Byzantine Fasting

[ConstantineTG]

Are all canonical members of Byzantine Rite sui juris Churches duty-bound to observe all the days of fasting?

 

[Phillip_Rolfes]

Are all canonical members of Byzantine Rite sui juris Churches duty-bound to observe all the days of fasting?

Two things:

First, the rules of fasting vary from sui juris church to sui juris church, even within Orthodoxy (at least to my understanding. I am open to correction from our Orthodox brethren).

Secondly, the rules of fasting are an ideal to which we aspire. They are not “binding” on anyone in the sense that everyone is required to keep the same fast. This applies just as much to fast days as it does to that from which we are fasting. Normally one fasts either according to the directives of one’s spiritual father, or, in the absence of a spiritual father, according to one’s own strength.

I hope this helps some.

ICXC + NIKA,
Phillip

 

[ConstantineTG]

Thanks! But I know like in the Roman Catholic Church, I am duty bound to observe fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and abstain from meat on all Fridays of lent, except if I’m sick, under the age of 7 or over the age of 65. I may fast or abstain any day of the year out of my own free will, but those days are marked for mandatory fasting and abstinence.

Now I understand that in the Byzantine Rite there are 12 Great Fests, and there are many days of Fasting aside from Lent. One is the days leading to the Dormition of the Theotokos, and I know there are even some days in Advent. So I’m wondering in that sense if I do need to fast on those days. I’m also not sure if the Ukrainian Church mandates those feasts, as I am thinking about joining them.

 

[josephdaniel29]

Thanks! But I know like in the Roman Catholic Church, I am duty bound to observe fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and abstain from meat on all Fridays of lent, except if I’m sick, under the age of 7 or over the age of 65. I may fast or abstain any day of the year out of my own free will, but those days are marked for mandatory fasting and abstinence.

Now I understand that in the Byzantine Rite there are 12 Great Fests, and there are many days of Fasting aside from Lent. One is the days leading to the Dormition of the Theotokos, and I know there are even some days in Advent. So I’m wondering in that sense if I do need to fast on those days. I’m also not sure if the Ukrainian Church mandates those feasts, as I am thinking about joining them.

With over half the year devoted to some level of fasting/abstinence the East tends to apply economia when it comes to fasting rules. Some of the fasting rules can be quite severe if applied strictly, such as the first week of Lent. As Philip said, the rules are an ideal. The specifics of a person’s fasting regimen should be worked out with their spiritual father.

In Christ
Joe

 

[ConstantineTG]

With over half the year devoted to some level of fasting/abstinence the East tends to apply economia when it comes to fasting rules. Some of the fasting rules can be quite severe if applied strictly, such as the first week of Lent. As Philip said, the rules are an ideal. The specifics of a person’s fasting regimen should be worked out with their spiritual father.

In Christ
Joe

I see, thanks!

 

[Aramis]

Are all canonical members of Byzantine Rite sui juris Churches duty-bound to observe all the days of fasting?

Each church sets its own rules.

The Ruthenian minimum is only a hair tougher than the Roman minimum; some eparchs have imposed more stringent requirements on their eparchy.

The guiding principle is to follow the more stringent rule: That of your enrolled Church Sui Iuris or your parish where you stably attend.

And to realize that the rules imposed are the starting point, not the endpoint. You can go further, within reason. Self-denial to the point of self-injury is considered by many to be sinful.

 

[Alexander_Roman]

The last time I checked, the UGCC prescribes fasting on all Fridays and at certain other periods, including the Beheading of John the Baptist and Holy Cross Day.

It is often “recommended” that members fast on Wednesdays during the great Fast/Lent and during the other three Fasts.

At the parish level, if it is a really “Eastern” one, then the fasting rules will be the same as those in the Orthodox Church.

If one went to confession in one of those parishes and confessed that one didn’t fast on days binding on the Orthodox . . . watch out!

