Therefore, taking into account the necessity, it is possible to make indulgences and exceptions during fasting even with a sick and weak body and old age.

St. Up. Paul writes to his disciple Timothy thus: "From now on, drink not only water, but drink a little wine, for the sake of your stomach and your frequent infirmities" (1 Tim. 5:23).

Prpp. Barsanuphius the Great and John say: "What is fasting if not the punishment of the body in order to tame the healthy body and make it weak to the passions, according to the words of the Apostle: "When I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor. 12, 10).

And illness is more than this punishment and is imputed instead of fasting - it is valued even more than it. Whoever endures it with patience, giving thanks to God, receives the fruit of his salvation through patience.

Instead of weakening the strength of the body by fasting, it is already weakened by illness.

Thank God that you have been freed from the labor of fasting. If you eat ten times a day, do not grieve: you will not be condemned for this, since you do not do this as an indulgence for yourself."

On the correctness of the norm of fasting prpp. Barsanuphius and John also give the following instruction: "Regarding fasting, I say: touch your heart, whether it is not stolen by vanity, and if it is not stolen, touch it again, whether this fast does not make you weak in the performance of works, for this weakness should not exist, and if it does not harm you in this, your fast is correct."

As the hermit Nikephoros said in V. Sventsitsky's book "Citizens of Heaven":

"The Lord demands not hunger, but podvig. Podvig is what a person can do the greatest in his power, and the rest is by grace. Our strength is now weak, and the Lord does not demand great feats from us.

I have tried to fast a lot, and I see that I can't. I am exhausted - I have no strength to pray properly. Once I was so weak from fasting, I can't get up to read the rule."

Here is an example of improper fasting.

Ep. Herman writes: "Exhaustion is a sign of the impropriety of fasting; it is as harmful as satiety. And the great elders ate soup with butter on the first week of Great Lent. Sick flesh should not be crucified, but must be supported."

Thus, any weakening of health and ability to work during fasting already speaks of its irregularity and exceeding its norm.

"I prefer that they should be exhausted more from work than from fasting," one pastor said to his spiritual children.