Questions about fasting

[zmyr88]

i’m likely sure this has been asked somewhere? but anyway.

what is considered the start/end times for a prescribed(obligatory) fast. (granted it probably should total 24hrs)
midnight to midnight, sundown to sundown , awakening to retiring? (for a non obligatory probably anytime one wishes to begin)

more importantly:
ash Wednesday and good Friday. with the following in consideration:
according to a bullitin found at: holyfamilynewark.org/pdf/308+Holy+Family+April+17+2011.pdf
in regards to the “from the pastor” section:

     it states that good friday is actually starts on the FRIDAY at sundown.{meaning most might be fasting on the wrong day technically speaking} into Saturday not ending before sundown.

given when are the times of fasting for ash wed, and Good Friday?

 

[ConstantineTG]

Whet it comes down to it, does it matter? As long as you fast and you fast for a purpose and you offer it up to God.

 

[zmyr88]

I was curious from a liturgical/technical/theological standpoint.

 

[MarkThompson]

I was curious from a liturgical/technical/theological standpoint.

I believe there is no set answer. It is only a relatively modern phenomenon (well within the last hundred years) that ordinary people everywhere are able to tell the exact time within a fraction of a second. If you lived on a farm in 1915, maybe you had one clock in the house (not much good when you are out in the fields), maybe not. And if you lived in a village in Spain in 1680? I guess you had the town sundial – on sunny days.

In my view, a traditional “day” is from when you get up to when you go to sleep. Staying up and watching the clock till 12:05 AM so that you can have that roast beef sandwich or pint of ice cream does not seem to be within the spirit of the fast as it was conceived. The case might be different if you work a split shift or second shift or something and keep bizarre hours.

 

[Link0126]

My buddy’s family used to wait until 11:30 at night to order the meat laden pizza. By the time it got there it was technically Saturday and the chow down would begin.

That was on regular Friday’s of Lent. Have no idea how they handled a fast…

 

[Catholic1954]

The traditional Catholic fast is midnight to midnight.

 

[malphono]

I believe there is no set answer. …

In my view, a traditional “day” is from when you get up to when you go to sleep. Staying up and watching the clock till 12:05 AM so that you can have that roast beef sandwich or pint of ice cream does not seem to be within the spirit of the fast as it was conceived. The case might be different if you work a split shift or second shift or something and keep bizarre hours.

I more or less agree, but will add this: insofar as the fast itself is concerned, it seems to me that it should normally be from evening meal to breakfast (notice that word in English: break-fast.) That schema works (perhaps with minor adjustments) even for those who keep strange hours.

Let’s say, e.g., that one has dinner at 7pm and retires for the night at 11pm. It’s certainly not within the spirit of fasting to gorge on TV-time snacks (maybe it’s that leftover roast beef or that pint of ice cream, or whatever) between dinner and bedtime. The fast is broken at breakfast (there’s that word again) the next morning. It’s not a big hardship. Most people (99.9% probably) do not need to eat between dinner and breakfast anyway.

 

[jmcrae]

I more or less agree, but will add this: insofar as the fast itself is concerned, it seems to me that it should normally be from evening meal to breakfast (notice that word in English: break-fast.) That schema works (perhaps with minor adjustments) even for those who keep strange hours.

Let’s say, e.g., that one has dinner at 7pm and retires for the night at 11pm. It’s certainly not within the spirit of fasting to gorge on TV-time snacks (maybe it’s that leftover roast beef or that pint of ice cream, or whatever) between dinner and bedtime. The fast is broken at breakfast (there’s that word again) the next morning. It’s not a big hardship. Most people (99.9% probably) do not need to eat between dinner and breakfast anyway.

I’m thoroughly confused. I thought we were talking about the Good Friday fast?

As I understand it, we are permitted to have, at maximum, two small snacks and one small meal, all without meat, on Good Friday. I have always taken this to mean that this is what we are permitted to have, between going to bed on Thursday night, to waking up again on Saturday morning, which is what I would consider to be “Friday” for all intents and purposes.

 

[Mrs_Sally]

I’m thoroughly confused. I thought we were talking about the Good Friday fast?

As I understand it, we are permitted to have, at maximum, two small snacks and one small meal, all without meat, on Good Friday. I have always taken this to mean that this is what we are permitted to have, between going to bed on Thursday night, to waking up again on Saturday morning, which is what I would consider to be “Friday” for all intents and purposes.

I agree. That is an excellent definition of Friday.

 

[malphono]

I’m thoroughly confused. I thought we were talking about the Good Friday fast?

As I understand it, we are permitted to have, at maximum, two small snacks and one small meal, all without meat, on Good Friday. I have always taken this to mean that this is what we are permitted to have, between going to bed on Thursday night, to waking up again on Saturday morning, which is what I would consider to be “Friday” for all intents and purposes.

Yes, it’s Good Friday, but the same principle applies to any fast. Counting it literally from “bedtime to wake-up” means that, in the example of a 7pm meal and an 11pm bedtime, there are four hours to gorge. It may satisfy a legalistic reading of the fast, but where’s the self-deprivation? My point was simply that the “spirit of the fast” includes the time between the last meal of the day and breakfast of the next. IOW, the TV-time snacks would break the fast, at least in spirit. No one really needs those TV-time snacks.

