FASTING DAY 12: "You Eat Your Brother" – The Church Fathers on Hypocrisy
Description: If you stop eating food but keep attacking people with your words, are you actually fasting? In Day 12 of our history series, we explore the stinging critiques from early church leaders who believed that "real" fasting is about changing your heart, not just your diet. We look at why the most respected teachers in early Christianity agreed that fasting without character growth is worthless.
We examine the famous warning from St. Basil the Great: "You do not eat meat, but you eat your brother." We also look at St. John Chrysostom, who preached that true fasting means abstaining from anger and slander, not just food. We discuss St. Augustine's teaching that fasting must make the heart humble rather than proud. This episode connects their ancient wisdom back to Isaiah 58, reminding us that God rejects religious rituals that don't lead to kindness and justice.
This message challenges modern Christians to do a serious self-check. On Day 12 of your fast, are you becoming more patient and generous, or are you just hungry and irritable? Join us to learn the difference between a spiritual discipline and a starvation diet.
Keywords: St. Basil the Great, St. Augustine, John Chrysostom, spiritual hypocrisy, Isaiah 58, true fasting, Christian character, sins of the tongue, fasting quotes, history of fasting.
