A useful reminder for those who observe Peter's Fast. Why you can’t ignore Petrov’s post

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main feature Peter's Fast - its duration, which varies greatly: it can last either a week or a month. How so, you ask? And everything is really simple. It’s just that the start date of this post is “floating”, it is calculated depending on when and fall on the calendar. But what’s even more interesting is that Peter’s Fast begins on different dates, but always ends on the same day – July 11th.

Now we explain: since Easter this year was on April 8, and the week of All Saints begins after the ninth Sunday after this day, then the Peter's fast that follows it will begin on June 4. Well, on July 12 the breaking of the fast begins. Thus, the duration of Petrov's fast this year is 38 days. The longest fast of Peter, by the way, can last for 42 days, and sometimes, depending on the same Easter, it can last only eight days!

WHY FAST AT THIS TIME

So, Peter's fast begins a week after Trinity. But if everything is clear regarding the history of the origin of the pre-Easter fast (Great), then how and why Peter’s fast was established is not clear, there are only a few assumptions.

The first justification is considered accurate by the largest number of clergy. It is assumed that the holy apostles Peter and Paul prepared themselves by abstinence for serving the Word of God and preaching, and people were supposed to follow their example. Thus, this version has a biblical origin. By the way, July 12 is Peter and Paul Day - note, the day after the end of Lent.

According to the second version, the fast was once established by the authorities, who proceeded not from Orthodox, but from pragmatic considerations: there were few food supplies, there was no new harvest yet, so the fast was intended, as it were, for the legal saving of what was left.
According to the third assumption, Petrov's Fast was given to people so that they would complete what they had not completed during Great Lent - that is, to those who were unable to cleanse themselves during Great Lent or sinned by breaking it. That is, initially the fast was for the “chosen ones,” and then all people who observed other fasts began to adhere to it.

In ancient times, the Petrov fast was combined with the next fast, the Assumption fast, but in the 11th century this long fast was divided and slightly spread out in time. The first part began to be called the Apostolic Fast, the second – the Assumption Fast.

FEATURES OF SUMMER LENT

The most free day in terms of food during Peter's Fast is July 7, the Nativity of John the Baptist. No matter what day this number falls on, there is always a big relaxation for this holiday - you can eat fish and seafood. But July 12, although it falls on the end of the fast, may fall on Wednesday or Friday, and then instead of breaking the fast you will still have to limit yourself: you can eat fish and seafood, food with vegetable oil, drink a little wine, but still cannot consume meat or milk. This year, however, these restrictions will not apply, since July 12 falls on Thursday.

It has been said many times that fasting should not be confused with diet. Peter's Fast is also, of course, days not for diet, but for restrictions and cleansing of the soul. Peter's Fast is incomparable in severity with Great Lent - it is much easier! General, summary rules look like this:

· On Monday, you can create a menu of dried fruits, boiled plant products (cereals, vegetables, mushrooms. Bread and wholemeal flour products are allowed once a day.

· On Tuesday you can cook fish dishes and drink a glass of wine. Oil, cereals, and legumes are allowed. You can diversify the menu with honey and nuts.

· On Wednesdays, fruits, berries and vegetables can only be eaten raw. It is acceptable to season the salad with butter and eat one piece of bread.

· On Thursdays, plant foods, cereals, flour products, mushrooms, steamed or boiled vegetables, butter, fish dishes and a small amount of wine are allowed. You can bake kulebyaka and other pastries, but lean ones, of course (from dough without eggs and milk).

· On Fridays, vegetables are allowed, preferably raw. Fruits can be eaten dry, once a day. It is acceptable to eat some nuts.

· On Saturdays and Sundays you are allowed to eat fish and even drink wine - without getting drunk, of course, but a little. Well, on weekends they also prepare Lenten pies stuffed with fish. This is a very old tradition - these pies are dedicated to the memory of Peter and Paul. It is also allowed to eat vegetables, cereals, wine, and lean pancakes.

More important point: on the days of remembrance of saints, which fall during Peter's Lent, it is allowed to consume fish dishes, butter, and wine.

Naturally, during Peter's Fast you should give up animal products: this rule is unshakable for all fasts!

Thus, food during Peter's Fast should be fresh, light and healthy. It can be treated thermally - well, except for strict days (Wednesday and Friday).

WHAT NOT TO DO IN PETROV POST

In general, the rules of conduct during this fast are no different from the rules of conduct during other fasts. And it doesn’t seem that difficult to comply with them! But they are violated regularly, although there is nothing special about:

Give up negative or evil actions, thoughts and words;

Limit yourself, or better yet, completely exclude yourself from participating in entertainment activities,

Forget about anger, envy, slander, lies and live in accordance with the commandments of the Lord.

One of the most common signs associated with the time of Peter's Lent says that marriages concluded at this time are fragile. This, of course, is complete nonsense! Another thing is that if you are believers, it will not be easy for you to celebrate such an event at this time: fasting involves restrictions both in the sense of entertainment and in the sense of the table. So it’s much easier, of course, to shift the joyful event to some time free from fasting.

At the very beginning of summer, on June 4, one of the four “long” fasts of the year begins. Long means “many days”. Another name for Petrovsky, or Petrovsky, fast is Apostolic. This fast has its own characteristics, its own traditions, and, given the beginning of summer, its own dishes.