 

[jmcrae]

Yes, it’s Good Friday, but the same principle applies to any fast. Counting it literally from “bedtime to wake-up” means that, in the example of a 7pm meal and an 11pm bedtime, there are four hours to gorge.

I’m still lost.

It may satisfy a legalistic reading of the fast, but where’s the self-deprivation?

The legalistic reading is, two small snacks (ie: one serving of apple slices, and one cookie) and one small meal (ie: instead of three courses, you would eat two courses, so, of a meal of rice, fish, and vegetables, you would eat two of the three items, rather than all three - or else you would serve smaller portions of rice, vegetables, and fish). That would be the maximum allowable, legalistically speaking.

Obviously, those more into the spirit of the law would consume even less than that, so I’m not getting where someone would have the idea that they could eat dinner and snacks for four hours straight.

My point was simply that the “spirit of the fast” includes the time between the last meal of the day and breakfast of the next. IOW, the TV-time snacks would break the fast, at least in spirit.

As well as in fact, if there were more than two of them.

 

[Phemie]

Yes, it’s Good Friday, but the same principle applies to any fast. Counting it literally from “bedtime to wake-up” means that, in the example of a 7pm meal and an 11pm bedtime, there are four hours to gorge. It may satisfy a legalistic reading of the fast, but where’s the self-deprivation? My point was simply that the “spirit of the fast” includes the time between the last meal of the day and breakfast of the next. IOW, the TV-time snacks would break the fast, at least in spirit. No one really needs those TV-time snacks.

I think you’re missing what jmcrae is saying. The fast would actually last at least 30 hours. You start the fast when you go to bed Thursday and observe it until you go to bed Friday, meaning for practical purposes that it doesn’t really end until Saturday morning when you get up. Given an 11 p.m. bedtime and a 7 a.m. wake up time, your fast will last 32 hours.

 

[jmcrae]

I think you’re missing what jmcrae is saying. The fast would actually last at least 30 hours. You start the fast when you go to bed Thursday and observe it until you go to bed Friday, meaning for practical purposes that it doesn’t really end until Saturday morning when you get up. Given an 11 p.m. bedtime and a 7 a.m. wake up time, your fast will last 32 hours.

Yes, exactly. I am not sure how meal time on Friday enters into it, since - well - we are fasting, so, there is no meal time, unless you choose to have your small meal in the evening rather than in the morning or at noon.

 

[Phemie]

Yes, exactly. I am not sure how meal time on Friday enters into it, since - well - we are fasting, so, there is no meal time, unless you choose to have your small meal in the evening rather than in the morning or at noon.

We have ours in the evening after the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion.

He seems to think that the fast lasts from bedtime to breakfast, IOW, 8 hours while you’re asleep.

 

[jmcrae]

We have ours in the evening after the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion.

He seems to think that the fast lasts from bedtime to breakfast, IOW, 8 hours while you’re asleep.

That’s the impression I’m getting, too.

Anyway, to answer the OP’s question, the fast begins when you fall asleep on Thursday night, and goes until you wake up again on Saturday morning. During the time that you’re awake on Friday (ie: between 6:00 am and midnight, for example), you can have a maximum of one small meal and two small snacks.

 

[zmyr88]

ok so i looked up some things. other than say a black fast in terms of pentacostal, where no food and no water period. no other fast talks about water. so for the both the churches’ BLACK FAST. yes i know its old, curious in history/theological terms. did it allow water between meals?
more importantly what about the good friday one. whats the stipulation on plain H2O(meals only, whenever u want?). as i normally drink a lot.

 

[angelic06]

For those who say that waiting until 12:05 am is a legalistic interpretation:

Now, wait, for those who prayerfully keep the fast----keeping in mind the sacrifice of Christ and those of the starving----waiting up until the end of the official day, it is fair to demand that there be an actual end to the fast…considering that sometimes we actually do a 24 (or more) hour one (w/ no solid food at all) instead of the 1 meal + 2 1/2 eatings, due to not being able to eat meat due to the concurrent abstinence requirement. Do not be be quick to judge.

Now, a rejoinder: we have no right at all to say that those who fulfill the 1/ 2 1/2 meal requirement as it is written are are less spiritual or more legalistic than those who do more. None. Those who have fulfilled the law as written by the Church have fulfilled it, period. Take care, therefore, not to fast simply for the sake of showing off to others that we are fasting. Let those of us who desire to do more w/o infringing on others’ right to do the minimum, do so, and we can leave the rest safely in the hands of God.

 

[TrueLight]

All I know is that I’m starving.

I had one meal today. I’m either going to wait till midnight to eat some frozen pizza or I’m going to go to sleep so I don’t have to think about food.

 

[angelic06]

All I know is that I’m starving.

I had one meal today. I’m either going to wait till midnight to eat some frozen pizza or I’m going to go to sleep so I don’t have to think about food.

As far as I’m concerned, if you have prayerfully kept the fast, when midnight comes, you are completely at liberty to eat your pizza. Let no one disturb you about it. May God bless you.

 

[zmyr88]

We have ours in the evening after the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion.

so yours is from from friday eve till sunday morn, or sat eve?, thats one of the things i was getting at, thats is more proper in terms of the celebration, to have it starting friday night.

i had always started them night time thrus. and sat morn ending.