Given the oft-repeated encouragement of Roman Pontiffs for Eastern Catholics to be “Orthodox in communion with Rome” and to get rid of Latinizations etc., we should consider the Orthodox fasting rules to be normative for us and strive for the ideal as Phillip so eloquently stated.

BTW, the Coptic Orthodox Church’s Daily Office is comprised of seven Hours with 12 psalms on average each (the Midnight Hour has 3 x 12 psalms). The thing is, even laity are expected to pray these Hours daily and at the specified times, more or less. If they do not, they are expected to confess this neglectfulness before approaching Holy Communion . . . I wonder if Coptic Catholics have the same zeal?

Alex

 

[Phillip_Rolfes]

I’ll see if I can give you all the fasting rules for Melkite Greek Catholics (which are pretty much identical to the rules of the Antiochian, Greek and Romanian Orthodox [the Russians, Ukrainians, and other Slavs might have different rules]).

We keep a “strict” fast on all Wednesdays and Fridays. This means, no meat, no dairy, no eggs, no fish, no wine, and no olive oil. It also means that we eat nothing before noon (no restrictions, however, on what we drink except for the above noted wine).

Advent and the Great Fast (i.e. Great Lent) are periods of strict fast throughout, not just on Wednesdays and Fridays. This includes Sundays, although the fasting rules are “lessened” to permit the consumption of fish and either wine or oil, I can’t remember off the top of my head.

The Philip’s Fast and the Dormition Fast are also periods of “strict” fasting.

Again, this is just what I remember off the top of my head, and I may be a little off. Later, if time permits, I’ll post the entire fasting rule from one of the Melkite prayer books. If you can find it, I recommend you check out Patriarch Gregorios III’s “Letter for Great Lent” from 2004. I think it’s available on byzcath.com.

ICXC + NIKA,
Phillip

 

[Phillip_Rolfes]

BTW, the Coptic Orthodox Church’s Daily Office is comprised of seven Hours with 12 psalms on average each (the Midnight Hour has 3 x 12 psalms). The thing is, even laity are expected to pray these Hours daily and at the specified times, more or less. If they do not, they are expected to confess this neglectfulness before approaching Holy Communion . . . I wonder if Coptic Catholics have the same zeal?

Alex

This is really interesting. I almost wish this were true of the Church Universal and not just one particular Church. Can you imagine the change we’d see in the world if every Catholic and Orthodox layperson attended public Matins/Orthros and Vespers daily and prayed the other Hours privately. The petty arguments and disagreements that go on between the Churches would practically disappear, enabling us to bear more effective witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a world that more and more points at our disunity to “prove” Christianity false and hypocritical.

 

[ConstantineTG]

“Orthodox in communion with Rome”

I like how this sounds. About a year and a half ago I was curious about Orthodoxy and considered becoming Orthodox. But what I cannot get around is giving up the belief that Peter’s place, and his successors, is important to the faith. I wasn’t much aware of Eastern Catholicism back then (ignorant would properly describe me). If being Eastern Catholic is being both Orthodox and Catholic, then the appeal level of Eastern Catholicism to me has increased by another notch.

 

[Kallipolis]

I just go with the Greek Orthodox “Great Fast.” You’re allowed to do it as a Roman Catholic because our Canon Laws allow it, but you gain weight from just eating bread and only eating very small portions. But its a hell of a fast, I’m the only one in my family who does it.

 

[Phillip_Rolfes]

I like how this sounds. About a year and a half ago I was curious about Orthodoxy and considered becoming Orthodox. But what I cannot get around is giving up the belief that Peter’s place, and his successors, is important to the faith. I wasn’t much aware of Eastern Catholicism back then (ignorant would properly describe me). If being Eastern Catholic is being both Orthodox and Catholic, then the appeal level of Eastern Catholicism to me has increased by another notch.

Although this isn’t really related to the topic of the thread, I can’t resist comment.

