EMMANUEL FOUNDATION

1. We fast not to be seen and praised by men, but to draw nearer to God. 2. We fast because we love God more than His material gifts which we can consume. 3. Forgiveness is a good way to begin the Fast. No one can enter upon a spiritual struggle for purification without forgiveness. 4. Fasting supports the prayer of believers who consider their connection with God to be the center, light, and nourishment for their souls. 5. True fasting is not simply abstaining from animal products, but also to abstain from material greed and the pursuit of selfish domination over others, and also the limiting of any thoughts, words, or deeds which diminish your love for God and others. 6. If the Fast is accompanied by deeds well-pleasing to God, then fasting makes us light for others and chosen vessels of God’s glory. 7. The Fast is not only a material, but a spiritual condition—that is, a fast of the eyes, mouth, and heart. 8. Fasting is the spiritual condition of sacrifice or offer...

The Stand of the Orthodox Church on Controversial Issues  Stand of the Orthodox Church on Controversial Issue The Formulation of the Church's Stand Throughout its history, the Orthodox Church has dealt with controversial issues by a process which addresses the "mind of the Church." When an issue arises for which there is no clear-cut, widely and readily acknowledged tradition, and about which there is honest divergence of opinion as to what view genuinely expresses the teaching of the Church, a process begins which may eventually lead to the formulation of an official Church teaching. A classical example from the early period of the Church is the formulation of the Church doctrines about the person of Jesus Christ, which began with the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea (325) and concluded with the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787). Over this four hundred and sixty-three year period, the Church clarified its understanding and teaching of the revelat...