Every Christian knows periods called fasts. In the old days, they were respected by everyone - both the clergy and the laity. There was no question of what to drink in fasting. Every Christian family knew all the rules of abstinence (spiritual and physical). Everyone, young and old, obeyed them. Today much has been forgotten. The years of godlessness in the USSR were not in vain. But more and more people are returning to the fold of the church. This is where help is needed in clarifying many of the rules. Let's look at how and why you need to abstain, and answer the question of whether it is possible to drink beer in fasting.
The meaning of the posts
Probably, everyone has already heard that abstinence from food and drink without spiritual purification, overcoming oneself will not be pleasing to God.
Fasting is not a diet. Giving up products is not the main task of a Christian. The question is whether to drink beer in fasting, certainly important, but not the first thing to think about. Abstinence from food is useless without spiritual abstinence, without mercy and attempts to rectify one's sins. Of course, all of the above must be done constantly, every day. Fasting helps those that allow the spirit to restore primacy over the body, because in everyday life it happens the other way around. And you can’t argue with that.
Jesus Christ himself, having spent forty days in the wilderness and defeated the Devil, “returned in the strength of the spirit” and with this showed everyone the weapons that help to overthrow the enemy of the human race. His strength is lamented at the memory of the defeat in the desert, so he backs away from observing all the rules of fasting.
Post Rules
At the physical level, abstinence in food is divided into five steps. This is a failure:
- from meat;
- from dairy;
- from fish;
- from vegetable oil;
- from any food for a period.
The last step is acceptable only for completely healthy people. By the way, to maintain physical strength, drinking wine or beer in fasting is possible, but not always. In addition, overcoming oneself must be kept secret from others. And if relatives nevertheless recognize and begin to persuade them to abandon the post, not to torture themselves, you need to be prepared for this. Demons are trying so through arguments and temptations to stop the process of strengthening the spirit, as the spirit of darkness tried to do this in the desert with Jesus.
Which is better: easing or abandoning the post?
People who are sick, but aspiring to God, sometimes replace abstinence in food with spiritual. They try not to get angry, not quarrel, show mercy, etc. But after all, on ordinary days, every Christian should take care of himself. And if a person is unable to resist, for example, from annoyance in everyday life, then he is unlikely to succeed during fasting. It turns out that replacing physical abstinence with a spiritual one is only self-deception.
It is better if a sick person or one who has a lack of food will at least refrain from sweets and treats, fast on Wednesday and Friday, leave the most delicious dishes on holidays.
Moderation - the main thing in the post?
No need to ask the priest in the church about whether it is possible to drink beer in fasting, if you abstain from food for show. The Lord does not accept formal restrictions. After all, you can eat everything that God will give, as St. John the Ladder did, even meat, but only enough to stay alive. This did not stop him from taking the sacrament and becoming a saint. This example shows that moderation in food is much more important than restriction in the choice of products. You need to eat as much as the body needs, and not give vent to a sense of voluptuousness.
Discretion in abstinence from food
Bringing yourself to exhaustion is just as sinful as overeating. Therefore, prudence in the matter of refusing any kind of food is no less important than moderation.
When fasting, is it possible to drink wine? The apostle Paul writes to Timothy, his disciple, that he would use not only water, but also a little wine because of "frequent ailments." Thus, the church provides relief in abstinence from food for physically ill people.
But again, the post should be secret. You can not walk, with all his appearance showing involvement in abstinence. Christ teaches to fast not for people, but for God. Therefore, staying in a cheerful mood during this period will be more correct and pleasant to the Lord. But going to visit, watching entertainment programs and stuff is better to postpone.
What can I drink in fasting?
On Lent days, on Saturday, Sunday and holidays it is allowed to drink two or three measures of wine, comparable to the size of a person’s fist (krasovuli). But allowing it is intended for people weakened by the disease.
The modern Church charter, which was adopted in Orthodoxy, comes from Jerusalem. In these places, in addition to wine, they did not know other drinks made from cereals, so we are talking only about it. In the Nordic countries, wine was too expensive. They used it there only for communion, and they served beer at the table.
Those infirmities, due to which it was allowed to use dry wine from grapes (and sweet on holidays), were not of a moral order (for example, the habit of non-abstinence), but only physical. For lack of medicines that the patient needs, this drink was the only way to maintain his strength.
In Lent, you can drink beer on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, as it is equated with wine. But stronger drinks are forbidden.
Summing up under all that has been said, it can be noted that there is a quite reasonable and definite answer to the question of whether it is possible to drink beer in fasting. Beer or wine can be drunk by sick people who need such drinks to maintain physical strength. Moderation and rationality in fasting is more important than following all the rules of abstinence. And the spiritual restriction is more significant than the physical one, but the latter cannot be completely rejected.