Purgation and Feasts

Οἱ τὰς ψυχὰς ἑαυτῶν ἁγνίζειν σπουδάζοντες, οὐ μόνον ἄρτον καὶ ὕδατος νοητοῦ εὐπορήσουσιν, ἀλλα γὰρ καὶ κρεῶν ἐπιτεύξονται· τέλειον γάρ ἐστιν ἡ στερεὰ τροφὴ, ὥς φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος· καὶ προαναφωνεῖ Μωῦσῆς τῷ λαῷ λέγων· Ἁγνίσασθε εἰς τὴν αὔριον, καὶ φάγεσθε κρέα· κρέα νοήσας τό τε θεϊον σῶμα, ὥσπερ οὖν ἐσθίουσιν οἱ πιστοὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας, καὶ τὴν γνῶσιν Χριστιανῶν τὴν μακαριωτάτην, καὶ πασῶν ὑπερτέραν τῶν γνώσεων. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ϟΘ', Σιλβανῳ Ἐπισκοπῳ

Those who have troubled to purge their souls, will not only abound in intellectual bread and water, but they will even have flesh. Solid food is for the perfect as the Apostle says, 1 and Moses preaches to the people, 'Sanctify yourselves for the morrow, and you shall eat flesh.' 2 Understand the flesh as the Divine body, which the faithful of the Church eat, the most blessed knowledge of Christians exceeding the knowledge of everything. Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 99, To the Bishop Silvanus 1 Heb 5.14 2 Num 11.18