The main feature of Petrov's Fast is its duration, which varies greatly: it can last either a week or a month. How so, you ask? And everything is really simple. It’s just that the start date of this fast is “floating”; it is calculated depending on when Easter and Trinity fall on the calendar. But what’s even more interesting is that Peter’s Fast begins on different dates, but always ends on the same day - July 11th.

WHY FAST AT THIS TIME

According to the second version, the fast was once established by the authorities, who proceeded not from Orthodox, but from pragmatic considerations: there were few food supplies, there was no new harvest yet, so the fast was intended, as it were, for the legal saving of what was left. According to the third assumption, Petrov's Fast was given to people so that they would complete what they had not completed during Great Lent - that is, to those who could not cleanse themselves during Great Lent or sinned by breaking it. That is, initially the fast was for the “chosen ones,” and then all people who observed other fasts began to adhere to it.

FEATURES OF SUMMER LENT

The most free day in terms of nutrition during Peter's Fast is July 7, the Nativity of John the Baptist. No matter what day this number falls on, a great relaxation is always made for this holiday - you can eat fish and seafood. But July 12, although it falls on the end of the fast, may fall on Wednesday or Friday, and then instead of breaking the fast you will still have to limit yourself: you can eat fish and seafood, food with vegetable oil, drink a little wine, but no meat or milk cannot be used yet. This year, however, these restrictions will not apply, since July 12 falls on Thursday.

It has been said many times that fasting should not be confused with diet. Peter's fast is also, of course, days not for diet, but for restrictions and cleansing of the soul. Peter's Fast is incomparable in severity with Great Lent - it is much easier! General, summary rules look like this:

· On Monday, you can create a menu of dried fruits, boiled plant products (cereals, vegetables, mushrooms. Bread and wholemeal flour products are allowed once a day.

· On Tuesday you can cook fish dishes and drink a glass of wine. Oil, cereals, and legumes are allowed. You can diversify the menu with honey and nuts.

· On Wednesdays, fruits, berries and vegetables can only be eaten raw. It is acceptable to season the salad with butter and eat one piece of bread.

· On Fridays, vegetables are allowed, preferably raw. Fruits can be eaten dry, once a day. It is acceptable to eat some nuts.

· On Saturdays and Sundays you are allowed to eat fish and even drink wine - without getting drunk, of course, but a little. Well, on weekends they also prepare Lenten pies filled with fish. This is a very old tradition - these pies are dedicated to the memory of Peter and Paul. It is also allowed to eat vegetables, cereals, wine, and lean pancakes.

Another important point: on the days of remembrance of saints, which fall during Peter's Lent, it is allowed to consume fish dishes, butter, and wine.

Naturally, during Peter's Fast you should give up animal products: this rule is unshakable for all fasts!

Thus, food during Peter's Fast should be fresh, light and healthy. It can be treated thermally - well, except for strict days (Wednesday and Friday).

from 14/ 27th of June until June 28 / July 11 in 2016

This summer fast, which we now call Petrine, or Apostolic, was previously called the fast of Pentecost.

The Church calls us to this fast, following the example of the holy apostles, who, having received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, prepared through fasting and prayer for the worldwide preaching of the Gospel.

The Day of Pentecost, when on the fiftieth day after His descent from the tomb and on the tenth day after His Ascension, the Lord, seated at the right hand of the Father, sent down the Holy Spirit on all His disciples and apostles, - one of greatest holidays. This is the making of a new everlasting covenant with people. The Holy Spirit who descended on the apostles, the Spirit of truth, the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, instead of Sinai, inscribed the new Zion Law. The place of the Sinai law was taken by the grace of the Holy Spirit, law-giving, giving strength to fulfill the Law of God, pronouncing justification not by works, but by grace.

We do not fast on Pentecost because on these days the Lord was with us. We do not fast because He Himself said: can you force the sons of the bridal chamber to fast when the bridegroom is with them?(Luke 5:34).

“After the long feast of Pentecost, fasting is especially necessary in order to purify our thoughts through it and become worthy of the gifts of the Holy Spirit,” writes Saint Leo the Great. - This festival, which the Holy Spirit sanctified with His descent, is usually followed by a nationwide fast, beneficially established for the healing of soul and body, and therefore requiring that we accompany it with due goodwill. For we have no doubt that after the apostles were filled with the power promised from above and the Spirit of truth dwelt in their hearts, among other secrets of heavenly teaching, at the inspiration of the Comforter, the teaching of spiritual abstinence was also taught, so that hearts, cleansed by fasting, would become more capable of the acceptance of grace-filled gifts... one cannot fight the impending efforts of the persecutors and the furious threats of the wicked in a pampered body and fattened flesh, since what delights our outer man destroys the inner one, and on the contrary, the more the rational soul is purified the more the flesh is mortified.”

That is why the teachers, who enlightened all the children of the Church with example and instruction, marked the beginning of the battle for Christ with a holy fast, so that, going out to battle against spiritual corruption, we would have a weapon for this in abstinence, with which we could kill sinful lusts, for our invisible opponents and bodiless enemies will not overcome us if we do not indulge in carnal lusts. Although the tempter has a constant and unchanging desire to harm us, it remains powerless and ineffective when he does not find in us a side from which he can attack... For this reason, an unchangeable and saving custom has been established - after holy and joyful days, which we celebrate in honor of the Lord, who rose from the dead and then ascended into heaven, and after receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, go through the field of fasting.

