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Do you observe Lent?

Monday, March 16
“I do fast, but I do not go to church. My friends tell me that without going to church this is just going on a diet. I do not know. I think that it is not important whether you go to church or not. God will see that I am fasting, this is important.”
Maka, accountant, 22

“I do not fast. I am not patient enough. I have made several attempts, but I used to fast for a week and then not resist the temptation to eat something. So after 3-4 failures I gave up.”
Tamuna, PR specialist, 24

“I usually fast. I am fasting now too. I think it is good not only for your soul, but for your mind and body too. During and after the fast I become calmer and do not pay attention to small everyday problems.”
Tsitsi, chemist, 41

“I fast, because this is something I can do for God. At the same time I do it for myself too. It is necessary that everybody follow the way God showed us. Right now we need the spiritual strength to cope with all the problems we face. Without God we will not be able to bear such heavy burdens.”
Lamzira, housewife, 59

“I believe in God but I do not think it is an obligation to fast or pray. A person has free will. Nothing is obligatory. I believe that if I do not harm anyone, this means I am acting as God would want me to act. That is it. “
Shota, engineer, 54

“Sometimes I fast, sometimes I do not. It depends on what my mood is at that point, what the situation around me is. If you are the only one fasting in the family, this creates additional problems. My mother has to cook different kinds of food for me when I am fasting compared with the rest of the family.”
Nia, student, 21

“Yes I do but I don’t often make my confession to the priest. I think in this period every Orthodox Christian should keep Lent and reach God.”
Kakhi, doctor, 42

“I usually do not fast because I do not think it bears any relation to soul cleansing, also I just cannot resist the obsession to eat meat.”
Levan, economist, 33

“No I don’t, but I wish I did. The reason I don’t fast is that in everyday life I cannot resist many things that are forbidden during Lent. I should change my lifestyle before starting to fast.”
Marika, actress, 27

“Yes I do and I try to go to church regularly. Thank God I have enough patience for this.”
Lela, student, 20

“I don’t fast. I used to but now I’m very busy and cannot go to church regularly. I think there is no point in keeping the fast when you don’t confess and don’t receive the Eucharist.”
Gvantsa, student, 19