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Great Lent reminds us of the retreat of Jesus Christ into the desert, where He spent forty days in complete seclusion, fasting and prayer. This spiritual ascetic experience is important for every Orthodox Christian. In a monastic environment, fasting is stricter and the demands on the monks’ restrictions are greater. The first three days of Lent on Mount Athos are spent in seclusion, in very strict fasting and more intense personal prayers. Contacts between monks are limited so that the power of communication can be channeled into prayer.
After the vespers of forgiveness on Sunday and a rich fraternal meal, the monks retire to their cells, where they remain until Wednesday noon, praying a private prayer. During these three days they do not eat. Some monks even abstain from water. This practice is followed both in monasteries and in hermitages, cells and fast houses. It is a reflection of the understanding that the verb “fasting” in Greek means “not eating”, “starving” and not “eating only certain food”. This mode of fasting was observed in the early centuries of the Church, when the fast involved not taking any food until about the “ninth hour” according to Byzantine time, today 3 pm in the afternoon.
The laity must comply with the special regime during these days, not to call on the phones or look for other means of communication with the monks.
A common monastic meal is not served until Wednesday. The common monastery meal, as well as the common participation in Sunday worship, are one of the main features of monastic life, and participation in them is strictly regulated in the monastic statutes. The monks gather for meals twice – in the morning and in the evening, and each meal is very simple and lasts about twenty minutes. Those gathered do not talk to each other, but listen to one of the brothers who reads excerpts from Paterika or another text chosen by the brotherhood.
During these three days, the monks leave their cells only to go to the services in the monastery temple, abstaining from all other activities and contact with the world. According to monastic tradition, they also refrain from communicating with each other.
From Clean Monday to Friday, during the services, the public words for monks of St. Theodore the Studite and texts of St. Ephrem the Syrian, as well as from Lavsaika of bl. John Mosch, depending on the tradition of each monastery. The reading of the Psalter and the Gospel during services is also doubled. One of the most beautiful liturgies of the Great Lent is the service of the Great Supper with the famous hymns “God is with us” and “Lord of hosts”.
On Clean Wednesday, a pre-consecrated holy liturgy is celebrated, and after it a fasting table is laid, during which the monks take food, but without fat, which lasts until the first Saturday of the fast, Todorovden. For monks, fasting food is without oil five days a week, except Saturday and Sunday. During this fast on Mount Athos, in most monasteries, they follow the tradition of eating fish only once – on Annunciation or Palm Sunday, whichever of the two holidays falls first. The main food during these days will be bread that the monks prepare themselves, legumes and vegetables.
Source: Βιμα της Ορθοδοξίας
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