The brethren said, “Is it possible for a man to fast and not to be redeemed?”
The old man said, “There is a fasting which is a matter of habit, another which is of desire, another which is of constraint, another which is of the sight, another which is of vainglory, another of tribulation, another of repentance, and another of spiritual love. Although each one of them is the same externally, within man they are distinct. Although the manner of each in respect of the body is the same, yet each should be undertaken with its thorough purpose, and a man should journey straightly along the way of love, and should bear his burden with spiritual patience, and should not rejoice in his honor.”
