Canon 66 of the Apostles

[Monica4316]

I read that in this canon, it is prohibited under pain of excommunication to fast on Saturday and Sunday… I have a question about Saturday. I know in the East, Saturday and Sunday we can have oil, shellfish, wine, etc. But in many Roman Catholic spiritualities, they do fast on Saturdays… For example in honour of Our Lady. I think the Rule of the Third Order of St Dominic (the old version) had fasting on Saturdays too during Lent. I understand we don’t fast on Sundays, but what is the rule about Saturdays? Why do Latin rite Catholics fast on Saturday? (If they do).

Would it be against Eastern canons to have oil and shellfish on Saturday but to have only one meal and two snacks (fast) if the person is doing this for all of Lent except Sunday? Or should they not fast Saturday at all?

 

[Monica4316]

This seems to be related to how in the early Church at one point the East kept Saturday as well as Sunday as days of worship but in Rome this was not accepted and there was emphasis on Sunday. So as Eastern Catholics what do we do?? I seem to remember that Rome had canons against resting on the Sabbath or maybe the Pope said this…

 

[Vico]

I read that in this canon, it is prohibited under pain of excommunication to fast on Saturday and Sunday… I have a question about Saturday. I know in the East, Saturday and Sunday we can have oil, shellfish, wine, etc. But in many Roman Catholic spiritualities, they do fast on Saturdays… For example in honour of Our Lady. I think the Rule of the Third Order of St Dominic (the old version) had fasting on Saturdays too during Lent. I understand we don’t fast on Sundays, but what is the rule about Saturdays? Why do Latin rite Catholics fast on Saturday? (If they do).

Would it be against Eastern canons to have oil and shellfish on Saturday but to have only one meal and two snacks (fast) if the person is doing this for all of Lent except Sunday? Or should they not fast Saturday at all?

Different Traditions

One meal and up to two snacks less than another meal is from the Latin rules. The eastern Catholics have their own fast and abstinence rules. Generally in the west there was less variety of foods so the restriction was to poor peoples food: inexpensive fish. In the east there was a great variety of foods so the restriction was to what was more tempting (we abstain for self mastery of our passions).

Saturday is Sabbath and Sunday is Resurrection, therefore they are in a different category than Monday through Friday.

Saturday

So, just when is Great Lent (Greek version)? It begins with Clean Monday and continues until the Friday before Lazarus Saturday. The next day after that is Flowery Sunday. Then comes the six days of Great and Holy Week. In Great and Holy Week is Holy Saturday which is traditionally a black fast.

Forty Days
The forty-day fast was originally counted back from the Friday before Pascha (Great and Holy Friday), since the following day (Great and Holy Saturday) was the day for solemn baptism of the catechumens. In Constantinople the usual date for solemn baptism was moved a week earlier, to Lazarus Saturday, and the Fast was also moved a week earlier, to its present position in the calendar.

 

[Monica4316]

Thanks! Its just kind of unclear if the Catholic Church allows fasting on Saturday and Eastern tradition does not, which do we follow? Its like how in the East they used to rest on Saturday too and Rome was against that. Each side seem to have anathemas and other statements against the other side so its confusing if you’re Eastern and Catholic at once…I read quotes from Catholic Answers from the Church that we shouldn’t rest on Saturday etc… Then in the East it was a custom. Maybe thus is related to the reason for fasting/not fasting on that day. East and West have different statements on that too. But if Rome ruled against something what does that mean for the Eastern tradition, and vice versa?

 

[Vico]

Thanks! Its just kind of unclear if the Catholic Church allows fasting on Saturday and Eastern tradition does not, which do we follow? Its like how in the East they used to rest on Saturday too and Rome was against that. Each side seem to have anathemas and other statements against the other side so its confusing if you’re Eastern and Catholic at once…I read quotes from Catholic Answers from the Church that we shouldn’t rest on Saturday etc… Then in the East it was a custom. Maybe thus is related to the reason for fasting/not fasting on that day. East and West have different statements on that too. But if Rome ruled against something what does that mean for the Eastern tradition, and vice versa?

Church law is not always divine law. Fasting and abstinence are spiritual disciplines that are specific to each Church so variations are the norm. A Catholic follows the norms of their Church sui iuris, with exceptions as allowed in the canons.

 

[Monica4316]

Makes sense… Based on a quote by Pope Gregory I working on Saturday is related to theological reasons so I started thinking how fasting relates because I heard that in the East they rested on Saturday more and the idea to not fast could have originated from that. However later on Pope Gregory seemed really against the resting idea. Maybe I’m over thinking but just a summary of some research

 

[wynd]

Thanks! Its just kind of unclear if the Catholic Church allows fasting on Saturday and Eastern tradition does not, which do we follow? Its like how in the East they used to rest on Saturday too and Rome was against that. Each side seem to have anathemas and other statements against the other side so its confusing if you’re Eastern and Catholic at once…I read quotes from Catholic Answers from the Church that we shouldn’t rest on Saturday etc… Then in the East it was a custom. Maybe thus is related to the reason for fasting/not fasting on that day. East and West have different statements on that too. But if Rome ruled against something what does that mean for the Eastern tradition, and vice versa?

99% of the time, if “Rome” rules on something it’s for the Roman church only. The obvious exceptions would be dogma-level teachings.

 

[Cantor_Basil]

The canon forbidding fasting on Saturday and Sunday pertains to fasting FROM celebrating the divine liturgy. The ascetical fast of Lent extends through the weekend although there is some mitigation of the rules. So we must celebrate the Divine Liturgy on both Saturdays and Sundays throughout lent. Even so, we do not always celebrate the Divine Liturgy on Satusdays for pastoral reasons - but not because we are fasting.