The custom of fasting must be diligently observed in order for those gifts that are now given to the Church from God to remain within us. Having become temples of the Holy Spirit and being more than ever filled with Divine waters, we must not submit to any lusts, must not serve any vices, so that the home of virtue is not defiled by anything ungodly. With the help and assistance of God, we can all achieve this, if only, by cleansing ourselves with fasting and almsgiving, we try to free ourselves from the filth of sin and bear the abundant fruits of love. Further, Saint Leo of Rome writes: “Of the apostolic rules that God Himself inspired, the church leaders, at the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, were the first to establish that all deeds of virtue should begin with fasting.

They did this because the commandments of God can be fulfilled well only when the army of Christ is protected from all temptations of sin by holy abstinence. So, beloved, we must practice fasting primarily at the present time, in which we are commanded to fast, after the end of the fifty days that have elapsed from the Resurrection of Christ until the descent of the Holy Spirit and which we spent in a special celebration.

This fast is commanded to protect us from carelessness, which is very easy to fall into due to the long-term food permit that we have enjoyed. If the field of our flesh is not constantly cultivated, thorns and thistles easily grow on it and produce such fruit that they are not gathered into the granary, but are doomed to be burned. Therefore, we are now obliged to carefully preserve those seeds that we have received into our hearts from the heavenly Sower, and to beware lest an envious enemy somehow spoil what was given by God and thorns of vices do not grow in the paradise of virtues. This evil can only be warded off by mercy and fasting.”

Blessed Simeon of Thessaloniki writes that fasting was established in honor of the apostles, because through them we were granted many blessings and they became for us leaders and teachers of fasting, obedience... and abstinence. The Latins also testify to this against their will, honoring the apostles with fasting in their memory. But we, in accordance with the apostolic decrees drawn up by Clement, after the descent of the Holy Spirit, celebrate for one week, and then, the next week, we honor the apostles who handed us over to fast.

How long does Petrov's fast last?

Peter's Fast depends on whether Easter occurs sooner or later, and therefore its duration varies. It always begins with the end of the Triodion, or after the week of Pentecost, and ends on June 28, if the feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul is not on Wednesday or Friday.

The longest fast is six weeks, and the shortest is a week and one day.

Antioch Patriarch Theodore Balsamon (12th century) says: “Seven days or more before the feast of Peter and Paul, all the faithful, that is, laymen and monks, are obliged to fast, and those who do not fast will be excommunicated from the communion of Orthodox Christians.”

How to eat properly during Peter's Fast

The feat of Peter's Fast is less strict than Pentecost: during Peter's Fast, the Church Charter prescribes weekly, for three days - on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays - to abstain from fish, wine and oil, and dry food at the ninth hour after Vespers; on other days you should abstain only from fish.

On Saturdays, Sundays During this fast, as well as on the days of remembrance of some great saint or the days of a temple holiday, fish is also allowed.

Why are the apostles Peter and Paul called supreme

According to the testimony of the word of God, the apostles occupy a special place in the Church - everyone should understand us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God(1 Cor. 4:1).

Endowed with equal power from above and the same power to forgive sins, all the apostles will sit on twelve thrones next to the Son of Man (Matthew 19:28).

Although some of the apostles were distinguished in Scripture and tradition, for example Peter, Paul, John, James and others, not one of them was the main or even superior in honor to the rest.

But since the Acts of the Apostles mainly narrates the works of the apostles Peter and Paul, the Church and the holy fathers, reverent at the name of each of the apostles, call these two supreme.

The Church glorifies the Apostle Peter as the one who began from among the apostles to confess Jesus Christ as the Son of the living God; Paul, as if he labored more than others and was numbered among the highest of the apostles by the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. II, 5); one - for firmness, the other - for bright wisdom.

Calling the two apostles supreme, according to the primacy of order and works. The Church inspires that its head is Jesus Christ alone, and all the apostles are His servants (Col. 1:18).

The Holy Apostle Peter, who before his calling bore the name Simon, the elder brother of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, was a fisherman. He was married and had children. In the words of St. John Chrysostom, he was a fiery man, unbookish, simple, poor and God-fearing. He was brought to the Lord by his brother Andrew, and at the first glance at a simple fisherman, the Lord predicted for him the name Cephas, in Syriac, or in Greek - Peter, that is, stone. After the election of Peter to the number of the apostles, the Lord visited his poor home and healed his mother-in-law from a fever (Mark 1:29-31).

Among His three disciples, the Lord deigned Peter to be a witness of His Divine glory on Tabor, His Divine power at the resurrection of Jairus’s daughter (Mark 5:37) and His humiliation according to humanity in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Peter washed away his renunciation of Christ with bitter tears of repentance, and was the first of the apostles to enter the tomb of the Savior after His resurrection, and the first of the apostles was honored to see the Risen One.

The Apostle Peter was an outstanding preacher. The power of his word was so great that he converted three or five thousand people to Christ. According to the word of the Apostle Peter, those convicted of a crime fell dead (Acts 5:5.10), the dead were resurrected (Acts 9:40), the sick were healed (Acts 9:3-34) even from the touch of one shadow of a passing apostle ( Acts 5:15).

But he did not have primacy of power. All church matters were decided by the common voice of the apostles and elders with the entire Church.

The Apostle Paul, speaking about the apostles, revered as pillars, puts James in first place, and then Peter and John (Gal. 2:9), but he ranks himself among them (2 Cor. 11:5) and compares him with Peter. The Council sends Peter to the work of ministry in the same way as other disciples of Christ.

