fasting

[Filii_Dei]

in your case - not quite straightforward .

You have some curious ideas about how to practice Catholicism.

Among other things you think we should all be vegetarians , that eating meat is against what good catholics should do.

You should be learning about catholicism from your own priest - he is the one to guide you on your way - not a group of Catholics who belong to several of the sui juris Churches which make up the catholic church.

He was asking about differences between the practices of Catholics of different rites. I believe it was a valid question, and could have been rooted in the misconception that Latin Catholics have no fast, since many of them do not, while Eastern Catholics I can very generally say to be more consistently obedient to their tradition. In addition, are many both without and within the Church who have had misconceptions about our own practices and beliefs (I will admit to being one of them), so it is good that he inquired to clear his doubts.

 

[twf]

I think it is fair to say that the Latin Church requires by law the bare minimum necessary for the salvation of souls…while the East recommends the ideal. Latin Catholics, under the direction of their spiritual director, are certainly encouraged to do much more. All Fridays and all days of Lent remain days of penance under the universal law of the Church at a minimum…

 

[ConstantineTG]

I think it is fair to say that the Latin Church requires by law the bare minimum necessary for the salvation of souls…while the East recommends the ideal. Latin Catholics, under the direction of their spiritual director, are certainly encouraged to do much more. All Fridays and all days of Lent remain days of penance under the universal law of the Church at a minimum…

The approach by the Latin praxis is legislative. You cannot legislate the maximum, only the minimum (or vice versa, if a ceiling is being enforced rather than a floor).

The approach of the East is similar to one’s job where you set goals. Then at the end of the year you are evaluated based on your goals, taking into account the circumstances why goals are not met or delayed, which would be an analogy for oikonomia.

 

[willofgods]

I always had been told (ok now I can’t remember if the priests in Mass said this or maybe just parents?) that during Lent you have one normal meal and 2 small meals that don’t add up to that normal meal once you’re an adult (in good health).

Is this not what the Latin rite requires? (Not looking for a way out of that but am curious. )

 

[Anathama_Sit]

I always had been told (ok now I can’t remember if the priests in Mass said this or maybe just parents?) that during Lent you have one normal meal and 2 small meals that don’t add up to that normal meal once you’re an adult (in good health).

Is this not what the Latin rite requires? (Not looking for a way out of that but am curious. )

Yes this is correct. No snacks in between though.

 

[henrikhank]

Among other things you think we should all be vegetarians , that eating meat is against what good catholics should do.

I have not said so. I just think vegetaianism is better than meat eating.

You should be learning about catholicism from your own priest - he is the one to guide you on your way - not a group of Catholics who belong to several of the sui juris Churches which make up the catholic church.

I will definitley have to find a good Priest that can help me. But unfortently it’s really difficult to find a Priest who can help me.

 

[henrikhank]

He was asking about differences between the practices of Catholics of different rites. I believe it was a valid question, and could have been rooted in the misconception that Latin Catholics have no fast, since many of them do not, while Eastern Catholics I can very generally say to be more consistently obedient to their tradition. In addition, are many both without and within the Church who have had misconceptions about our own practices and beliefs (I will admit to being one of them), so it is good that he inquired to clear his doubts.

Well, I’ll explain it myself.
Last year at Lent and Easter, I attended a lot of Coptic Orthodox Liturgies. An integrated part of their spirituality was fasting. I could really feel that. I have not felt/experienced the same when attending Latin Catholic Liturgies. So it seems, at least to me, that if you attend a Coptic Orthodox or an Eastern Catholic Church you would hear people talking about fasting. But if you attend a Latin Catholic church you would not hear so much about about fasting and would therefore need to find out what fasting is by your own.
In the Coptic Orthodoc Church I could not see a big diffeence between the monastic and family life spirituality. Unfortently this difference is too easy to find in the Latin/Roman Catholic Church. In the traditional Roman Catholic monasteries they fast but outside the monasteries it is not much talk about fasting. It seems like I would need a monk as my spiritual director if I want a spiritual life with fasting.
If I said something really stupid then tell me. I am just a newbie/noob as some people call it.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Well, I’ll explain it myself.
Last year at Lent and Easter, I attended a lot of Coptic Orthodox Liturgies. An integrated part of their spirituality was fasting. I could really feel that. I have not felt/experienced the same when attending Latin Catholic Liturgies.

Just curious.

How is fasting evident in the liturgy?

 

[MonkMoses]

Just curious.

How is fasting evident in the liturgy?

Coptic Liturgies tend to be MUCH longer during fasting periods. When our monastery was still in CA we were very near St Anthony Coptic Monastery and we would visit each others Liturgies often. I remember asking one of the monks if the Liturgy in a parish would be as long as the one in the monastery and was told that in the parishes where Liturgy was only served once or twice a week the Liturgy would be much longer then in the monastery where the Liturgy was served every day. I believe the Copts are free to add anaphoras and other prayers to lengthen the Liturgy…I know there was often a lot of switching back and forth between different anaphoras…made it very difficult to try and follow along in a book.

 

[ByzCathCantor]

You should be learning about catholicism from your own priest - he is the one to guide you on your way - not a group of Catholics who belong to several of the sui juris Churches which make up the catholic church.

Yes, surely us Eastern Catholics know nothing about fasting …

Notwithstanding, do consult with your pastor if and when in doubt on such matters.

 

[Anathama_Sit]

Greetings MonkMoses,

What are anaphoras? Are they some sort of responses? I am starting to learn about Eastern Catholicism and so am asking some questions that may seem basic.

