The Great Fast explained

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Little_Boy_Lost

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I had some questions about the fast coming up.

What is the symbolism behind abstinence from the different foods?

Meat, Dairy, Fish, Olive Oil…

Why no dairy? Why is shellfish ok and not bony fishes? Does “Oil” mean other vegetable oils including olive oil?

Where do reptiles and Amphibians fall? What if I have rattlesnake meat in the freezer or I purchase frog legs. Are those ok?

How does a newcomer to the Church begin their first Lenten fast?
 
I am no expert but these are my thoughts based on talking to others and research:
No meat from animals with internal skeletons: in memory of the Crucifixion-none of Jesus’ bones were broken. Shrimp, lobster, clams etc. do not have internal backbones.
Dairy and eggs: no products from animals (with backbones), but I heard caviar was allowed.
Olive oil and wine: these used to be stored in animal skins. Some say no oil at all and no alcoholic beverages.
Fasting in the East has nothing to do with the richness of the food nor quantity involved.
One can easlity adapt to a vegan diet eating only fruits and vegetables along with occasional shellfish.
The best way to start is to develop a program with your spiritual father.
I am interested in what others know about the reasons for allowing certain foods on different days.
 
Fasting is meant to afflict the body and make it more conducive to prayer, repentance and almsgiving. The hunger we experience in fasting is to make our spiritual hunger for Christ and God all the more acute and allow us to find fulfillment in spiritual communion with God.

So no “heavy” foods such as anything with a backbone or their by-products are allowed in the first instance.

No oil or wine since these, like the aforementioned are a kind of “energy” food that symbolize gladness and celebration.

Xerophagy or dry-eating is allowed, although we can follow the rules on fasting presented by the Calendar for particular days and weeks.
 
“Prayer, fasting, vigils, and all other Christian practices, however good they are in themselves, do not constitute the goal of our Christian life, although they serve as a necessary means to its attainment. The true goal of our Christian life consists in the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God. Fasting, vigils, prayers, alms-giving and all good deeds done for the sake of Christ are but means for the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God. But note, my son, that only a good deed done for the sake of Christ brings us the fruits of the Holy Spirit. All that is done, if it is not for Christ’s sake, although it may be good, brings us no reward in the life to come, nor does it give us God’s grace in the present life.”
St Seraphim of Sarov
 
Mickey said:
“Prayer, fasting, vigils, and all other Christian practices, however good they are in themselves, do not constitute the goal of our Christian life, although they serve as a necessary means to its attainment. The true goal of our Christian life consists in the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God. Fasting, vigils, prayers, alms-giving and all good deeds done for the sake of Christ are but means for the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God. But note, my son, that only a good deed done for the sake of Christ brings us the fruits of the Holy Spirit. All that is done, if it is not for Christ’s sake, although it may be good, brings us no reward in the life to come, nor does it give us God’s grace in the present life.”
St Seraphim of Sarov
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But St Seraphim also said that we are to have nothing to do with those Christians who refuse to fast . . .

Alex
 
Alexander_Roman said:
But St Seraphim also said that we are to have nothing to do with those Christians who refuse to fast . . .
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St Seraphim of Sarov on Fasting:
‘Once there came to him a mother who was concerned about how she might arrange the best possible marriage for her young daughter. When she came to Saint Seraphim for advice, he said to her: “Before all else, ensure that he, whom your daughter chooses as her companion for life, keeps the fasts. If he does not, then he is not a Christian, whatever he may consider himself to be.”’
  — From a sermon of Metropolitan Philaret, quoted in The Ladder of Divine Ascent, pub. Holy Trinity Monastery, pg.xxxiii.
 
Why do the latins fast only from meat on certain days and not from fish?

Why don’t they fast from Dairy and Animal products? What is the rationale behind their fast?

I was at an OCF discussion last night and the priest present said he felt the fast was a return to paradise. Just as we come back to Christ in repentance so the fast shows helps us by showing us how we were in Eden. When we only ate from the vine and the tree and did not kill animals for food. Has anyone heard this one before?
 
Little_Boy_Lost said:
Why do the latins fast only from meat on certain days and not from fish?

Why don’t they fast from Dairy and Animal products? What is the rationale behind their fast?

I was at an OCF discussion last night and the priest present said he felt the fast was a return to paradise. Just as we come back to Christ in repentance so the fast shows helps us by showing us how we were in Eden. When we only ate from the vine and the tree and did not kill animals for food. Has anyone heard this one before?
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The Latins used to fast just like the Byzantines. They stopped observing the full Lenten fast in the USA in 1914. The Latins referred to the full fast as a black fast.
 
Little_Boy_Lost said:
Why do the latins fast only from meat on certain days and not from fish?

Why don’t they fast from Dairy and Animal products? What is the rationale behind their fast?

I was at an OCF discussion last night and the priest present said he felt the fast was a return to paradise. Just as we come back to Christ in repentance so the fast shows helps us by showing us how we were in Eden. When we only ate from the vine and the tree and did not kill animals for food. Has anyone heard this one before?
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I have heard this for although I do not know the validity. It makes sense to me though. In the United States, they go really easy on us Eastern Catholics though.

We are still allowed to eat fish, use oil, and drink alcohol. Only thing we are asked to do is abstain from meat and dairy (not fish) on the first day of Lent and Good Friday, and then no meat (fish not included) on Wednesdays and Fridays in Lent and I believe also the night before Easter.
 
wjp984 said:
I have heard this for although I do not know the validity. It makes sense to me though. In the United States, they go really easy on us Eastern Catholics though.

