Fasting: Athanasius on Fasting and the Incarnation

Athanasius of Alexandria (d. 373) connected fasting to the doctrine of the Incarnation. Because God took on human flesh in Christ, the body is not an obstacle to spiritual growth but a partner in it. Fasting honors the body by disciplining it, just as an athlete trains the body not out of hatred but out of respect for its potential. Athanasius wrote: "Fasting heals our wounds, dries up the fount of our tears, and produces fruit of the Spirit."

Athanasius practiced what he preached, living an ascetic life during his many years of exile. He taught that fasting prepares the body to be a temple of the Holy Spirit: "Let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of body and spirit, that we may be a fit dwelling for the Lord."

Practical application: Before your next fast, meditate on 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: "Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit." Fast not to punish the body but to honor it -- to clear away the excess that prevents it from functioning as God intended. Athanasius teaches that fasting is a form of bodily worship, not bodily rejection.