Fasting, Eastern Catholicism?

[tomch]

I’m a “baby-Catholic” - just joined the Roman Catholic Church this last year (2007). (I was a Baptist)

Hmmm… how to say this without offending anyone…
While I LOVE my new faith intensely, I’m disappointed with how many of the old Catholic customs have “slipped.” One of the more obvious examples is fasting. From what I understand, earlier Roman Catholics took fasting much more seriously than they do now. Wednesdays, Fridays (some on Mondays, too). Advent Fasting, stricter devotion to Lent fasting, etc, etc…

I’m not a legalist, but I have a passion for “giving God all that I have” and would love to fellowship with others who feel the same way that I do… not just about fasting, but with EVERY aspect of their faith. I’m very serious about daily Mass, daily Rosary, frequent Adoration, frequent fasting, etc. - not because I’m trying to impress God or others, but because my heart is bursting with love for Him, and I want to seek Him with all my heart.

I know that I can continue to “go above and beyond” what the Roman Catholic Church requires, but I was hoping that I could find a “Rite” where other people have more of the same feelings that I do. I feel a bit out of place and discouraged in the Roman Rite.

I’m sorry, but I know almost nothing about all the different Rites within Catholicism. Here’s an example of my total ignorance: I recently was looking into the Eastern Orthodox Church, and was very impressed with their strong feelings about fasting and liturgy, but was disappointed that they have broken with the Pope. Then I discovered that there’s an Eastern Catholic Rite! I always thought that “Eastern” meant the Orthodox Church.

Can someone give me a crash course (or supply good websites) on the differences/similarities between all these different Rites? Which Rites are similar to the way the “Old” Roman Catholic Church was - with more serious devotion to respect for liturgy, fasting, Adoration and prayer?

Thanks very much!
Tom

 

[LilyM]

I don’t want to put a dampener on your interest in the traditional practices of the Church, however liturgically speaking the Eastern Catholic Rites are quite different from what Western Catholicism used to be.

Your liturgy in the East could be in Greek, Old Church Slavonic, or even Aramaic (the language Christ Himself spoke) as well as vernacular languages (Ukrainian and so on) but the language most traditionally associated with Western Catholicism has been - funnily enough, it’s called the Latin Rite - Latin. You’d want a TLM (Tridentine Latin Mass) for that.

And fasting - firstly I don’t believe, outside of Lent, that fasting or abstaining was ever compulsory on any day but Friday, though it was much more highly encouraged. What you may be thinking of is the different religious associations that existed (and still do) for lay people (ie those who aren’t priests monks or nuns).

Many, such as the Brothers and Sisters of Penance (a branch of the Franciscan religious order) still ask for fasting on certain days of the week, but this is for those who voluntarily join such organisations and not and never has been for everyone.

Remember too that the main change the Church has made is simply broaden its definition of penance and abstaining. Some penitential act is still required every single Friday and during the whole of Lent (at least in most places). It’s just that the Church in its wisdom has realised that a lot of people either don’t benefit from fasting from food or can’t fast for health reasons but can still do other penitential practices.

Someone who is an internet addict like myself benefits spiritually far more from not logging on on Fridays than from not eating meat or eating smaller meals, I can assure you. Fasting and abstaining from meat are the easy and somewhat thoughtless options for me compared to going without my favourite trashy books, or my favourite TV shows and so on.

 

[Ungcsertez]

I don’t want to put a dampener on your interest in the traditional practices of the Church, however liturgically speaking the Eastern Catholic Rites are quite different from what Western Catholicism used to be.

Could you please call us Eastern Catholic Churches and not “Rites”?

Ung

 

[LilyM]

LilyM;3216332:

I don’t want to put a dampener on your interest in the traditional practices of the Church, however liturgically speaking the Eastern Catholic Rites are quite different from what Western Catholicism used to be.

Could you please call us Eastern Catholic Churches and not “Rites”?

Ung

A thousand apologies - Eastern Catholic Churches it is. :tiphat:

 

[tomch]

Thank you, Lily!

 

[Diak]

Tomch, an excellent primer on the Eastern Catholic Churches is available on-line in the Veritas series from the Knights of Columbus, written by a Ukrainian Catholic bishop (now Emeritus), His Grace Bishop Basil Losten:
kofc.org/un/eb/en/resources/cis/CIS342.pdf

This is one of the resources I use when teaching RCIA or other groups on the Eastern Catholic Churches.
Fr. Deacon RLB

 

[tomch]

Thanks much, Diak. That was very good!

I found a Byzantine Catholic Church 30 miles north, and one 30 miles south. I think I’ll flip a coin and visit one of them this weekend. The Mass sounds beautiful.

On another forum, I found some comments about the “Revised Divine Liturgy?” What’s that all about?

 

[Patchunky]

Thanks much, Diak. That was very good!

I found a Byzantine Catholic Church 30 miles north, and one 30 miles south. I think I’ll flip a coin and visit one of them this weekend. The Mass sounds beautiful.

On another forum, I found some comments about the “Revised Divine Liturgy?” What’s that all about?

On the Feasts of Sts. Peter and Paul, 2007, the Byzantine Ruthenian Catholic Church in America implemented the “Revised Divine Liturgy”. This was the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom that had “new music” and “new” English translations that were gender neutral.

This Revised Divine Liturgy has split the Byzantine Ruthenian church. There are some parishes that have embraced the RDL with some success. There are many that have not embraced the RDL and openly opposed to the RDL. There have been numerous petitions to Metropolitan Basil to recall the RDL, including one petion signed by 100 Byzantine Ruthenian priests asking that the RDL be recalled because of the spiritual damage it was doing to the Faithful of their churches.

This past weekend, it was announced that the man who “wrote” the RDL has resigned his position as music teacher in the Byzantine Ruthenian Seminary and his position as head of the Metropolitan Cantor’s Institute.

That’s about it in a nut shell…

Hope it helps…