The Dormition Fast begins today (August 1st), and although we have a previous article about it, I thought it was worth digging into again.
Prayer and Music
For a quick recap, our Guest Post – Dormition Fast article covers honouring the Dormition Fast particularly with prayer. The Badger Dad highlights the Akathist to the Mother of God, the Rosary, and the Moleben to the Mother of God as ways to spend the “season dedicated to preparing with prayer and penance a heart like our Blessed Mother, the Holy Theotokos.”
Of course, I think these prayers are a great way to focus on honouring the Mother of God and learning to love Christ more through her intercession and example. However, especially with young children, I think it would be also beneficial to simply play chants of the Akathist and Moleben to the Mother of God. Let the music of these ancient hymns of the church speak to their souls while the children are playing. Perhaps consider memorizing a portion of these prayers so you can pray along with that section when it comes up.
By having these prayers present, and learning them by heart, we will have a great foundation for praying always.
Colouring During the Dormition Fast
During times of catechisis, it may be beneficial to have your children complete some colouring pages. I find colouring encourages my children to have quiet, focused attention. And that it is a great time to listen to the Jesus Prayer! Although, as mentioned above, during the Dormition Fast you may want to be listening to something like the Akathist to the Mother of God instead.
To follow the spirit of the fast, consider limiting which colours your child may use during the colouring time. Or having a simplified space to work in so that there is less business/distractions around.
Three colouring pages we will do as a family over this Dormition Fast include colouring pages for the Transfiguration, The Wedding Feast at Cana, and the Dormition. The reason we include the Wedding Feast at Cana here is that August has the feasts of the first fruits, and fruits are blessed on the Transfiguration. The Wedding Feast of Cana begins the first fruits of Christ’s ministry as he begins working public miracles, and turns water into wine, which is also made from fruit. It helps that there a fruits pictured in the icon.
If you are looking for these and other icon colouring pages, be sure to check out ByziMom’s site, as she has the greatest quality collection of icon colouring pages that I’ve ever come across.
Fasting During the Dormition Fast
Abstaining from meat is not the only way we can honour the Dormition fast. And that’s a good thing too, since young children, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and others are sometimes unable to follow such prescriptions due to their state in life. I previously wrote an article suggesting other ways to fast in such circumstances, but I want to highlight just one of those ways here: Fasting From Speech
The idea of fasting from speaking comes from thinking about how when we fast from food we focus on what goes into the body. But Jesus also reminded us that it is not what goes into the body, but what comes out (through our mouths) that reflects the state of our souls.
It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles. Matthew 15:11
There are a lot of ways we can work on “fasting from speech. I divide these into three main categories.
Language
First, we can consider our language. Are there words we use that put ourselves or others down? Words that may cause scandal to our children or others if they hear us saying them? Whether you typically swear, or just call too many things “stupid” in a day, the Dormition Fast is a great time to fast from letting unhelpful or habitual phrases escape our lips. Furthermore, we can work on actively saying more positive words, and expressing more appreciation to those around us.
Tone
Second, we can work on being mindful of our tone of voice. When we pay attention to our tone of voice, we can communicate with greater clarity. It can deescalate a tense situation if our tone remains calm. On the other hand, if we aren’t careful with our tone of voice, we may come across as unempathetic, defensive or even aggressive. By remaining conscious of our tone and how we are communicating, we can improve our interactions with others and communicate clearly and with Christian love. Parents and children can always use extra practice in speaking patiently to each other! (Especially children with siblings!)
Silence
Third, we can consider the quantity of our speech. Embrace silence, both in your daily life and online. Perhaps you don’t need to contribute answers to a forum today (humility!), or its not a good use of your time to engage in an argument online right now (prudence!). Offer up these moments of silence. Practice listening for longer before you speak in a conversation. If you don’t already have quiet time in your day, start by adding a ten to thirty minute quiet time with your children. Find quiet activities (like colouring from earlier). Reading a book (spiritual content or not), creating art, or writing are all great ways to spend some quite time. Adding more silent prayer into your days may be beneficial as well.
Specific areas of speech you may want to focus on helping your children fast from that I mentioned in my other article include “avoiding whining/complaining, flattery, boasting, gossip, talking back, dishonesty, interfering in the affairs of others, and … swearing and other harsh language.”
The Byzantine Life
Thank you for checking out this week’s article. If you haven’t already, you can read our article about the Feast of the Transfiguration, or on the Feast of the Dormition. Or our article on passing down the faith to toddlers and infants. Let me know in the comments how you intent to honour the Dormition Fast!
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