Nearly every Christian, regardless of denomination or sect, would be willing to vouch for the importance of prayer in the Christian life. The words of Christ and the Apostles in the scriptures bear witness to the necessity of prayer in the life of a Christian, with Jesus Himself commanding us to pray, saying, ““When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be thy name…”” and then continuing with the rest of the Our Father (Luke 11:2). Furthermore, St. James the Apostle discusses the power of prayer, noting:

the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects. (James 5:15-16).

However, from my own experience with western Christianity in the United States, it appears that fasting has lost its place in the Christian life for these western Christians. I have yet to meet a Protestant who fasts regularly (by regularly, I mean according to a set calendar of days and times), although I have met some Roman Catholics who continue the tradition of fasting from meat on Fridays (glory to God!)*. We know from both the witness of the scriptures and the early Church that Christians have historically fasted at regular intervals. Christ bears witness to the importance of both prayer and fasting, saying of certain demons, “this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” (Matthew 17:21). Furthermore, the Didache, one of the earliest Christian writings recording the words and teachings of the Apostles outside of the New Testament, notes,“fast on the fourth day [Wednesday] and the Preparation (Friday).” Fasting on Wednesday has historically been done in remembrance of Christ’s betrayal by Judas Iscariot, and fasting on Friday is done in remembrance of Christ’s crucifixion and death.

But perhaps the better question to ask is not should Christians pray and fast (the answer, both historically and universally, is yes), but rather why should Christians pray and fast. I will start by attempting to answer why Christians should pray, and then follow up with why Christians should fast.

The most direct answer to why Christians need to pray is because God commands us to. Jesus Himself says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15). Thus, we pray as a way of loving God, Who has commanded us to pray both for ourselves and for others.

But one may then go on to ask, “Even if we should pray because God commands us to, why is praying beneficial? What is in this for me?” This question, although an inherently selfish one, is a valid one to ask, and is one I myself have asked (and sometimes continue to ask). There are indeed numerous benefits to prayer, which are far too many to be exhausted or described by any writing (especially a short article like this one). Although this question is more difficult to answer, I believe the correct way to view the benefits of prayer for the Christian goes along the following lines.

We pray in order to develop communion with God, Whom we must spend time with in order to know and cultivate a relationship with. Growing closer to God is always the primary purpose of prayer. And, just like spending time with other people, spending time with God transforms us into His own likeness and image. I have often picked up mannerisms and habits (both good and bad) from people that I am friends with simply because I chose to spend a decent amount of time around them. If this is true with flawed human beings created in the image of God, then this is certainly much more true with God Himself, Who is the Author of all life and creation. Prayer is, at its core, a conversation with God. We talk to God as we would talk to a friend or a neighbor, knowing that He hears us, for He is, “in all places and fillest all things.” It is this contact and relationship with God that sanctifies us and changes us to who we were always meant to become: truly human beings, being like God by bearing His image as much as we are able to. The noted Christian author, C.S. Lewis, also expressed this idea. It has been said that while his wife was dying of cancer, he would go to church every day to pray for her. One of Lewis’ friends, an atheist, once made fun of him for his prayer, asking him if he somehow thought his prayer would change God's mind. Lewis simply responded, “That's not why I pray... I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn't change God, it changes me."

It is this kind of humility that we should strive to have in prayer. Even Christ Himself, while praying in the garden of Gethsemane before his crucifixion, says, “Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” (Luke 22:42). Thus, we pray not to try to force God to do what we want Him to, but rather so that we are changed to conform to His will and image. St. Ephrem of Syria expressed this idea as well, saying:

Virtues are formed by prayer.

Prayer preserves temperance. Prayer suppresses anger. Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy.

Prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit, and raises man to Heaven.

Thus, prayer is meant to draw us closer to God, thereby helping us acquire the Holy Spirit. In doing so, prayer also frees us from the slavery of sin through God’s mercy and love that are bestowed upon us through the process of praying.

Interestingly enough, fasting and prayer both have similar, yet slightly nuanced purposes in the Christian life. Both practices are meant to form the desire for and likeness of God in the Christian by drawing one closer to the Holy Trinity. Prayer does this through direct conversation and interaction with God, while fasting does this through discipline and self-restraint. Christians have historically fasted from animal products (namely meat, dairy, and sometimes fish, depending upon the type and severity of the fast) in order to attempt to control their bodily desires and instead focus on our communion and relationship with God (this particular type of fasting comes from the Jewish tradition and is the same kind of fasting Christ practiced while on Earth)**. For if I cannot even control what food I put into my body, how in the world will I learn to control what I say, do, think, listen to, or look at? Thus, the work of fasting consists not only of abstaining from certain foods, but also in loving God and our neighbors as ourselves by abstaining from sin. St. John Chrysostom expressed this idea, saying:

Do you not eat flesh? Feed not upon lasciviousness by means of the eyes. Let the ear fast also. The fasting of the ear consists in refusing to receive evil speakings and calumnies. ‘You shall not receive a false report,’ it says. Let the mouth too fast from disgraceful speeches and railing. For what does it profit if we abstain from birds and fishes; and yet bite and devour our brethren? The evil speaker eats the flesh of his brother, and bites the body of his neighbour. Because of this Paul utters the fearful saying, ‘If you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consumed one of another.’

Thus, it becomes clear that Christians should fast not only because Christ commands us to (see Matthew 6:16-18), but also because it aids us in controlling our own fleshly desires and passions, thereby rooting them out and killing them through our effort (aided by God and the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us) in conjunction with God’s grace and mercy. Again, this frees us from the bonds of sin to become like Christ, thus making us fully human by becoming like the only truly human One.

So, if you are an Orthodox Christian who is getting weary from all of the additional fasting and prayer in preparation for Christ’s birth at Christmas, I would encourage you to keep fighting the good fight. Continue keeping the faith. Continue finishing the race. If you are a western Christian who has not been raised in the tradition of liturgical prayer and fasting, I would encourage you to visit a nearby Orthodox Christian parish, where you will get to experience the fullness of the Christian faith, unchanged for over twenty centuries. If you are not a Christian at all, I would likewise encourage you to visit an Orthodox Church and seek the faith that has brought countless humans like you and me into God’s presence, thereby granting them peace, joy, and union with God. It is to the God Who is without beginning we give glory, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.***

*I say this not to criticize Protestants or Catholics. I know many Protestants and Catholics who are much more devout Christians than I am, and it is not my place to judge them for not fasting. Rather, I am claiming that the tradition of fasting has mostly been lost for western Christians (mainly due to historical reasons and developments) and that restoring this tradition would reap great spiritual benefits.

** This kind of fasting is still practiced today by Eastern Orthodox Christians throughout the world.

*** The purpose of this article is not to somehow suggest that I or any other Orthodox Christian is better than anyone else because we fast liturgically. That would be ridiculous, for true fasting consists in abstaining from sin, which I am not good at doing. Rather, this article is meant to suggest that fasting brings spiritual benefit to those who practice it.