The Apostle Peter made five journeys, preaching the Gospel and converting many to the Lord. He ended his last journey in Rome, where he preached the faith of Christ with great zeal, increasing the number of disciples. In Rome, the Apostle Peter exposed the deception of Simon the Magus, who pretended to be Christ, and converted two wives loved by Nero to Christ.

By order of Nero, on June 29, 67, the Apostle Peter was crucified. He asked his tormentors to crucify himself head down, wanting to show the difference between his suffering and the suffering of his Divine Teacher.

The story of the conversion of the Holy Apostle Paul, who previously bore Jewish name Saul.

Saul, brought up in the Jewish law, hated and tormented the Church of Christ, and even asked the Sanhedrin for the power to find and persecute Christians everywhere. Saul tormented the church, entering houses and dragging out men and women, handing them over to prison(Acts 8:3). One day, “Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, came to the high priest and asked him for letters to Damascus to the synagogues, so that whoever he found following this teaching, both men and women, would be tied up and brought to Jerusalem. As he walked and approached Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly shone around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him: Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting Me? He said: Who are you, Lord? The Lord said: I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It's hard for you to go against the grain. He said in awe and horror: Lord! what do you want me to do? and the Lord said to him: Arise and go into the city; and it will be told to you what you need to do. The people walking with him stood in a daze, hearing the voice but not seeing anyone. Saul got up from the ground, and with his eyes open he saw no one. And they led him by the hands and brought him to Damascus. And for three days he did not see, nor did he eat, nor did he drink” (Acts 9:1-9).

A persistent persecutor of Christianity becomes a tireless preacher of the Gospel. Paul's life, actions, words, epistles - everything testifies to him as a chosen vessel of God's grace. Neither sorrow, nor distress, nor persecution, nor famine, nor nakedness, nor danger, nor sword, nor death could weaken the love for God in Paul’s heart.

He made constant journeys to different countries to preach the Gospel to the Jews and especially to the pagans. These travels were accompanied by extraordinary power of preaching, miracles, tireless work, inexhaustible patience and high holiness of life. The labors of Paul's apostolic ministry were unparalleled. He said about himself: he labored more than all of them (1 Cor. 15:10). For his labors, the apostle endured innumerable sorrows. In the year 67, on June 29, at the same time as the Apostle Peter, he suffered martyrdom in Rome. As a Roman citizen he was beheaded by the sword.

The Orthodox Church venerates the apostles Peter and Paul as those who enlightened the darkness of the West, glorifies Peter’s firmness and Paul’s mind, and contemplates in them the image of the conversion of those who sin and those who are corrected in the Apostle Peter - the image of one who rejected the Lord and repented; in the Apostle Paul - the image of one who resisted the preaching of the Lord and then believed.

Righteous John of Kronstadt about fasting

God! Just as it is characteristic of the Proto-Image to attract, to assimilate images, to inhabit and live in them, so it should be characteristic of those who are in Your image to strive with all love, with all zeal for the Proto-Image, to cleave to It. But behold, our greedy and voluptuous, plump, inert flesh tears us away from You; we need fasting, abstinence, and we are passionate about sweets. Strengthen us to abstinence!

When was Petrov's fast established?

The establishment of Petrov's fast dates back to the first times Orthodox Church.

The church establishment of this fast is mentioned in the apostolic decrees:

“After Pentecost, celebrate one week, and then fast; justice requires both rejoicing after receiving gifts from God, and fasting after relieving the flesh.”

But this post was especially established when in Constantinople and Rome, which had not yet fallen away from Orthodoxy, churches were built in the name of supreme apostles Peter and Paul. The consecration of the Constantinople temple took place on the day of remembrance of the apostles on June 29 (according to the new style - July 12), and since then this day has become especially solemn in both the East and the West. The Orthodox Church has established the preparation of pious Christians for this holiday by fasting and prayer.

Since the 4th century, the testimonies of the Church Fathers about apostolic fasting have become more and more frequent; St. , and in the 5th century - and.

St. Athanasius the Great, describing in his defensive speech to Emperor Constantius the disasters caused to Orthodox Christians by the Arians, says: “The people who fasted in the week following St. Pentecost, he went to the cemetery to pray.”

Why is this post called apostolic?

This summer fast, which we now call Peter's, or the apostolic fast, was previously called the fast of Pentecost.

The Holy Spirit who descended on the apostles, the Spirit of truth, the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, instead of Sinai, inscribed a new Zion law, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of flesh of the heart(). The place of the Sinai law was taken by the grace of the Holy Spirit, law-giving, giving strength to fulfill the Law of God, pronouncing justification not by works, but by grace.

We do not fast on Pentecost because on these days the Lord was with us. We do not fast because He Himself said: Can you force the sons of the bridal chamber to fast when the bridegroom is with them?(). Communication with the Lord is like food for a Christian. So, during Pentecost we feed on the Lord who deals with us.

