Orthodox Christians begin a great post

Krympress reports:

Great post — This is one of the most strict and significant posts in the Orthodox tradition, which begins on March 3 this year and lasts 40 days, ending with Easter. This post is devoted to the preparation of believers for the holiday of the Resurrection of Christ, cleansing the Spirit and Body, deepening into prayer and repentance. It is important to understand that fasting is not just abstinence from food, but also time for spiritual reflection, changes and development.

Features of the Great Lent

• The spiritual component: Great post is not only physical abstinence from food, but also the purification of the soul. This is the time for internal cleansing, repentance and enhanced prayer. The post is accompanied by an increase in prayer practice, visiting church services and confession.

• The duration of the post: The great post lasts 40 days, and after it comes a passionate week, which begins with the resurrection of Lazarus and ends with Easter. This post is longer in comparison with other Orthodox posts (for example, with a posture of Christmas or Petrov).

• Differences from other posts: Great Lent is characterized by great severity. It is aimed at cleansing the whole organism and spirit. Rozhdestvensky and Petrov posts, although they are important, softer in terms of restrictions. For example, the use of fish is allowed in the Christmas post, while the fish is completely excluded in Veliky post (with the exception of the holidays).

Permitted and prohibited products in the great post

Forbidden products:

• Meat (including poultry and sausage).
• eggs.
• dairy products (milk, cheese, cottage cheese).
• Alcohol (except for some exceptions, for example, wine on a holiday).
• Animal oil (creamy).
• Animal fats and products that contain them.

Profitable products:

• Vegetables (potatoes, carrots, cabbage and others).
• fruits.
• Grain (buckwheat, oats, rice, barrel).
• legumes (lentils, peas, beans).
• Nuts.
• vegetable oil (olive, sunflower and others).
• Bread, non -external dough.
• dried fruits.

What can and what can not be done in a great post

What should be done:

• reinforced prayer and repentance. Great post is a time for regular prayers, attending services, spiritual conversations and thoughts.
• Participation in the sacraments. While in a post, the believer must confess and take communion if possible.
• charity. The great post is also a time for good deeds. It is necessary to support those in need, to help the poor and engage in altruistic activities.
• rejection of excess and entertainment. Sometimes it is worth abandoning unnecessary expenses for pleasure (shopping, excesses in food, visiting entertainment events).
• Cleaning the body and spirit. This includes both refusal of food and sports, walking in the fresh air, meditation.

What should not be done:

• classes distracting from prayer and repentance. This is the time for spiritual work, and not for immersion in worldly affairs, even if they are important.
• disdaining fasting and austerity. This can be manifested in violation of lean canons — the food of prohibited products or deceiving oneself.
• Using fasting as a diet. Although the post has a physical measurement, it should never become exclusively in a way to lose weight or improve health.
• Anger, condemnation of others. The post requires tolerance and mercy. Do not forget that spiritual growth should go hand in hand with internal cleansing.

How not to break and withstand the post

Psychological aspects of the post:

• Clear goals. Before you start a post, it is important to understand why you are doing this. Drawing up a plan for the duration of a great post will help not only adhere to the rules, but also to extract maximum spiritual benefits.
• Support for loved ones. If there are concerns about the fact that it will not be possible to withstand a strict regime, discuss your experiences with friends or family members. Collective support makes the task easier.
• gradual in asceticism. It is not necessary to immediately set yourself a strict framework — you can start small and gradually increase the complexity of tasks.
• diet. Even if it is important to observe strict food restrictions, it should be remembered that fasting is not only a refusal of food, but also the correct distribution of time for eating. Divide food intake into 2-3 basic tricks and several light snacks.
• Maintaining physical activity. Great post is time for spiritual purification, but also supporting physical health in this situation is important. Mild gymnastics, walking in the fresh air — that which will help to avoid fatigue and loss of energy.

Great post is a time for self -knowledge, spiritual growth, purification of not only the body, but also the mind. Compliance with fasting is a work that requires willpower and determination. It is important to remember that the restrictions imposed on food is not a goal, but a means for deeper communication with God. Great Lent helps us focus on the important, learn to value simplicity and become better in spiritual terms.

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