We are still allowed to eat fish, use oil, and drink alcohol. Only thing we are asked to do is abstain from meat and dairy (not fish) on the first day of Lent and Good Friday, and then no meat (fish not included) on Wednesdays and Fridays in Lent and I believe also the night before Easter.
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Really? I had to secure the blessings from my pastor to consume oil and fish during this fast since this would be my first Great Fast with the church.
 
Little_Boy_Lost said:
Really? I had to secure the blessings from my pastor to consume oil and fish during this fast since this would be my first Great Fast with the church.
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The Melkites tend to be a bit more traditional then most other Byzantines here in America. Although I did read that the Romanians are getting VERY traditional with the fasting regulations coming from Romania.
 
Interesting. That’s good to hear. It seems all to often the Romanians are left out of the conversation of jurisdictions. My pastor always speaks highly of Bishop Bortean. He deserves some props for helping create a male and female monastic community under his tutelage.

Is Romanian Chant in Byzantine style or Slavic style?
 
Little_Boy_Lost said:
Interesting. That’s good to hear. It seems all to often the Romanians are left out of the conversation of jurisdictions. My pastor always speaks highly of Bishop Bortean. He deserves some props for helping create a male and female monastic community under his tutelage.

Is Romanian Chant in Byzantine style or Slavic style?
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Is your pastor Fr. Mark? Romanians have a few styles of chant. Depending on where in the country you are. The monasteries tend to use traditional Byzantine (Greek) chant.

And Bishop John Michael is truly wonderful for helping both Holy Resurrection and Holy Theophany Monasteries.
 
wjp984 said:
In the United States, they go really easy on us Eastern Catholics though.

We are still allowed to eat fish, use oil, and drink alcohol. Only thing we are asked to do is abstain from meat and dairy (not fish) on the first day of Lent and Good Friday, and then no meat (fish not included) on Wednesdays and Fridays in Lent and I believe also the night before Easter.
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We’re a Russian EC parish in the US and we follow the strict fast (abstaining) during major fasts and basically every Wed and Fri the rest of the year. There is no fasting police but anything brought to church for blessing and eating in our post Liturgy agape meal needs to conform to the fast, and the parish calendar shows the strict fast. I pretty much follow our calendar all year. Our fasting calendar is identical to the Russian OCA parish I also attend sometimes. The fasting guidelines the priest at that OCA parish recently went over while I was there were the same as those my EC priest gives.

I think the fasting tradition is one of our great gifts. 👍 To me it’s really sad that there are so many places where it has been watered down so drastically.
 
We really shouldn’t have a “minimum” fast at all as the Ruthenian bishops have imposed - because (a) it implies a legal notion of Church authority, which is fine in and of itself, but very Roman; (b) the fast is supposed to be what we strive for to practice as Christians, and failing to keep the fast should be an exercise in humility and opportunity for spiritual growth, not a mortal sin.

I can’t always keep the strict fast in its entirety, for medical reasons and because I live in a college dorm without the means to cook for myself. If I have to resort to eating an egg in order to get enough protein to survive I don’t my soul to be in peril - but nor do I want the rules to be watered down. Fasting should be a matter between each Christian and his spiritual father, with the standards set by the Church.
 
Cecilianus said:
We really shouldn’t have a “minimum” fast at all as the Ruthenian bishops have imposed - because (a) it implies a legal notion of Church authority, which is fine in and of itself, but very Roman; (b) the fast is supposed to be what we strive for to practice as Christians, and failing to keep the fast should be an exercise in humility and opportunity for spiritual growth, not a mortal sin.

I can’t always keep the strict fast in its entirety, for medical reasons and because I live in a college dorm without the means to cook for myself. If I have to resort to eating an egg in order to get enough protein to survive I don’t my soul to be in peril - but nor do I want the rules to be watered down. Fasting should be a matter between each Christian and his spiritual father, with the standards set by the Church.
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Down. I agree with your sentiments concerning the fast. When Romans see our fast they get bug eyed. I think it’s because they believe if we fail we are under penalty of sin and should quickly speed off to a confessional.

This is my first year fasting with the church during lent. I asked my father’s blessing to continue consuming a few foods normally prohibited during the fast so that I could best keep the whole of the fast without falling down and forsaking it completely. As it is, I need to keep the alcohol injunction a lot more seriously.
 
Little_Boy_Lost said:
Down. I agree with your sentiments concerning the fast. When Romans see our fast they get bug eyed. I think it’s because they believe if we fail we are under penalty of sin and should quickly speed off to a confessional.

This is my first year fasting with the church during lent. I asked my father’s blessing to continue consuming a few foods normally prohibited during the fast so that I could best keep the whole of the fast without falling down and forsaking it completely. As it is, I need to keep the alcohol injunction a lot more seriously.
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Just remember…its OK to fall…just be sure you get up again. 😃
 
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

This is a verse that is sometimes referred to concerning fasting. The interpretation being: we do violence to ourselves, fasting/ascetic practices, to apprehend the kingdom.

We force the practice of certain virtues through fasting ie, humility and alms giving, as well as a letting go of the passions (Married Orthodox also abstain from each other).

It is also important not to talk of fasting in certain contexts. For example, in church.
 
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