“After the long feast of Pentecost, fasting is especially necessary in order to purify our thoughts through it and become worthy of the gifts of the Holy Spirit,” writes St. . - This festival, which the Holy Spirit sanctified with His descent, is usually followed by a nationwide fast, beneficially established for the healing of soul and body, and therefore requiring that we accompany it with due goodwill. For we have no doubt that after the apostles were filled with the power promised from above, and the Spirit of truth dwelt in their hearts, among other secrets of heavenly teaching, at the inspiration of the Comforter, the teaching of spiritual abstinence was also taught, so that hearts, purified by fasting, would become more capable to the acceptance of grace-filled gifts, ... it is impossible to fight with the upcoming efforts of the persecutors and the fierce threats of the wicked in a pampered body and fattened flesh, since what delights our outer man destroys the inner one, and on the contrary, the more the rational soul is purified, the more the flesh is mortified.

For this reason, an unchangeable and saving custom has been established - after the holy and joyful days that we celebrate in honor of the Lord, who rose from the dead and then ascended into heaven, and after receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, to go through the field of fasting.

This custom must be diligently observed in order for those gifts that are now given to the Church from God to remain in us. Having become temples of the Holy Spirit and, more than ever, having been filled with Divine waters, we must not submit to any lusts, we must not serve any vices, so that the home of virtue is not defiled by anything ungodly.

With the help and assistance of God, we can all achieve this, if only, by cleansing ourselves with fasting and almsgiving, we try to free ourselves from the filth of sin and bear the abundant fruits of love.” Further St. Leo of Rome writes: “Of the apostolic rules that God Himself inspired, the church leaders, at the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, were the first to establish that all deeds of virtue should begin with fasting.

They did this because the commandments of God can be fulfilled well only when the army of Christ is protected from all temptations of sin by holy abstinence.

So, beloved, we must practice fasting primarily at the present time, in which we are commanded to fast, after the end of the fifty days that have elapsed from the resurrection of Christ until the descent of the Holy Spirit and which we have spent in a special celebration.

Therefore, we are now obliged to carefully preserve those seeds that we have received into our hearts from the heavenly Sower, and to beware lest an envious enemy somehow spoil what was given by God, and thorns of vices do not grow in the paradise of virtues.

This evil can only be warded off by mercy and fasting.”

Bl. Semyon of Thessaloniki writes that fasting was established in honor of the apostles, “because through them we were granted many blessings and they became for us leaders and teachers of fasting, obedience... and abstinence. The Latins also testify to this against their will, honoring the apostles with fasting in their memory. But we, in accordance with the apostolic decrees drawn up by Clement, after the descent of the Holy Spirit, celebrate for one week, and then, the next week, we honor the apostles who gave us over to fast.”

Why are the apostles Peter and Paul called supreme

According to the testimony of the word of God, the apostles occupy a special place in the Church - everyone should understand us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God ().

Endowed with equal power from above and the same power to forgive sins, all the apostles will sit on twelve thrones next to the Son of Man ().

Although some of the apostles were distinguished in Scripture and tradition, for example Peter, Paul, John, James and others, not one of them was the main or even superior in honor to the rest.

But since the Acts of the Apostles primarily narrates the works of the apostles Peter and Paul, the holy fathers, reverent at the name of each of the apostles, call these two supreme.

The Church glorifies the Apostle Peter as the one who began from among the apostles to confess Jesus Christ as the Son of the living God; Paul, as if he labored more than others and was numbered among the highest of the apostles by the Holy Spirit (); one - for firmness, the other - for bright wisdom.

Calling the two apostles supreme, according to the primacy of order and works. The Church inspires that its head is Jesus Christ alone, and all the apostles are His servants ().

The Holy Apostle Peter, who before his calling bore the name Simon, the elder brother of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, was a fisherman. He was married and had children. In the words of St. , he was a fiery man, unbookish, simple, poor and God-fearing. He was brought to the Lord by his brother Andrei, and at the first glance at a simple fisherman, the Lord predicted for him the name Cephas, in Syriac, or in Greek - Peter, that is, stone. After the election of Peter to the number of the apostles, the Lord visited his poor home and healed his mother-in-law from a fever ().

Among His three disciples, the Lord deigned Peter to be a witness of His Divine glory at Tabor, His Divine power at the resurrection of the daughter of Jairus () and His humiliation according to humanity in the Garden of Gethsemane.

The Apostle Peter was an outstanding preacher. The power of his word was so great that he converted three or five thousand people to Christ. According to the word of the Apostle Peter, those convicted of a crime fell dead (), the dead were resurrected (), the sick were healed () even from the touch of one shadow of a passing apostle ().

But he did not have primacy of power. All church matters were decided by the common voice of the apostles and elders with the entire Church.

The Apostle Paul, speaking about the apostles, revered as pillars, puts James in first place, and then Peter and John (), and counts himself among them ()

and compares him with Peter. The Council sends Peter to the work of ministry in the same way as other disciples of Christ.

The story of the conversion of the holy Apostle Paul, who previously bore the Hebrew name Saul, is wonderful.

Saul, brought up in the Jewish law, hated and tormented the Church of Christ, and even asked the Sanhedrin for the power to find and persecute Christians everywhere. Saul tormented the church, entering houses and dragging out men and women, handing them over to prison(). One day, “Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, came to the high priest and asked him for letters to Damascus to the synagogues, so that whoever he found following this teaching, both men and women, would be tied up and brought to Jerusalem. As he walked and approached Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly shone around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him: Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting Me? He said: Who are you, Lord? The Lord said: I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It's hard for you to go against the grain. He said in awe and horror: Lord! what do you want me to do? and the Lord said to him: Arise and go into the city; and it will be told to you what you need to do. The people walking with him stood in a daze, hearing the voice but not seeing anyone. Saul got up from the ground, and with his eyes open he saw no one. And they led him by the hands and brought him to Damascus. And for three days he did not see, and did not eat, and did not drink” ().

