Farewell to meat - Meatfare Sunday

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Hesychios

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Today Sunday January 30, is the last day (this year) for Byzantine Catholics and Orthodox to include meat in their meals before Great Lent begins. This date applies to those following the new calendar. Ideally this would mean (for those who are willing and able), total abstinance from meat until Divine Liturgy on Easter Sunday March 27.

This Sunday is also known as the Sunday of Last (Terrible) Judgment, referring to the Gospel reading today Matt 25: 31-46. This is part of the process preparing us for the Lenten season. Next week: Cheesefare Sunday, we bid farewell to dairy products and eggs.

We also commemorate the three Holy Hierarchs on Jan 30 every year: St Basil the Great, St Gregory the Theologian and St John Chrysostom.

For those of us following the old calendar (Orthodox and Catholic), the date of Pascha is different and this process begins later this year for them. Meatfare Sunday on the old calendar is March 6 and Pascha is on May 1.
 
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Hesychios:
Today Sunday January 30, is the last day (this year) for Byzantine Catholics and Orthodox to include meat in their meals before Great Lent begins. This date applies to those following the new calendar.
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Dear Hesychios,

The Orthodox, both Old and New Calendar, use the Old Julian Calendar to calculate the date of Easter and all the feasts and fasts which depend from it.

This year the Great Fast commences on 13 March - Cheesefare Sunday. (Meatfare Sunday is 6 March.)

The Great Feast of the Resurrection-Pascha occurs on 1 May.

May you find great joy and much progress in your spiritual life during the weeks of fasting.

http://www.fr-d-serfes.org/spiritual/images/iconoftheresurection.jpg
 
Can someone please educate me (and I’m guessing others)?

I am not familiar with Eastern Catholic rites or Eastern Orthodox rites. Byzantine Catholics give up meat throughout lent and a week later give up dairy products?

What is the basis of this practice, and other than for penitential reasons, is there something symbolic?

Incedentally, that would be nearly my entire diet. I don’t think I wold have the willpower to be a Byzantine Catholoic–I’m struggling through fasting on Fridays alone! (not meat so much as the small meals). It’s mostly psychological as I have a history of terrible stomache aches if I don’t eat enough during the day, ie skipping a meal entirely.

And regarding dairy…well, I was planning to use meal replacement shakes instead of meals–I have one often for breakfast, and for awhile had one for lunch. Now I’m trying to make it a practice throughout lent…but of course, the required ingredient is MILK!

I really admire anyone who can adhere to the rudiments described by the OP. I am interested in the Byzantine rite, but I don’t think I could ever change rites.
 
Im with JCP, I dont know much about the different rites and various rituals, but I would love to learn!
Teach us!
Thanks
 
There is a small book written by a Finnish Orthodox which is a little gem in encouraging people to get started with their spiritual life… here is the chapter on fasting…

stvladimirs.ca/library/way-ascetics-one.html

**ON FASTING **

FASTING, neither above nor below your ability, will help you in your vigil. One should not ponder divine matters on a full stomach, say the ascetics. For the well-fed, even the most superficial secrets of the Trinity lie hidden. Christ Himself set the example with His long fast; when He drove out the devil He had fasted for forty days. Are we better than He? Behold, angels came and ministered unto him (Matthew 4:11). They are waiting to minister to you, too.

Fasting tempers loquacity, says St. John Climacus. It is an outlet for compassion and a guard upon obedience; it destroys evil thoughts and roots out the insensibility of the heart. Fasting is a gate to paradise: when the stomach is constricted, the heart is humbled. He who fasts prays with a sober mind, but the mind of the intemperate person is filled with impure fancies and thoughts.

Fasting is an expression of love and devotion, in which one sacrifices earthly satisfaction to attain the heavenly. Altogether too much of one’s thoughts are taken up with care for sustenance and the enticements of the palate; one wishes to be free from them. Thus fasting is a step on the road of emancipation and an indispensable support in the struggle against selfish desires. Together with prayer, fasting is one of humanity’s greatest gifts, carefully cherished by those who once have participated in it.

During fasting, thankfulness grows toward him who has given humanity the possibility of fasting. Fasting opens the entrance to a territory that you have scarcely glimpsed: the expressions of life and all the events around you and within you get a new illumination, the hastening hours a new, wide-eyed and rich purpose. The vigil of groping thought is replaced by a vigil of clarity; troublesome searching is changed to quiet acceptance in gratitude and humility. Seemingly large, perplexing problems open their centres like the ripe calyces of flowers: with prayer, fasting and vigil in union, we may knock on the door we wish to see opened.

Here we find the reason that fasting is often used as a measuring-stick by the holy Fathers: he who fasts much is he who loves much, and he who has loved much is forgiven much (Luke 7:47). He who fasts much also receives much.

The holy Fathers recommend “moderate” fasting: one ought not to allow the body to be weakened too much, for then the soul, too, is harmed. Nor ought one to undertake fasting too suddenly: everything demands practice, and each one should look to his own nature and occupation. To choose among different kinds of food is to be condemned: all food is God-given, but it is advisable to avoid such kinds as add to the body’s weight and appetite: strong spices, meat, spirituous drinks and such foods as are solely for the palate’s enjoyment. For the rest, one may eat what is cheap and most easily available, they say. But by “moderate” they mean one meal a day, and that one light enough not to fill the stomach to satiety.
 
