticism, necessary for the purification of the soul. Especially such a sequence is necessary for those who are just beginning the path to Christian life and yet do not know how to hold fasting. For the first time such a person as anyone else needs support. Preparation begins soon after the celebration of the Epiphany.

The first week is called "About the publican and the Pharisee". Its keynote is a well-known biblical parable, telling how morally higher the repentant sinner is than the imaginary righteous man, boasting with his ostentatious piety.
The next week is "The Week of the Prodigal Son." It is also based on the biblical parable, which contains the idea of God's forgiveness and that every repentant sinner is exposed to his fatherly embrace. Next come the meat-and-meat weeks, in which meat is consumed, and cheese, when allowed only to eat milk and fish food.

How to keep Lent for the first time

In addition to spiritual preparation, one should also take care of one's body. It is very important to consult a physician with a nutritionist and use it to clearly determine how to hold fast for the first time than to eat these days and how. Keeping Lent for the first time is to take a step into the area of life that has been hidden from you so far, and therefore you need advice from both doctors and priests. Everyone who desires, with the help of fasting, to embark on the path of inner purification, must assimilate the most important truth: the body post without fasting is useless. In this case, it will turn into an ordinary diet, which, perhaps, will save some carnal ailments, but to change the mood of the human soul is powerless.

What is the spiritual post? First of all, in resolute rejection of evil thoughts and anger. In rejection of any actions that bear manifestations of anger. Many saints, creators of spiritual books that have become the life guides of Christians these days, have written about the fact that very often converts (and not only them), after fasting their bodies, forget about the soul, thus canceling their works. I remember the bitter folk irony: "I did not eat milk with a great fast, and ate a neighbor with a meal ...".

Features of the fast food menu

It is quite obvious that the question of how to properly hold a post for the first time implies, first of all, restrictions on food. First of all, it must be recalled that their degree is established by the priest and the doctor. In addition, pregnant women, children, sick and elderly people, as well as traveling and being in war, are exempt from fasting. All the rest are recommended abstinence from meat, dairy and fish food, as well as the products that they are part of. Preference should be given to all kinds of dishes from vegetables and fruits.

The traditional Lenten menu consists of potatoes and products from it, dried and fresh mushrooms, salads, pickles and marinades. Vegetable soups and cereals will also help maintain strength. A special place in the diet during these days is taken by dried fruits, honey and various compotes. It is not forbidden to use margarine, but only if it does not include milk. It is very important to take into account that fasting not only limits the composition of food, but also its quantity. There is a need to measure, otherwise you can overeat and breadcrumbs. In addition, you should refrain from drinking alcohol, especially strong. As an exception, red wine is allowed on certain days.

Lenten menu calendar

The first and last weeks of Lent are most strict in respect of the meal. Monastic regulations provide for even days of total refusal of food. In the world, this is rarely observed, but as far as possible, when deciding how to hold fast for the first time, we must try to maximally cut your daily diet. In the rest of the fasting period on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays it is customary to eat cold food without butter.

On Tuesday and Thursday it can be warmed up, but not add oil. At weekends, there is an easing: you can take hot food and eat in small doses of wine. For fish dishes, an exception is made only on holidays such as Annunciation and Palm Sunday. There is also one day - Lazarev's Saturday, when caviar is eaten. Some changes are made when Lent falls on the days of memory of especially revered saints.

Health benefits of fasting

Lent always happens in the spring. By this time, the human body is experiencing negative effects of the diet, characteristic of the winter. The abundance of heavy meat products, fried foods and high-calorie products causes significant harm to the digestive system. Various harmful substances accumulate in the body . Often over the winter is gaining excess weight. In view of this, doctors point to the undoubted benefit of fasting for human health. Thanks to such a long unloading, slags are removed from the body and conditions for better assimilation of vitamins are created. Beneficial to his influence and in terms of losing weight.

Religious and Ethical Aspects of Fasting

Everyone who is fasting must remember the need to observe a number of ethical norms related to fasting. For example, being on a visit to a house where people do not fast and put on a table fast dishes, it is very important to be able to tactfully evade their eating without upsetting the owners. If this is not possible, then the use of such food is allowed. It is better to transgress the letter of the Church Charter than to offend people. But it must be done with humility. In addition, it is absolutely unacceptable deliberately to advertise that you are holding a post, and boast of it. The reproaches against those who do not fast, deserve special censure.

Reflecting on how to hold fast for the first time, it should be borne in mind that the main spiritual component of fasting is prayer in the temple and at home. It is also very important to read religious literature and reflect on what has been read. At least once every fasting is obliged to confess and receive communion. This corresponds to the traditions and the meaning of fasting. And as for how to hold fast before confession and communion, one should consult a priest.

Abstinence

In the traditions of the Orthodox Church - to refuse for this period from all kinds of entertainment. It is recommended to refrain from visiting various entertainment events, theaters, concerts, cinema, and watching most of the television programs. Also, a temporary refusal of marital relations is prescribed. These restrictions pursue only one goal - to create a special psychological mood, necessary for a full passage of fasting, deep repentance and prayer.

In pre-revolutionary Russia for these days, a special government decree closed all theaters, restaurants and other entertainment facilities. From this article, you briefly learned about how to hold fast before Easter, what rules exist on this matter. The most important thing is not to forget that fasting with its restrictions is needed first of all for you, and not for someone else.