He made constant travels to different countries to preach the Gospel to the Jews and especially to the pagans. These travels were accompanied by extraordinary power of preaching, miracles, tireless work, inexhaustible patience and high holiness of life. The labors of Paul's apostolic ministry were unparalleled. He spoke about himself: he worked harder than all of them (). For his labors, the apostle endured innumerable sorrows. In the year 67, on June 29, at the same time as the Apostle Peter, he suffered martyrdom in Rome. As a Roman citizen he was beheaded by the sword.

How long does Petrov's fast last?

Peter's Fast depends on whether Easter occurs sooner or later, and therefore its duration varies. It always begins with the end of the Triodion, or after the week of Pentecost, and ends on July 12 (June 29, Old Style), if the feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul is not on Wednesday or Friday.

The longest fast is six weeks, and the shortest is a week and one day.

How to eat properly during Peter's Fast

The feat of Peter's Fast is less strict than Pentecost: during Peter's Fast, the charter of the Church prescribes weekly, for three days - on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays - to abstain from fish, wine and oil, and dry food at the ninth hour after Vespers; on other days you should abstain only from fish.

On Saturdays and Sundays of this fast, as well as on the days of remembrance of some great saint or the days of a temple holiday, fish is also allowed.

Z Hello, dear visitors of the Orthodox website “Family and Faith”!

P Petersburg's fast continues. And we, Orthodox Christians, taste the grace-filled silence in the midst of the bustle summer days, and, according to the strength of our spiritual exploits, we join the spiritual Heavenly world.

N The attached episode of the program “Conversations with Father” on the Soyuz TV channel is dedicated to this summer fast.

G ost of the TV show - the governor of the Resurrection New Jerusalem Stauropegial monastery Archimandrite Theophylact (Bezukladnikov).

Orthodox website "Family and Faith"

Presenter Sergey Platonov
Recorded by Elena Kuzoro

Please tell us about fasting: how did it appear in our church life (we know that it appeared somewhat later than other fasts), how was Peter’s fast established?

– The fact is that the beginning of Peter’s Fast is directly related to the holidays that we have just listed. The Holy Spirit, having descended on the apostles, among other mysteries, promises, and truths, revealed to them that a Christian needs fasting and abstinence. It must be said (the holy fathers later expand on this topic in great detail) that without abstinence in food we will not succeed at all. That is, abstinence in food is the first step, perhaps a small one, with which we generally must begin any piety, any feat in our life. All the holy fathers say that we must begin with abstinence in food. If this does not happen, then there will be no abstinence of the tongue, abstinence from anger, rage, and passions. Therefore, the holy apostles fasted after the descent of the Holy Spirit on them, before going out to preach about the risen Christ. We, too, must fast, imitating the holy apostles. We prayed, kneeling in the temple, that the Lord would renew the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us on the day of Holy Pentecost.

Secondly, when we fast, we seem to continue the work that the apostles did. We always firmly declare that today’s bishops are the successors of the holy apostles, they also preach. But priests also preach about Christ, they also explain the truths of the Gospel, they also baptize, as the holy apostles did, and the laity should also participate in this. That is, Peter's Fast should be a missionary field for every Christian: both clergy and laymen. During this Lent, everyone should imitate the holy apostles. What should I imitate? We must lead such a virtuous life that people look at us and say, “We believe what they say. We like the way Christians live, we also want to become Christians,” and they went to the temple to accept the faith of Christ and be baptized. This, perhaps, is the first purpose of Peter's Fast - to be imitators of the holy apostles.

You are right in that this fast was not immediately called the Fast of Peter (or even the Fast of the Holy Apostles). In the very first apostolic letters, this fast is designated as the fast after Pentecost, when those who for some reason were unable to fast during Lent fasted. But then we see that literally from the 4th century this fast was determined by the Church very firmly and definitively, Saints Athanasius the Great and Ambrose of Milan speak about it. This was facilitated by the fact that Emperor Constantine the Great built two large beautiful cathedrals dedicated to the apostles Peter and Paul in both capitals of the Roman Empire (Rome and Constantinople). And in Constantinople this cathedral was consecrated on July 12 according to the new style, when the celebration of the holy chief apostles began to especially spread in the Roman Empire and fasting was established as a necessary and obligatory norm.

– Many people say that since they fasted during Great Lent, it is not necessary to fast during Peter’s Lent.

– We fasted during Lent, but what happened next? And then there was Easter, and there was Easter week, when the church charter allowed us to celebrate joyfully, lightly, all restrictions on food were lifted. This happened for fifty days, even after Pentecost, for a whole week we also had no restrictions on food. And here comes the danger. If we lived for eight weeks in a row without fasting, then it is very important that those gifts, those talents that we received from the Lord (they can be compared to precious grains that fell into our soul) were not drowned out by weeds, harmful grass, and in this Fasting helps us.

It is enough for us to celebrate having received the gifts of the Holy Spirit; we must already fast and do good deeds. And we remember that in doing good deeds we should be helped by fasting and prayer, like two wings that lift us from earth to heaven. Remember the words of the Lord Himself, He said: “How can the sons of the bridal chamber fast while the Bridegroom is with them? But when the Bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast.” And after the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, after the Descent of the Holy Spirit, it is also appropriate for us to fast, fulfilling these words of the Lord Jesus Christ, therefore the Fast of Peter is necessary and very important.