God Bless.
Anathama Sit

 

[ByzCathCantor]

Greetings MonkMoses,

What are anaphoras? Are they some sort of responses? I am starting to learn about Eastern Catholicism and so am asking some questions that may seem basic.

God Bless.
Anathama Sit

The Anaphora is that portion of the Divine Liturgy in which the gifts are blessed and consecrated. It is roughly analogous to the Liturgy of the Eucharist in the Roman Rite.

Here’s a definition from the glossary of our pew book (Byzantine-Ruthenian tradition):

Anaphora – the great prayer of thanksgiving at the heart of the Divine Liturgy; this prayer includes a remembrance of the saving command and acts of Christ and an invocation of the Holy Spirit.

Looking at the Anaphora strictly as the prayer of thanksgiving, it is true that some other traditions add to the prayers which are minimally prescribed in their own rubrics. In Byzantine tradition, the priest recites the prayers of the Anaphora attributed to the “author” of the Divine Liturgy being taken (usually that of St. John Chrysostom).

 

[MonkMoses]

Greetings MonkMoses,

What are anaphoras? Are they some sort of responses? I am starting to learn about Eastern Catholicism and so am asking some questions that may seem basic.

God Bless.
Anathama Sit

Hi there Anathama sit. I hope the answer posted above answers your question. If I may be so bold to ask you to please explain your screen name?

Thanks and God bless!

 

[Anathama_Sit]

Greetings ByzCathCantor,

So I can safely say that an anaphora is a Eucharistic Prayer more specifically. Because the Liturgy of the Eucharist has other things in it besides the Eucharistic prayer.

I am so excited. I am going to go to my first Byzantine Mass in S.F. this spring later on when I do go. I’m going to start a thread in the Eastern Catholicism thread and would like to have you chime in.

God Bless.
Anathama Sit

 

[Anathama_Sit]

Greetings MonkMoses,

No problem about the screen name. When I orginally picked this I wanted to use the correct spelling, Anathema Sit, however that user name was already taken.

Sometimes I think I am a bit cursed in the fact that I have problems spelling so that was a bit of joke. However on the serious side, I picked it because it reminds me every time, that whatever in my life interferes with Union with God and love for others, I want to declare it to be Anathema Sit, or condemened. This also helps me to keep my eyes on eternity and less of the present world.

God Bless.
Anathama Sit

 

[Splagchnizomai]

Greetings MonkMoses,

What are anaphoras? Are they some sort of responses? I am starting to learn about Eastern Catholicism and so am asking some questions that may seem basic.

God Bless.
Anathama Sit

There have already been some responses to this, but I thought I’d post the relevant Wiki article on how it relates to the Catholic Mass …

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaphora_(liturgy)#The_Anaphora_or_Eucharistic_Prayer_of_the_Roman_Rite

 

[TrueLight]

. I have not felt/experienced the same when attending Latin Catholic Liturgies. So it seems, at least to me, that if you attend a Coptic Orthodox or an Eastern Catholic Church you would hear people talking about fasting. But if you attend a Latin Catholic church you would not hear…

You hear quite a bit about fasting if you hang out with those who consider themselves traditional Catholics.

 

[ByzCathCantor]

So I can safely say that an anaphora is a Eucharistic Prayer more specifically. Because the Liturgy of the Eucharist has other things in it besides the Eucharistic prayer.

The term is used, at least in our tradition, to refer both to the prayers and the section of the Divine Liturgy in which the prayers (which include what the Latin Rite would call the Words of Institution) and other hymns and commemorations are taken. It begins after the recitation of the Creed and ends with the Epiklesis (invocation of the Holy Spirit upon the Gifts and the faithful), shortly before the Lord’s Prayer.

I am so excited. I am going to go to my first Byzantine Mass in S.F. this spring later on when I do go.

If you let us know what church, we can give you some background on the particulars of its practiced tradition (Ukrainian, Melkite, Ruthenian, Russian - they are all represented in S.F.).

 

[Anathama_Sit]

Thank you so much Splagchnizomai.

God Bless.
Anathama Sit

 

[5Loaves]

If you let us know what church, we can give you some background on the particulars of its practiced tradition (Ukrainian, Melkite, Ruthenian, Russian - they are all represented in S.F.).

In SF (if you mean the City by the Bay) we have Our Lady of Fatima Russian and Immaculate Conception UGCC.

St. Basil’s Ruthenian is in Palo Alto on Sunday’s, about an hour south of SF. Best to look at their Facebook to be up to date on where they are for other things besides Sun. DL. Fr Anthony, wonderful priest, is looking at celebrating their Wed Pre-Sanctified Liturgy in the Walnut Creek/Concord area. Fridays’ Pre-Sanctified I think will be in Los Gatos, even further south of SF.

St Elias the Prophet Melkite is in San Jose, again about an hour south of SF. I think of the four of us St. Basil’s is probably the largest in terms of regular attendance. I visited St. Elias when Bishop Samra was here right before he was named Eparch. The place was packed. But the folks we had our lunch with said they have about a dozen worshipers most Sundays.

Our Lady of Fatima Greek Catholic Church is on the old calendar for Pascha. St. Basil’s is on the new calendar. It looks like St. Elias is also new calendar. Don’t know about Immaculate Conception UGCC. I would expect them to be new calendar.

If you come to SF, Anathama Sit, you must go to Holy Virgin Cathedral (RCOR) a few blocks from us. It’s a beautiful cathedral and the incorrupt relics of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco are present in the temple. They have daily Divine Liturgy at 8:00 am, Vespers & Matins at 6:00 pm. (No pants for women and head covering expected.) Also a wonderful bookstore.