Main points:
– Fasting is a tool and not a goal
– We are one being consisting of body, soul, and spirit
– Food and spiritual state
– What satisfies us
– Goals of fasting:
o Focus on the spiritual and not the physical
o Seeking the unseen versus what the eyes see
o Controlling the desires
o Begin the journey of death to the world
o A sacrifice and an offering
o A participation with those who suffer
– Types of fasting

“Consecrate a fast,
Call a sacred assembly;
Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land
Into the house of the LORD your God,
And cry out to the LORD.” (Joel 1:14)

Fasting can mean a lot of things to different people; this is not an exhaustive view of the topic but rather a small discussion to help you investigate this into a deeper level.
What is Fasting?
The Thrice-blessed Pope Shenouda III, defined fasting as “Fasting is not substituting one food for another, and is not abstaining from food for a certain period. All these are just means, but they do not constitute the essence of fasting which is to free and exalt the soul from its bodily needs and above the influence of materialism. The soul and the body move in unity in loving God to enjoy His Company.”