Discipline in the Eastern Catholic Churches

[DL82]

I am interested in what it means to be Eastern Catholic, with regard to the different disciplines expected of lay people.

In the Latin Rite, all that is strictly required of us is to fast (one meal + 2 small collations) on two days of the year and to abstain from meat on those 2 days and on the Fridays in Lent, and to attend Mass every Sunday and on Holy Days of Obligation.

As I understand, however, the Eastern Rites have a great many more fast days, of varying degrees of severity depending on the day and the rite, ranging from being totally vegan and using no oil or herbs, to various days without fish, eggs, etc. As I understand it, this includes abstinence from meat on Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year, as well as abstaining from food from midnight before receiving Holy Communion.

Also, there seem to be different understandings of the Sunday obligation, such that some rites allow people to substitute saying Great Matins and/or Great Vespers for attending the Divine Liturgy under certain circumstances, and from what I understand the concept of a Sunday obligation doesn’t seem to exist in Eastern Orthodoxy.

My question - if someone begins attending an Eastern Rite parish regularly, and is part of the life of that parish, but still canonically in the Latin Rite, whose penitential practices and disciplines are they expected to adhere to? Do they still need to attend a Latin Rite parish for Holy Days of Obligation which fall on different days in the different Rites’ calendars?

Also, within the Eastern Rites, I have heard some suggest that these penitential practices are more of an ‘ideal’ to aspire to, rather than a rule to be followed, such that it is not a sin, at least not a grave sin, to fall short of them, as would be understood in the Latin Rite. Is this the case, or just an excuse some people give?

 

[Alexander_Roman]

With respect to fasting, the Eastern Churches have not followed the horrifically lax rules of the Latin Church in this regard (thanks be to God).

As eastern Catholics are to follow the unadulterated Byzantine tradition in this regard, fasting means fasting (and not just abstinence) on all Wednesday and Fridays of the year, save for Easter and Pentecost week etc. Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lord’s Passion (when Judas went to the elders on the fourth day of the week) and Friday, the consummation of the Lord’s Passion.

These two weekly fast days were given to the Apostles by the Lord Himself, Canon 69 of the Apostles.

Fasting is also observed during Great Lent and the three other fasting periods of the year. Exceptions to the rule can be sought out from our Father Confessors, to be sure, also on the feast of the Holy Cross and on the Beheading of St John the Baptist.

I believe there is a movement in the Latin Church to return to more fast-days, although Traditionalist RC’s have observed the fasts throughout.

The Orthodox Church does indeed have a very deep notion of the “Sunday Obligation” as it is known in the West. The rule in this regard is that even daily attendance at the Divine Liturgy is recommended. Missing DL on Sunday through our own fault is a serious sin that must be confessed. As for Matins substituting for the Sunday obligation - only when there is no priest etc.

If you intend to become an integral part of an Eastern Catholic parish, meaning weekly attendance at DL etc., then you should consider canonically changing to the Eastern Catholic Church whose parish you attend. If you attend now and then, you follow the practices of the Latin Catholic Church. However, nothing will happen if you adopt the ancient fast of Wednesdays and Fridays et alia, since the united Church of Christ, East and West, adhered to this fast in the beginning. The Particular Latin Catholic Church was even scolded at an Ecumenical Council (don’t remember which one, perhaps the Sixth?) for changing the Wednesday fast and moving it to Saturday.

Alex

 

[Mickey]

With respect to fasting, the Eastern Churches have not followed the horrifically lax rules of the Latin Church in this regard (thanks be to God).

Amen.

 

[Montalo]

I am interested in what it means to be Eastern Catholic, with regard to the different disciplines expected of lay people.

In the Latin Rite, all that is strictly required of us is to fast (one meal + 2 small collations) on two days of the year and to abstain from meat on those 2 days and on the Fridays in Lent, and to attend Mass every Sunday and on Holy Days of Obligation.

As I understand, however, the Eastern Rites have a great many more fast days, of varying degrees of severity depending on the day and the rite, ranging from being totally vegan and using no oil or herbs, to various days without fish, eggs, etc. As I understand it, this includes abstinence from meat on Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year, as well as abstaining from food from midnight before receiving Holy Communion.