“Orthodox in communion with Rome” truly is the best way to describe Eastern Catholics. Whether or not they always live up to that description is another story. I know I have quoted this phrase many times on this forum, but it always bears repeating. The Melkite Greek Catholic Synod of Bishops formally affirmed the “confession of faith” of Bishop Elias Zoghby:

1. I believe everything that Orthodoxy teaches.
2. I am in communion with the Bishop of Rome as first among equals according to the limits recognized by the Fathers of the East in the First Millennium before the separation.

This ought to be the mindset of all Eastern Catholics! We are not Roman. We are Byzantine, Coptic, Ethiopian, Maronite, Assyrian, etc. As such we all have our own theological, spiritual, disciplinary, etc. traditions. They are not contradictory or mutually exclusive, but rather compliment one another. Each particular tradition sheds its own unique light on the one Gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed by the Universal Church. The sooner we all recognize that and stop trying to dogmatize our own position, the sooner we can live together again in communion, and bear more effective witness to Christ in this world.

ICXC + NIKA,
Phillip

 

[Phillip_Rolfes]

I just go with the Greek Orthodox “Great Fast.” You’re allowed to do it as a Roman Catholic because our Canon Laws allow it, but you gain weight from just eating bread and only eating very small portions. But its a hell of a fast, I’m the only one in my family who does it.

Instead of eating just bread, why not try steaming some vegetables too. Fruit smoothies with some protein powder are also amazing.

 

[ConstantineTG]

I just go with the Greek Orthodox “Great Fast.” You’re allowed to do it as a Roman Catholic because our Canon Laws allow it, but you gain weight from just eating bread and only eating very small portions. But its a hell of a fast, I’m the only one in my family who does it.

To be honest my inquiry isn’t about wanting to fast, its quite the opposite
I just notice that some of the dates of required fasting fall on certain days where there are family celebrations, therefore it may not be possible for me to fast.

 

[Phillip_Rolfes]

To be honest my inquiry isn’t about wanting to fast, its quite the opposite
I just notice that some of the dates of required fasting fall on certain days where there are family celebrations, therefore it may not be possible for me to fast.

Just remember that there is a good deal of “wiggle-room” in the fasting laws for the East. If you are prevented from fasting from food, try fasting from something else. St. Basil the Great, among other things, is famous for having said that it’d be better for us to fast from gossip rather than food, and, given the options, we should do so.

 

[ConstantineTG]

Just remember that there is a good deal of “wiggle-room” in the fasting laws for the East. If you are prevented from fasting from food, try fasting from something else. St. Basil the Great, among other things, is famous for having said that it’d be better for us to fast from gossip rather than food, and, given the options, we should do so.

Awesome! I should learn more as I get more educated in the ways of the East. I have been gravitating Eastwards for some time now and now that I have access to a parish its only a matter of time before I make everything official. I do like the increased spirituality such discipline brings and maybe with more prayer I can get my head around it and accept it more openly without feeling bad about the things I need to give up. That after all is the point of fasting and abstinence

 

[Vico]

Are all canonical members of Byzantine Rite sui juris Churches duty-bound to observe all the days of fasting?

One example of the minimum fasting and abstinance in an Eastern Catholic Church is given by the Byzantine (Ruthenian) particular law in the USA, see Canon 880.

byzcath.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=334

But then simple abstinance and strict abstinance may be defined differently.

In the Greek-Catholic tradition, there are two types of abstinance, simple and strict. Strict abstinence is obligatory two times during the Lenten season, on Pure Monday and Great and Holy Friday. On these days, all meat and dairy is forbidden, including eggs and all egg and dairy product derivatives.

Simple Abstinence is observed on all Wednesdays and Fridays, and is similar to the Latin Church in that they are meatless fasts. Wednesday fast remembers the betrayal of Jesus Christ by Judas; Friday fast commemorates the Crucifixion of Our Lord, but it also helps us to pray, and be like the poor, and control our senses.

Fasting is skipping meals and is done on Clean Monday & Great and Holy Friday, and by many on Holy Saturday also (strict).