Hesychios said:
Today Sunday January 30, is the last day (this year) for Byzantine Catholics and Orthodox to include meat in their meals before Great Lent begins. This date applies to those following the new calendar. Ideally this would mean (for those who are willing and able), total abstinance from meat until Divine Liturgy on Easter Sunday March 27.
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By the term “meat”, does this also include seafood? What about eggs?:hmmm:
 
Andruschak said:
By the term “meat”, does this also include seafood? What about eggs?:hmmm:
Click to expand...
I copied the following from a website a while ago, but I can’t remember which one:
Before Great Lent begins, four Sunday lessons prepare us for the Fast. Humility is the theme of the first Sunday, called the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee. The Lord’s parable in Luke 18:10-14 teaches that fasting with pride is rejected by God. For this reason, there is no fasting the week following this Sunday. This includes no fasting on Wednesday and Friday that week. (Wednesdays and Fridays are usually fast days throughout the year—Wednesday’s Fast recalls the betrayal of Christ by Judas; Friday’s Fast commemorates the Lord’s Crucifixion.)

Repentance is the theme of the second Pre-Lenten Sunday, called the Sunday of the Prodigal Son. Before we can return to God, we need to recognize that we are far from God because of sin. Like the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), we are in a self-imposed exile. Will we come to our senses as did the Prodigal Son and return to our Father?

The next Sunday is called both Meatfare Sunday and the Sunday of the Last Judgment. The second name refers to the Gospel lesson (Matthew 25:31-4 6) read on this day. The Lord tells us we will be judged at the end according to the love we have shown for our brother. “I was hungry…thirsty…naked…a stranger…in prison…sick… Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine you did for Me.” Almsgiving goes hand in hand with fasting. This Sunday is called Meatfare because it is the last day meat, fish or poultry is eaten before Easter, for those keeping the Lenten Fast.

The last Pre-Lenten Sunday is called both Cheesefare Sunday and the Sunday of Forgiveness. This is the last day dairy products are eaten before the Fast. The Gospel lesson (Matthew 6:14-21 ) read on this day tells us that our fast must not be hypocritical or “for show.” Our work and our appearance are to continue as usual and our extra efforts are to be known only by God. The Gospel reading also reminds us that God the Father will forgive us in the same manner as we forgive our brother. With this promise of forgiveness, Great Lent begins on the next day, which is called Clean Monday. Clean Monday is a total fast day, except for a little water. No other beverages or food are taken.

Continued…
 
continued from above…

The Lenten Fast rules that we observe today were established within the monasteries of the Orthodox Church during the sixth through eleventh centuries. These rules are intended for all Orthodox Christians, not just monks and nuns.

The first week of Lent is especially strict. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, a total fast is kept. In practice, very few people are able to do this. Some find it necessary to eat a little each day after sunset. Many Faithful do fast completely on Monday and then eat only uncooked food (bread, fruit, nuts) on Tuesday evening. On Wednesday, the fast is kept until after the Presanctified Liturgy.

From the second through the sixth weeks of Lent, the general rules for fasting are practiced. Meat, animal products (cheese, milk, butter, eggs, lard), fish (meaning fish with backbones), olive oil and wine (all alcoholic drinks) are not consumed during the weekdays of Great Lent. Octopus and shell-fish are allowed, as is vegetable oil. On weekends, olive oil and wine are permitted.
According to what was done in the monasteries, one meal a day is eaten on weekdays and two meals on weekends of Great Lent. No restriction is placed on the amount of food during the meal, though moderation is always encouraged in all areas of one’s life at all times.

Fish, oil and wine are allowed on the Feast of the Annunciation (March 25) and on Palm Sunday (one week before Easter). On other feast days, such as the First and Second Finding of the Head of Saint John the Baptist (February 24) , the Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebaste (March 9), the Forefeast of the Annunciation (March 24) and the Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel (March 26), wine and oil are permitted.

HOLY WEEK
The week before Easter, Holy Week, is a special time of fasting separate from Great Lent. Like the first week, a strict fast is kept. Some Orthodox Christians try to keep a total fast on Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday and Holy Wednesday. Most eat a simple Lenten meal at the end of each day before going to the evening Church services.

On Holy Thursday, wine is allowed in remembrance of the Last Supper. Holy Friday is kept as a strict fast day, as is Holy Saturday . Holy Saturday is the only Saturday in the entire year when oil is not permitted.

In short, these are the Lenten rules for fasting. Traditionally, the Church Fathers recommend that someone new to fasting begin by resolving to faithfully do as much as he or she is able during the Lenten period. Each year as one matures as a Christian, a fuller participation can be undertaken. However, it is not recommended that a person try to create their own rules for fasting, since this would not be obedient or wise. The Faithful are encouraged to consult with their priest or bishop regarding the Fast when possible.

The Lenten Fast is broken following the midnight Easter service. With the proclamation, “Christ is risen!” the time of feasting begins. The week after Easter is called Bright Week and there is no fasting. For the next 40 days, the Church celebrates the Paschal (Easter) season. Joy and thanksgiving are the fulfillment of our Lenten journey.
 
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