"If we regulated our life with a sober mind and directed all of our
interest toward spiritual things, and if we ate as much as we needed to
satisfy our necessary needs and offered our entire lives to good works, we
would not have any need of the help rendered by the fast. But because human
nature is indifferent and gives itself over mostly to comforts and
gratifications, for this reason the philanthropic Lord, like a loving and
caring father, devised the therapy of the fast for us, so that our
gratifications would be completely stopped and that our worldly cares be
transferred to spiritual works. So, if there are some who have gathered
here and who are hindered by somatic ailments and cannot remain without
food, I advise them to nullify the somatic ailment and not to deprive
themselves from this spiritual teaching, but to care for it even more."
St. John Chrysostom, On Fasting.
"And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the
will of God abides forever." 1 John 2:17
Draw nigh unto God and He will draw nigh unto you.