Great Lent begins for Byzantine Christians with the Vespers of Clean Monday, held on Cheesefare Sunday evening: On Cheesefare Sunday, after Divine Liturgy, is a great feast with fish, wine, olive oil, eggs and dairy products, which are then eschewed for 40 days, not counting Saturdays and Sundays, through Holy Wednesday. (Meat has already been relinquished the Sunday evening before, on Meatfare.) This is the period when the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts occurs (Clean Monday through Holy Wednesday).

Abstinance in the Great Fast:

1. beginning after meatfare: meat
2. beginning after cheesefare: fish, wine, olive oil, eggs and dairy

Simple = meatless (1): Wednesdays & Fridays during the Great Fast, and all Fridays
Strict = meatless + cheeseless (1 + 2): Clean Monday & Great and Holy Friday

The fasts of the liturgical year kept in accordance with the Norms of
**Particular Law of the Byzantine Metropolitan Church ***sui iuris *of Pittsburgh are:

Strict Abstinence (Pure Monday and Great Friday)

• The law of strict abstinence (fast) forbids the use of meat, eggs and dairy products. Facsimiles, substitutes, and synthetic derivatives, although they are permitted, violate the intention and spirit of the law of strict abstinence.
• All the faithful of the Archeparchy who receive the Eucharist are bound to observe strict abstinence.
• Strict abstinence (fast) is to be observed on Pure Monday (the first day of the Great Fast) and on Great and Holy Friday.

Simple Abstinence (Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Theophany, Wednesdays and Fridays of the Great Fast, and almost all Fridays - exceptions are: Feast of Basil the Great, Friday after Sunday of the Publican, Annunciation, Bright Friday, Friday after Pentecost, Dormition, Christmas)

• The law of simple abstinence forbids the use of meat, permitting the use of eggs and dairy products.
• All the faithful of the Archeparchy who receive the Eucharist are bound to abstain.
• Abstinence is obligatory on all Wednesdays and Fridays of the Great Fast.

Dispensations

• Priests and parents are to see to it that minors are educated in the authentic sense of penance.

 

[5Loaves]

My parish gives out the “St. Tiknon’s Lectionary Wall Calendar, Revised Julian Calendar” On Sundays that are fasting days Father won’t bless anything that isn’t vegan, or whatever type of fasting is on for that day. Other than that I suspect there is great variance in what people do in the parish. I follow pretty much the fasts as laid out on the calendar.

I always like to suggest people listen to anything the Monks of Holy Resurrection Monastery have to say. Catherine Alexander interviews Father Moses on Fasting and on Feasting.

Also the Orientale Lumen Conference OLXII 2008 was on the Feast Days of the Eastern Church. Start with Fr Loya’s presentation.
You can listen to Fr Loya’s presentation about a year ago on Light of the East Radio 11/17/09 #268 about Philip’s Fast which we will soon be beginning.

 

[Vico]

…
Simple Abstinence (Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Theophany, Wednesdays and Fridays of the Great Fast, and almost all Fridays - exceptions are: Feast of Basil the Great, Friday after Sunday of the Publican, Annunciation, Bright Friday, Friday after Pentecost, Dormition, Christmas) …

Abstinance days: Theophany should have been vigil of Theophany, also there is vigil of Christmas and the Beheading of John the Baptist that I left out by mistake.

But in actuality there are four penitential seasons, for prayer, fasting/abstinance, good works, and concentrating on avoiding any sin in preparation of the feasts:

1. Christmas - Nativity Fast, November 15 - December 24
2. Pascha - 40 days +, Great Fast or Great Lent
3. Feast of Saints Peter and Paul - Apostle Fast varies from between 1 to 6 weeks
4. Dormition - Dormition Fast, August 1 - August 14

5Loaves (look how I spelled it!), that is a nice calendar with the icons.

 

[ConstantineTG]

I’m starting to appreciate the greater sprirituality in this. I think I need to let it sink in and prepare myself but the more I read and think about it, the more I’m more open to accepting it.

Thanks!