Metropolitan Laurentiu: True fasting begins in our hearttranslated

"True fasting begins in our heart: by renouncing selfishness, by overcoming passions, by reconciling with fellow men and by rediscovering the joy of living in communion with Christ," Metropolitan Laurentiu of Transylvania sends in his message to the faithful at the beginning of the Fast of the Assumption of the Mother of God.

"In the person of the Mother of God we discover the incomplete beauty of human nature transfigured by grace and the perfect response of human freedom to divine love. Her move to the heavenly life shows us the ultimate goal to which the entire human race is called: participation in the life and eternal love of the Most Holy Trinity through union with the crucified and risen Christ", says His Eminence.

The true honor of the Mother of God Father Metropolitan Laurentiu emphasizes that true honoring of the Mother of God means following her virtues - humility, obedience, purity of heart, patience and sacrificial love - as well as getting close to Christ through prayer, Confession and Holy Communion.

"Abstinence from certain foods finds its true meaning only when it is accompanied by the restraint of the tongue from judgment, the mind from...