All great religions teach fasting. Therefore (it is to be seen as) ( i .) An innate religious duty; (ii) Something necessary to the spiritual life. Did not Jesus say, after He had healed the lunatic son, "Howbeit, this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting" ( St . Matthew 17:21)? (b) What does the Bible teach about fasting? There are many examples of fasting in the Old Testament. It is presumed by many that Abraham fasted in his mourning for Sarah (Genesis 23: 2) and Jacob for his son Joseph (Genesis 37: 34). Moses fasted forty days on (Exodus 34: 28). Elijah fasted forty days (1 Kings 19:8). Also we read of many one-day fasts. Our Lord fasted forty days - which we recall in our Lenten observance. All these were not regular or usual fasts. Our Lord in no place set stated or directed fasting. Yet in the Sermon on the set forth how or in what spirit we should fast. ( St . Matthew 6: 16). He implied that fasting was associated with mourning: "When the bridegroom shall be taken away from them" ( St . Luke 5: 33 - 35) "then shall they fast in those days." In the Early Church (Acts 13: 2) "as they ministered to the Lord and fasted"; and in the sending forth of Barnabas and Saul (Acts 13: 3) "when they had fasted and prayed...."; and St . Paul (2 Corinthians 6: 4, 5) "....but in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God ...in fastings" and (2 Corinthians 11: 27) "....in weariness and painfulness...in fastings often." (c) Does our Prayer Book teach fasting? See the Revised Prayer Book page 72 and page xiii. (d) Why do we fast? We should first note that fasting is only a token, generally a token of our sorrow for sin. In the Bible persons fasted before special Communion with God . Fasting was also an expression of grief over the death of a friend. Fasting was an expression of sorrow for sin. Fasting was an expression of humility. In the experience of the Church fasting is a symbol of love, and it helps to identify ourselves with our Blessed Lord: "Shall not we thy trial share and from 45