– As we know, the duration of this fast depends on Easter.

– Yes, it begins strictly a week after the feast of the Holy Trinity, that is, eight weeks after Easter, and since Easter is a moving holiday, its duration ranges from six weeks to one week and one day.

– This year this post is not very long, a little more than two weeks.

– Yes, so you certainly shouldn’t be discouraged.

– This fast is not as strict as the Great Fast. What are the benefits of this post?

– It must be said that any fast is, first of all, a Divine institution, and therefore no one in the Church can cancel any fast. You said correctly that there may be relaxations. This fast is not the strictest; it allows the consumption of fish on Saturday, Sunday and even on other days when they are holidays. Usually some average measure of this fast is chosen, when one abstains from eating fish on Wednesday and Friday. But in monasteries or individual, stricter Christians can fast more strictly, closer to the church charter, while someone chooses a softer form of fasting - this must be decided with their confessor, sometimes asking for the advice of a doctor. But we must fast according to our conscience and to the best of our ability.

When they talk about fasting and people immediately begin to ask the question of what kind of relaxations there may be, I would like to remind you that very often these parishioners themselves, on the contrary, suffer from excess weight and are actively struggling with calories, watch all the programs on TV about how to reset excess weight, they really want to be slim, fit, read articles on this topic, turn to doctors so that they can choose a diet that would contain as few calories as possible. And I would like to ask the question: what can fasting do here? Of course, fasting is not just for us to lose weight, but it just helps us maintain abstinence. Therefore, we just need to combine these different intentions in ourselves, when, on the one hand, we are looking for relief in fasting, and on the other, we are thinking about how to lose weight.

– A friend of mine is a vegetarian, he says: “Why do I need to fast? I already fast constantly.” Are vegetarianism and fasting somehow related?

- Not really. At some points there is contact, but not completely. The fact is that vegetarians simply, for some reason (and there are different reasons), do not eat food of animal origin and sometimes even fish. The Church does not insist on this; on the contrary, it creates the correct, necessary rhythm of when to eat what food. I remember that in theological schools they told us that the rhythm that the church charter sets is probably the most ideal and best, it is unlikely that doctors, doctors and professors will select it for us, it is better to follow this rhythm, and everything will be fine. Therefore, we follow more the words of God, who after the Flood blessed us to eat food of animal origin. But if we have strict ascetics who limit themselves, then they do this for the sake of the virtue of abstinence and improvement.

We want, through limiting ourselves in this or that type or quality of food, to curb our tongue, anger, rage, irritability, to cope with ourselves, that is, we see that because of breaking the fast, Adam and Eve lost paradise. Therefore, breaking the fast is a dangerous thing, and we must try to observe the fast. When this virtue is violated, then severe consequences, and when the fast ends, people can eat other foods. Vegetarians, unlike believers, approach this purely gastronomically; maybe medically or biologically. But our approach is precisely spiritual, we care about the state of the soul, that is, we know that the state of our soul greatly depends on the quality of food. And everyone can feel it. If we, for example, drink a glass of water and eat a piece of black bread, then we will have one mood, but if a person eats a kebab and drinks alcohol, then there will be a completely different state, there is no need to even comment. Therefore, when we want to curb ourselves, to control ourselves, when we want the spirit to dominate the flesh, so that it is easier for us to pray, to go to church, so that it is easier to do good deeds, then we observe fasting.

– Question from a TV viewer: “We have people at work of different ages, and before a person goes to eat, they say not “bon appetit”, but in short: “enjoy...” I don’t like it when our Russian language is distorted, and I don’t say anything in response to such a wish. And when they say “bon appetit,” I answer: “Thank you.” Isn’t this a manifestation of pride and arrogance on my part?”

– Your question is more linguistic. I was in Croatia, riding on a bus and heard on the radio how they called during the broadcast and said: “ Good evening!”, and the presenter simply answers: “Good...” - there is also some reduction in words in addresses, in colloquial speech. Colloquial speech is characterized by contraction, and this is observed in the most different languages, not only in Russian. I heard the same thing about the German language. It is difficult for me to comment on why they begin to omit some words, but I would like you to still show love for them in your interactions with your neighbors, condescension, and perhaps not be so strict. Moreover, from the story that I just heard, I don’t observe anything seditious. Therefore, for the sake of maintaining peace in your team, it is better to remain in a position of politeness and goodwill.

– The time of fasting is not only a time of abstinence in food, but also of repentance. The question is always asked: how to confess and receive communion during Lent?

– You correctly noted that fasting is a time of abstinence, and in all respects: abstinence in food should be accompanied by abstinence of the tongue, anger, rage; spouses during this period should, by mutual consent, try to have abstinence in marital relations, because the time of fasting is a time of intense prayers, reading Holy Scripture and fasting, when Orthodox Christians (at a more convenient period, which is more conducive to this) should visit the churches of God, confess and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. I would immediately like to urge all our viewers to wisely use this period of Peter’s Lent and be sure to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ (maybe someone can do this twice), gather strength, find time and opportunity.

