Question about Lent fasting

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porthos11 said:
Not for Latins. There are no arguments or exceptions for us.
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That eastern rule wouldn’t be an exemption or exemption for your rule, but an extension 🙂

We start Lent on Monday, not Wednesday, and starting at Vespers would mean starting the fast today.

While I’m at it . . . the full eastern rules consider fish to be meat. From start to finish (not on particular days), no meat, dairy, olive oil (used to be stored in skins), or wine for all of Lent. Sea bugs are OK and not considered fish, and beer is bread. In many churches, fish is allowed on Saturday and Wine on Sunday (or I may have that backwards).

For the Pittsburgh Metropolia (fka Ruthenian), we don’t go much farther than RC. We observe the strict fast (no dairy or fish) Monday (tomorrow) and Good Friday, abstain from latin-definition meat on Wednesdays and Fridays, and from Divine Liturgy on weekdays (but we have, size of the parish permitting, Presanctified Liturgies on W and F [mine just does W].

I think Ukrainian Catholic in US is similar, while Melkites try to keep the full fast.

Also note that for Eastern, we prescribe the ideal; it is not penalty of sin for not making it, but a goal to which we aspire.

And I understand that some Russian Orthodox attempt to fast completely (water only) for the first couple of days, slowly introducing raw and then eventually cooked vegetables . . .
 
I think the rules predate tartar sauce and melted butter 🤣😜😱

In all seriousness, only the poorest of the poor ate them at the time the rules were established; folks who couldn’t even afford fish (let alone meat).
 
I’m always quite surprised to realize that I’m now over the age (59) for the fasting obligation. I do it anyhow and always will, given good health. I think they need to revise that number up. After all, 60 is the new 40, right?
 
I remember when people were OLD at 60. Heck, 55 used to be the retirement age!
 
I was thinking the same thing! My relatives always followed, even past 60, and so will I.
 
Irishmom2 said:
I was thinking the same thing! My relatives always followed, even past 60, and so will I.
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I agree. We should always strive to do more than the minimum that the church obligates us to. Obligation is a starting point. It is a floor and not a ceiling.
 
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