On the first day of fasting...

On the first day of fasting, let us recall the instructions of the Monk Seraphim of Sarov on abstinence: “As the work of God rules the world, so the work of the soul is to rule the body. Lust is destroyed by suffering and sorrow, either arbitrary or sent by Providence. Exhaust your body by fasting and vigilance - and you will reflect the painful thought of voluptuousness. "