As for preparation for communion, it depends on personal capabilities, but in general, if we fast, this is already wonderful. If outside of fasting we discuss how many days we need to fast before communion (a day, two or three), then during fasting it’s easier in this regard; one question seems to have been removed. You also need to come to the temple of God to confess your sins. In general, it must be said that repentance is a lifelong process, and the confession that a person makes before a priest, or rather before the cross and the Gospel, before the invisibly standing Lord, is only the final moment. The Apostle Peter teaches us this: he denied Christ, but when the rooster crowed, he immediately repented of his sin and cried. And even when the Lord appeared and forgave him for this renunciation and restored him to apostolic dignity, he still cried every night until the end of his days, washing his bed with tears when the rooster crowed.

So do we: when we have committed some sin, we immediately, without waiting for confession, must lament in our hearts, prayerfully turn to the Lord, and ask Him for forgiveness. That is, this process must mature in us, and therefore, by the time of confession, when a person approaches the priest, to the lectern on which the cross and the Gospel lie, this is already the final process, when he confesses his sins and the priest reads prayers, and the Lord Himself forgives repentant of his sins. Moreover, the Holy Church says that a person is not only forgiven for the sins he has listed, of which he has repented, but is also given the grace of God not to fall into these sins again. There are such deep-seated sins as smoking, drinking, and sometimes people say: “How can I get away from them, how can I give them up?” The simplest answer: we must begin to repent of these sins, regularly come to confession, and grace will help the person not to fall into these sins again. How a person uses this help, how much he wants to use it, is another matter.

– Question from a TV viewer: “We have a problem in our team: approximately 80% of women swear dirty, they even remember their mother poorly. Moreover, the women are all very decent, mothers, grandmothers, and they laugh and tell how their children talk to them the same way. It’s funny for them... I’ve already tried to have a conversation with them. How to behave, how to convey to them that you can’t swear like that?”

– Your question is more complicated, because the sin that you identified is more terrible than that of the first person who called, here is a purely spiritual problem, because the use swear words is a certain form of possession. We have the Jesus Prayer against demonic possession, so when you hear swear words in your group, you should first of all say the Jesus Prayer to yourself. We must understand that through the Jesus Prayer, reading the Psalter and the word of God, the demon is driven away, it leaves the person it is tormenting. When a person is captivated by a demon, he speaks swear words. At this moment, first of all, you need to pray inside, and, of course, you need to answer such people in normal language, as befits Christians.

You are right to make comments, it is especially good when people accept your comments. But this vice exists in our lives, it is a certain degree unchurchedness of our society, such a criterion, an indicator that we still have quite large percentage people who do not read the Gospel themselves, pray little, and rarely go to church to receive communion. The consequence of such secularization is the fact of using swear words. May the Lord help you to endure this, to stand firmly, courageously, calmly and maintain an inner prayerful attitude.

- When you read different Orthodox literature regarding fasting, abstinence, etc., in addition to any descriptions of changes in fasting or relaxations, any instruction must end with a simple phrase that all relaxations should be carried out with the blessing of the confessor. What is the role of a confessor for Orthodox Christian in the post?

– The role of the confessor and in general of any priest is important not only during Lent, but in general always, because all people come to us, be it our spiritual children who constantly come to us for confession or for conversation, or a random person who comes to the monastery, to the temple of God, or simply met on the street. The priest remains such everywhere and must always carry the word of God, but it is the confessor who must qualitatively determine and help a person go through his spiritual career. This is the difficulty, because as many people as there are, there are so many ways to the Kingdom of Heaven, and in this regard there are no templates; in each person the priest must see God’s plan for him, his life pattern. The priest must help him pass life path virtuously, piously, in maximum accordance with the Gospel - this is his task. And, of course, the priest’s duty extends to helping a Christian go through the field of fasting.

When fasting begins, many feel some cowardice or panic: “How can I get through it? Do I have enough strength? They immediately begin to remember their illnesses, and here the priest has to say that neither the Lord, nor the Church, nor we demand anything beyond our strength, everything must be done to the best of our ability, and that includes fasting. On the other hand, we should in no case indulge in negligence, when a person can fast, but does not fast, but only looks for reasons to receive a blessing from the priest and how to cover himself with a shield, so as not to observe the fast, using some guile.

For example, note that when the fast ends, very often there is sadness in the soul, the conscience denounces that the fast is over, but you could have passed this field better, you could have fasted more strictly, that is, you were too lenient with yourself. Such moments must be remembered, and when the next Lent begins, we must show diligence, remember the words of the Lord that “The Kingdom of God is in need and only needy women delight in it.” Or we need to remember how we achieve other goals in life. Recently there was a graduation party for schoolchildren. They tried to successfully complete school and make efforts to enter higher education. educational establishments and then finish them, although only 50% work in their specialty. How much effort do people put into making money or making a career?

- All life goes away...

– Sometimes we spend enormous efforts even for false, deceptive or unnecessary goals. You have to be honest with yourself and say: “I have to try to save my soul.” That is, approach the concept of fasting from this side: “If I try to earn money or make a career, why shouldn’t I try to save my soul, because this is even more important?” The soul is greater than the body, the problems of the soul must be solved before the problems of the body, our soul inherits eternity, and we, too, must think about this eternity and build our lives accordingly. The priest here must be able to find such words to calm people down, console them from such a panicky mood, especially in the first days of fasting, and show them the true goals of why this fast is needed. No one wants to make fun of us; we ourselves consciously enter this very important pious field and want to go through it in a worthy manner in order to receive spiritual benefit.

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