Spiritual Growth through Fasting
It no longer gives fruits of ungodliness. Fasting is beneficial not only for sinners, but also for the righteous, as we have shown. Through divine fasting, we can work on the stubborn, changing the unsympathetic into sympathetic people, and softening the hardness of the unyielding.
Moses fasted for forty days and forty nights and entered the darkness, and he saw God as no other human had. According to God's own testimony, if a prophet arises among the people, He will make Himself known to him in a vision, and speak to him in a dream (Numbers 12:6). However, with Moses, it was different, for God spoke to him mouth to mouth, face to face, as a man speaks to his friend (Numbers 12:8). Fasting has given the prophet a special gift of vision, transforming the face of the one who fasts into a more divine light, and it has given the prophet tablets written by the finger of God.
Let us approach fasting with a cheerful face, and let us greet it with joyful souls, abstaining not only from foods but also from sins. As we fast, we should pursue peace with everyone, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). We must not show ourselves humble in appearance to people, but be proud in our souls before the Lord, giving to the poor, and not stealing from others, and flattering God with words, rather than killing our brothers with our actions. Instead, let us fast from all evils, including foods, and say to Him: 'You have mercy on all, because You are able to do all things, and You overlook the sins of men for repentance; all glory is fitting to You, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and always and into the ages of ages.'
Greek
τοὺς τῆς ἀσεβείας οὐκέτι δίδωσιν καρπούς. Οὐ μόνον δὲ δύναται ταῦτα ἡ κατὰ θεὸν νηστεία, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡμέρους τοὺς ἀπηνεῖς ἀπεργάζεται καὶ εἰς συμπάθειαν τοὺς ἀσυμπαθεῖς μεταβάλλει, τὸ σκληρὸν τῶν ἀνενδότων μαλάσσει χαλκεύουσα. 9 Αὕτη οὐ μόνον ἁμαρτωλοῖς χρήσιμος, ἀλλ' ἤδη καὶ δικαίοις εἰς καιρὸν ἐπιτήδειος, ὡς προεδείξαμεν. Νηστεύσας Μωυσῆς τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας καὶ τεσσαράκοντα νύκτας εἰς ἐκεῖνον εἰσῆλθεν τὸν γνόφον, καὶ εἶδεν θεὸν ὡς οὐδενὶ ἀνθρώπων ἐγγέγονεν, κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ περὶ αὐτοῦ μαρτυρίαν λέγοντος· «Ἐὰν γένηται προφήτης ἐν ὑμῖν τῷ κυρίῳ, ἐν ὁράματι αὐτῷ γνωσθήσομαι καὶ ἐν ὕπνῳ λαλήσω αὐτῷ. Οὐχ ὣς ὁ θεράπων μου Μωυσῆς, στόμα κατὰ στόμα», πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον, «ὡς ἐάν τις λαλήσῃ πρὸς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ φίλον.» Ταύτην ἐξαίρετον θέαν ἡ νηστεία τῷ προφήτῃ κεκόμικεν δῶρον καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ νηστεύσαντος εἰς θειοτέραν τινὰ φωτὸς ἀπροσίτου ἀστραπὴν μετέθηκεν καὶ δέδωκεν τῷ προφήτῃ δέλτους δακτύλῳ θεοῦ γεγραμμένας 10 Προσερχώμεθα τοίνυν αὐτῇ μετὰ φαιδροῦ τοῦ προσώπου, ἱλαροὶ ταῖς ψυχαῖς αὐτὴν ἀσπασώμεθα καὶ μὴ βρωμάτων μὲν ἀπεχώμεθα, ἁμαρτημάτων δὲ 2 ἀντεχώμεθα· μηδὲ ταπεινοὶ τῷ προσώπῳ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις δεικνύμενοι, ὑπερήφανοι τῇ ψυχῇ τῷ δεσπότῃ φανῶμεν· καὶ πένησιν διδόντες, μὴ ἄλλους ἁρπάσωμεν· καὶ θεὸν κολακεύοντες λόγοις, μὴ ἔργῳ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἡμῶν κατασφάξωμεν, μνημονεύοντες ἀεὶ τοῦ ἀποστόλου λέγοντος· «Εἰρήνην διώκετε μετὰ πάντων καὶ τὸν ἁγιασμόν, οὗ χωρὶς οὐδεὶς ὄψεται τὸν κύριον.» Ἀλλ' ἐκ πάντων τῶν κακῶν μετὰ βρωμάτων νηστεύοντες, λέγωμεν πρὸς αὐτόν· «Ἐλεεῖς δὲ πάντας, ὅτι πάντα δύνασαι, καὶ παρορᾷς ἁμαρτήματα ἀνθρώπων εἰς μετάνοιαν»· ὅτι σοι πρέπει πᾶσα δόξα τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ Υἱῷ καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. 3
About this text
Hesychius of Jerusalem, Homilia de jejunio (Greek).
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 93 (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.