St. Maximos' Hut

He's such a clever writer, that I can't help quoting him again - and this passage seemed especially relevant given that it is the start of the Advent fast this week:

The fasts, too, of the Greek Church, produce an ill effect upon the character of the people, for they are not a mere farce, but are carried to such an extent, as to bring about a real mortification of the flesh. The febrile irritation of the frame, operating in conjunction wiht the depression of the spirits occasioned by abstinence, will so far answer the objects of the rite, as to engender some religious excitement, but this is of a morbid and gloomy character; and it seems to be certain, that along with the increase of sanctity, there comes a fiercer desire for the perpetuation of dark crimes. The number of murders committed during Lent, is greater, I am told, than at any other time of the year. A man under the influence of a bean dietary (for this is the principal food of the Greeks during their fasts) will be in an apt humour for enriching the shrine of his saint, and passing a knife through his next-door neighbor. The moneys deposited upon the shrines are appropriated by the priests. The priests are married men, and have families to provide for; they "take the good with the bad," and continue to recommend fasts.

p. 58.