Today is the Feast of our Holy Father John Cassian. St. John Cassian was a priest and monk who lived in the late 4th and early 5th centuries. His feast day is February 29 (in non leap years he is remembered on February 28.)
St. John Cassian is famous for writing corrections to some of St. Augustine’s extreme positions in his work against the Pelagian heretics. St. John out of love and respect for Blessed Augustine never mentions the saint by name in his corrections. (For these corrections St. John has been accused of being semi-pelagian by the Roman church but this is a false accusation.)
St. John’s most famous works are his Institutions or guide for the monastic life and the Conferences. The Conferences record his and St. Germanus conversations with the great ascetics of the Egyptian desert.
St. John Cassian was known for his fasting and since we are in the midst of the Great Fast I thought it was prudent to mention a quote of his on the topic of fasting:
I shall speak first about control of the stomach, the opposite to gluttony, and about how to fast and what and how much to eat. I shall say nothing on my own account, but only what I have received from the Holy Fathers. They have not given us only a single rule for fasting or a single standard and measure for eating, because not everyone has the same strength; age, illness or delicacy of body create differences. But they have given us all a single goal: to avoid over-eating and the filling of our bellies… A clear rule for self-control handed down by the Fathers is this: stop eating while still hungry and do not continue until you are satisfied.
For more on the life of St. John see the OCA’s website.
