Fasting, Mercy And Prayer

Cum autem jejunatis, nolite fieri sicut hypocritae tristes; exterminant enim facies suas, ut appareant hominibus jejunantes.    Omnium malorum prima et fortiora sunt tria mala: id est, gula, avaritia, et vana gloria. Adversus quae Dominus tentationis suscipiens bellum, pugnavit pro nobis. Contra gulam in eremo, conrtra avaritiam super  monetem, contra vanam gloriam super templum. Item omnium bonorum prima et fortiora sunt tria bona, eleemosyna, oratio, et jejunium. Et vide quomodo adversus tria mala inventa sunt tria bona, id est, eleemosyna contra avaritiam, jejunium contra gulam, oratio contra vanam gloriam. Dic nobis, Ecce jejunium contra gulam venit, quia contrarium est jejunium gulae: et eleemosyna contra avaritiam convenit, quia avaritia congregat, eleemosyna autem dispergit: oratio quomodo convenit contra gloriam vanam? Audi. Omnia mala, quae sunt in mundo, habent contraria bona, per quae superentur: utputa, fornicatio castitatem, superbia humilitatem, iracundia mansuetudinem. Et nullum est malum, quod non habeat contrarium bonum, per quod superetur, dempta vana gloria. Ideo quanta vis bona feceris, volens compescere vanam gloriam, tanto magis excitas eam: et causa est ista, quia omne malum ex malo nascitur, sola autem vana gloria de bono procedit: ideo non exstinguitur per bonum, sed magis nutritur. Denique inter homines peccatores tentatio vanae gloriae non habet locum.  Fornicarius enim, aut raptor, quomodo tentetur in vana gloria, qui non habet unde glorietur? Illi autem tentationem vanae gloriae patiuntur, qui tale aliquid faciunt, unde glorientur. Ergo nullum remedium potest esse contra vanam gloriam, nisi oratio sola: et haec ipsa vanitatem generat, nisi caute prospexeris, si forte bene oraveris. Altera de eleemosyna, et jejunio, et oratione diviso in lege scripta est: Non entres ante conspectum Dei tui vacuus. Vacuus autem intrat ante Deum, qui veniens ad orationem, nullam eleemosynam facit. Non solum in Veteri Testamento, sed etiam in Novo praeciptiur, ut per singulas septimanas unusquisque Christianus aliquid gazophylacium mittat, ad orationem venturus, sicut ait Apostolus: Unusquisque vestrum singula sabbata quod illi placuerit apud se reponat, ut non, cum venero, tunc collectae fiant. Item dicit Salomon: Ante orationem praepara animam tuam. Ille praeparat animam suam ante orationem, qui faciens eleemosynam venit ad orationem. Sicut enim oleum accendit lumen lucernae, ita et bona opera excitant fidem cordis, et dant confidentiam animae apud Deum orandi. Ergo eleemosyna praeparatio est orationis. Item jejunium est adjuotorium orationis, quia oratio sine jejunio gracilis est, et infirma. Nam oratio illa est fortis, quae fit in spiritu humili et corde tribulato, sicut et Propheta dicit: Sacrificum Deo spiritus contribulatus, cor contritum et humiliatem Deus non despicit. Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum, Homilia XV Source:  Migne PG 56.715-716

When you fast do not be like the mournful hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that they appear before men to be fasting... 1 Of all evils the primary and most powerful are three: that is, gluttony, avarice and vainglory. Against which the Lord, taking up the battle of temptation, fought for us. Against gluttony in the desert, against avarice on the mount, against vain glory on the temple. 2 Similarly of all goods the primary and most powerful are three: mercy and prayer and fasting. And observe how three goods are found against the three evils, that is, mercy against avarice, fasting against gluttony, prayer against vain glory. Say to us, 'Behold fasting comes against gluttony because fasting is the opposite of gluttony, and mercy comes against avarice because where avarice hoards mercy disperses; but prayer, how does it come against vain glory?' Hear. All evils which are in the world have their opposing good by which they are conquered, that is, fornication by chastity, pride by humility, wrath by meekness. And there is no evil that does not have its opponent by which it is conquered, except vain glory. Therefore, however much good you wish to do, and in that wishing to suppress vainglory, so much the more do you excite it. And for this reason, that every evil from evil is born, apart from vainglory which proceeds from good and therefore is not extinguished by good but rather nourished by it. Whence among sinful men the temptation of vainglory does not have a place. For the fornicator or the thief, how is he is tested in vainglory, who does not have anything to glory in? By these the trial of vainglory is suffered: they who do something in which they might glory. Therefore no remedy is possible against vainglory unless prayer, and yet this itself may generate vanity unless we watch over it closely, if perhaps we would pray well. It is also written in the law concerning almsgiving and fasting and prayer: Do not enter before the face of your God empty. 3 For he enters before the face of God empty who comes to prayer and has no mercy. Not only in the Old Testament but in the New it is commanded that each sabbath every Christian must put something in the treasury and come to prayer, as the Apostle says: 'Each one of you on your Sabbaths should place something aside as pleases him, that when I come there be no need of a collection.' 4 And Solomon says the same: 'Before prayer prepare your soul.' 5 And he prepares his soul before prayer who having given alms comes to prayer. For it is like the oil of the lamp kindled for light, thus even good works arouse the faith of the soul and they give it confidence in prayer to God. Therefore almsgiving is a preparation for prayer. Likewise fasting is a help to prayer because prayer without fasting is fragile and weak. That prayer is strong which is performed by in humility of spirit and with a troubled heart, as even the Prophet says, 'A sacrifice to God is a spirit distressed and a heart contrite and humble God does not despise.' 6 Opus Imperfectum on Matthew, from The Fifteenth Homily 1 Mt 6.16 2 Mt 4.1-11 Lk 4.1-13  3 Exod 23.15 4 1 Cor 16.2 5 Sirach 18.23 6 Ps 50.19