Also, there seem to be different understandings of the Sunday obligation, such that some rites allow people to substitute saying Great Matins and/or Great Vespers for attending the Divine Liturgy under certain circumstances, and from what I understand the concept of a Sunday obligation doesn’t seem to exist in Eastern Orthodoxy.

My question - if someone begins attending an Eastern Rite parish regularly, and is part of the life of that parish, but still canonically in the Latin Rite, whose penitential practices and disciplines are they expected to adhere to? Do they still need to attend a Latin Rite parish for Holy Days of Obligation which fall on different days in the different Rites’ calendars?

Also, within the Easterunn Rites, I have heard some suggest that these penitential practices are more of an ‘ideal’ to aspire to, rather than a rule to be followed, such that it is not a sin, at least not a grave sin, to fall short of them, as would be understood in the Latin Rite. Is this the case, or just an excuse some people give?

at the minimum, you are required to keep the fasts and holy days of obligation for whatever sui iuris church you are a part of. Even if you attend an Ukrainian, for example, church for 100% of your Liturgies and was in parish life of said church, you would still be a Latin catholic, and bound to the Latin law(CLC). The reverse is also true, incidently.

I do not know how it would differ from what i learned through Holy Orthodoxy, but the East does not classify sin. Sin is sin is sin, which is us human beings falling short of the ideal we are supposed to live, which is to be as much like God as possible.

(colour coded for convience)

 

[ConstantineTG]

My question - if someone begins attending an Eastern Rite parish regularly, and is part of the life of that parish, but still canonically in the Latin Rite, whose penitential practices and disciplines are they expected to adhere to?

You follow the disciplines of the sui juris Church you are following. If you go to a Melkite or Ukrainian or Ruthenian parish then you may follow their traditions if you authentically live them (ie, not just attend the Liturgy but really live the life of a Byzantine Catholic).

Do they still need to attend a Latin Rite parish for Holy Days of Obligation which fall on different days in the different Rites’ calendars?

Same as above. And I find that hardly any Holy Days of Obligation would not be on the same day unless your Eastern parish follows the Julian (revised or otherwise) Calendar. You definitely won’t miss Easter/Pascha if you go every Sunday. Christmas will always be December 25 (again depending on which calendar which means it could actually be January 6 on the Gregorian/secular calendar).

Now which do you follow? If people ask you what your religion is and you say, “I’m a Roman Catholic attending an Eastern parish,” then you see yourself as a Roman Catholic and should follow the Latin traditions. But if you are authentically following the Eastern traditions and would always refer yourself as a member of that sui juris Church, there shouldn’t be any problems following their traditions.

 

[Aramis]

I am interested in what it means to be Eastern Catholic, with regard to the different disciplines expected of lay people.

In the Latin Rite, all that is strictly required of us is to fast (one meal + 2 small collations) on two days of the year and to abstain from meat on those 2 days and on the Fridays in Lent, and to attend Mass every Sunday and on Holy Days of Obligation.

You listed * Fast & abstain from meat two days a year* Attend sunday mass** Abstain from meat on fridays of lent* Attend mass on holy days of obligation*

You missed:

• some penitential practice every friday
• Annual Confession during the Easter season
• Annual Reception of Communion
• Abstain from meat on fridays of advent

If you really want, I’ll dig out the CIC citations.

The Requirements within the Ruthenian Church in the US:* Attend weekly Divine Worship services (1 or more of: Sat. Vespers, Sat. Anticipatory DL, Sun Matins, Sun DL)* Attend certain obligatory holy day liturgies (7 of the 8 are the same as the Roman…)

• Confession during St. Phillips Fast
• Confession during Great Lent
• Reception of Communion annually
• Abstain from meat on fridays that aren’t feasts
• Abstain from meat on wednesdays of the four fasts: * St. Phillips (Advent)* Great Fast (Lent)* Dormition Fast* Apostle’s Fast

Encouraged, well, that adds:

• Abstaining from spices, meat, milk, eggs, oil, and alcohol throughout the four fasts* Fasting (skip one meal, reduce another) during Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays of fasts* daily participation in the hours* All three of Vespers, Matins and Divine Liturgy for Sundays and Holy Days* Continuing Education in the Faith* Participation in 5 All-Souls Saturdays* Participation in the Molebens, Akathists, and Panachidas as scheduled by the Pastor and Bishop* Weekly confession* Weekly Communion* Daily non-liturgical prayer.