How Great Lent is observed at the Pochaiv Lavra
An interview with the abbot of the Lavra, Metropolitan Volodymyr (Moroz) of Pochaiv.
– Your Eminence, what objectives does Great Lent set for the brethren of the monastery? And how does this look in practice?
– We, monks, like all Orthodox Christians, approach Lent responsibly, understanding that that fasting, repentance and prayer are three virtues that reform and purify our souls in a special way.
The Church of Christ has prepared us all for this time. And we meet it with reverence as it leads us for 40 days towards Passion Week and then to the Resurrection of our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the holy Pascha.
– It is generally believed that the fast in monasteries is especially strict unlike that of the laity.
– Certainly, we asceticise differently than our predecessors, the desert-dwellers and the fasting people. We are not like the Monk Zosima, who met in the desert St Mary of Egypt, whose life is read during Lent. Or like Job of Pochaiv, who fasted in a cave, which has been preserved to this day and which pilgrims can enter through a narrow cave passage to experience the prayerful atmosphere of St Job and receive his blessing.
At the Lavra, as in many Orthodox monasteries and parish churches, the traditions of observing Great Lent are similar. On Forgiveness Sunday evening, all the brethren gather in the church, and everyone – from the youngest to the oldest – asks one another for forgiveness. Typically, our temple is full of people on this day.
From Saturday to Monday, we cease all monastic duties and many obediences so that the brethren can remain in solitude with God and in prayer, which purifies and renews the soul of every Christian. In this way, we maintain the traditions passed down to us by our predecessors.
After the Triumph of Orthodoxy, a small part of the brethren is engaged in maintaining the monastery's daily life, while most of the monks spend their time in services: they pray, hear confessions of numerous pilgrims, during which they provide guidance and advice.
Lent is a spiritual spring, and this spring must blossom in the souls of our faithful.
The Primate of our Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry, the Archimandrite of the Pochaiv Lavra, reminds the millions of the Ukrainian flock that observing Lent is an essential condition for the right path to salvation. Lent opens the spiritual eyes and allows us to see ourselves as we truly are before God, to analyse and correct ourselves in the light of the coming eternity. We are called to be enlightened by the spiritual strength of the Lord, Who is the Light, and in Him, there is no darkness (1 John 1:5).
– Your Eminence, many people nowadays say that fasting is outdated. Is this true?
– Such views are usually expressed by those who are unchurched or only slightly connected to the Church. Spiritual commandments never become outdated. St Basil the Great said that fasting is the act of limiting oneself in everything that grounds a person’s spiritual and moral aspirations. Many people who say that there is no need for fasting, long services, or excessive strictness towards oneself do so because they do not want to strive for God or lead a spiritual life. The path that the Church calls us to follow involves overcoming our passions through overcoming our sensual dependence on the pleasures of this world. Here, the holy Fathers offer us a well-tested means that can never become outdated – fasting. The sense of hunger caused by fasting frees a person from self-satisfaction and arrogance, opens up their weakness, and makes them remember God more often. If we do not learn to limit ourselves in stomach needs, how can our will overcome stronger passions?
– What benefits does fasting bring to a person?
– Christians can gain spiritual benefits from fasting only if they approach it correctly. After all, it is just a means to acquire the grace of the Holy Spirit. If fasting becomes an end in itself rather than a means, it will lead us to nothing but pride. Fasting should be undertaken with a repentant heart and thoughts about God.
Proper fasting consists in the abstinence of the external and internal senses from impermissible impressions. As St John Chrysostom said, our hands should fast by remaining clean from theft and greed. Sight is food for the eyes. The eyes should not devour voluptuousness. The ears should not listen to slander and gossip. And the tongue should refrain from foul language and cursing.
Fasting will then help us to extinguish our attachment to animal-like pleasures and subdue the flesh to the spirit. Then, we will be able to restore the paradisiacal harmony in our nature, where all the senses and desires of the body are in complete obedience to the spirit and soul.
– Some people claim that fasting is not about food but about not "eating" each other. What do you think of this?
– Fasting involves both aspects: the first and the second. Fasting is both a spiritual and a bodily exercise. The soul of every person is closely connected with the body, so the state of the body directly affects the state of the soul. In paradise, the soul ruled over the flesh, but now the flesh rules over the soul. Everything has been turned upside down. But fasting is precisely about returning the soul's dominion over the body, which, in turn, helps to restrain our sinful passions.
– So, does food make a difference indeed?
– Yes, and a very important one. Since ancient times, it has been known that every type of drink and food has its effect on the body. Food can not only sustain our activity but can also hinder it. You may probably name dishes that please, excite, relax, and weigh down our body. Food can attract our attention and enslave the stomach, which, in turn, leads the soul towards the earthly and the perishable. When the stomach is overfilled, the mind becomes lazy, and the heart grows hard. In such a state, a person is unable to pray to God purely and sincerely.
– What should we pay particular attention to during Lent?
– Our relationship with God and with one another. Ahead of us is the Bright Resurrection of Christ. We must prepare ourselves properly for this Feast. In addition to everything we’ve already discussed, we must not forget about Divine services. During this time, they are especially focused, helping to direct the soul towards repentance and reflection on heaven and hell. One should try to go to church frequently, as well as pray at home. Following the Divine service, we should also try to prepare ourselves for the sacraments of Penance and Communion. Those who have never received Holy Communion should start, and those who already regularly partake of the Holy Cup can do so even more often. In the Sacrament of Confession, we cleanse our conscience from sin, and as a result, we are reconciled with God. In the Sacrament of Communion, we receive the Most Pure Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ into ourselves, thus uniting with God in the closest possible way. On earth, there is no closer union with God for a person.
A lot of pilgrims come to the Pochaiv Lavra annually. Especially many worshipers come during the Lenten season to talk and receive the Sacrament of Communion. People feel the fruits of such unity with the Lord; peace is restored in their souls. An extraordinary silence reigns in the soul of the communicant, and their spirit gains strength to resist demonic temptations and no longer wavers under their influence.
– Can a person overcome their sinful desires and restore peace to their soul without Holy Communion?
– No, they cannot. Even if we fast and fight the attraction to sin on our own, we will not have enough strength to overcome it. As St Cyril of Alexandria said, only Christ, who comes into us, revives reverence for God and mortifies bodily passions.
In the early centuries of Christianity, the Egyptian ascetic Abba Jacob struggled for a long time with the demon of lust. He decided to shut himself away in a cave and focus on battling this passion. After forty days, Abba Phocas came to administer the Holy Gifts to him. Upon entering the cave, he found the hermit completely exhausted and in a very dire condition, barely able to move. It was only after partaking of the Body and Blood of the Lord that Abba Jacob slowly began to recover. From that time, by God’s grace, he managed to free himself from the passion of lust. As we can see, he overcame it not by his efforts, though he fasted, but with the help of Holy Communion. This is a good example not only for monks but also for modern people striving to live in purity.
– What would you wish to the readers, Your Eminence?
– May this Great Lent be for all a path of intensified prayer, spiritual joy, and a way of correcting our shortcomings. May God protect everyone.
