urgent question: fasting before Eucharist

[Monica4316]

hello,

in the Eastern Catholic rites… (such as Byzantine Catholic, Russian Greek Catholic, etc) - how many hours do you fast before Communion if you’re receiving Communion in the evening? (for example, at 7:30). For the morning, do you fast from the night before?

thanks!

 

[ConstantineTG]

The Ukrainian Catholic Church’s Bishops in North America has adopted many of the rules that Roman Catholics in North America adhere to. So its 1 hour fast before Communion (in my case I always practice 1 hour before start of Liturgy).

 

[ciero]

The Ukrainian Catholic Church’s Bishops in North America has adopted many of the rules that Roman Catholics in North America adhere to. So its 1 hour fast before Communion (in my case I always practice 1 hour before start of Liturgy).

The Eucharistic fast in the East is traditionally from midnight the night before for a morning Liturgy. I have heard different opinions for evening Liturgy/Presanctified, one saying from midnight, the other from noon.

 

[josephdaniel29]

The Eucharistic fast in the East is traditionally from midnight the night before for a morning Liturgy. I have heard different opinions for evening Liturgy/Presanctified, one saying from midnight, the other from noon.

I think the ideal for Presanctified is from midnight. Realistically in our modern, fast paced society for some people that’s not practical. From noon would be the bare minimum.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Complex question.

There is tradition. As ciero states that would be a 12 hour fast.

Then there is what the Church requires. That, as ConstantineTG states for the Ukrainians, is 1 hour.

From the Particular Law of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church;
** Can. 93** (CCEO c. 713 §2) Concerning the preparation for participation in the Divine Eucharist through fast, prayers and other works, the faithful are to observe the norms of the liturgical books and to fast at least one hour prior to Holy Communion. Water and medicine taken prior to Holy Communion does not break the fas

The Ruthenian Church also only requires a 1 hour fast.

From the Particular Law for the Byzantine Ruthenian Catholic Church;
Canon 707 §2. The Eucharistic fast shall be from solids one hour before the reception of the Divine Eucharist. Medications and water may be taken anytime.

I think the ideal for Presanctified is from midnight. Realistically in our modern, fast paced society for some people that’s not practical. From noon would be the bare minimum.

As stated and shown the “bare minimum” is 1 hour. If one wishes to do a more traditional Eucharistic Fast or if one’s spiritual father has imposed a longer Eucharistic Fast then that would need to be followed but the “bare minimum” is covered by the Canons of the Particular Law of the Churches.

The Orthodox may (and most likely are) be different but this is a Catholic forum and the question was asked of Eastern Catholics not Orthodox.

 

[ConstantineTG]

The Eucharistic fast in the East is traditionally from midnight the night before for a morning Liturgy. I have heard different opinions for evening Liturgy/Presanctified, one saying from midnight, the other from noon.

I guess the reason for it is that there are many places where the Divine Liturgy is not first thing in the morning, some may have it later in the day. I attend the first Divine Liturgy so no problem with fasting from after dinner until Communion. But not every parish may provide that kind of schedule.

 

[Little_Boy_Lost]

My pastor explained the ideal would be from sundown to liturgy. However, for presanctified usually you try and keep the whole day from when you awake in the morning to communion. But most people he recommends to start by fasting from the meal before. So if it’s an evening liturgy, don’t have Lunch, or if it’s a morning liturgy, don’t have breakfast.

 

[Vico]

My pastor explained the ideal would be from sundown to liturgy. However, for presanctified usually you try and keep the whole day from when you awake in the morning to communion. But most people he recommends to start by fasting from the meal before. So if it’s an evening liturgy, don’t have Lunch, or if it’s a morning liturgy, don’t have breakfast.

In Light for Life, Part. 2, p. 18, states that there are two time traditions:
Semetic - sunset begins the day
Greco-Roman (civil) - midnight begins the day
For feasts and Sundays the Semetic time is followed, otherwise the Greco-Roman.
For fasting days, Great Fast and Holy Week, the Greco-Roman time is followed. And p. 27 gives the hours:

Vespers (sunset)
Little Compline or Great Compline (before retiring)
Midnight (during the night)
Matins and 1st (sunrise)
3rd, 6th, 9th hours (9am, 12pm, 3pm)

 

[Monica4316]

Thanks for the replies… but I’m kind of confused now… what if I go to daily Mass in the evenings at the local Roman Catholic parish? (and I’m Eastern Catholic). I can’t then fast since the morning till 7:30 pm… every day…

 

[Hesychios]

Thanks for the replies… but I’m kind of confused now… what if I go to daily Mass in the evenings at the local Roman Catholic parish? (and I’m Eastern Catholic). I can’t then fast since the morning till 7:30 pm… every day…

See post #7 by LBL.

 

[josephdaniel29]

I can’t then fast since the morning till 7:30 pm… every day…

Why not?

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Thanks for the replies… but I’m kind of confused now… what if I go to daily Mass in the evenings at the local Roman Catholic parish? (and I’m Eastern Catholic). I can’t then fast since the morning till 7:30 pm… every day…

The Church requires an hour fast before reception of the Eucharist.

While the traditional Eucharistic Fast may be longer it is not required.

Having said that one’s spiritual father may impose a Eucharistic Fast upon a person that is longer but that is an individual thing and would not apply to anyone else, like LittleBoyLost’s reply #7, his pastor gave him a guideline for his Eucharistic Fast before Presanctified Liturgy, that does not necessarily apply to anyone else.

 

[Little_Boy_Lost]

Originally Posted by Monica4316 View Post
Thanks for the replies… but I’m kind of confused now… what if I go to daily Mass in the evenings at the local Roman Catholic parish? (and I’m Eastern Catholic). I can’t then fast since the morning till 7:30 pm… every day…

I would suggest asking a priest or deacon. Even if he is latin, explain your situation and I’m sure they would be glad to help you in anyway.

 

[5Loaves]

Thanks for the replies… but I’m kind of confused now… what if I go to daily Mass in the evenings at the local Roman Catholic parish? (and I’m Eastern Catholic). I can’t then fast since the morning till 7:30 pm… every day…

I thought josephdaniel29 had the best answer in his question: “Why do you fast?”.

Luckily I’m Russian Catholic and we’re orphans without a heirarchary who have dummed down the teaching, so in my parish we simply follow our mother church-- we use the OCA translation of the Liturgy, the OCA music, the OCA wall calendar, i.e. fasting norms… As Father said one night when the next day was an evening DL and he was talking about fasting “It’s easy to fast over night!”, meaning it isn’t easy to fast all day, Fasting is always recommended to be done with guidance from a qualified spiritual father. We see that is perhaps not yet an option for you, so you’re asking here.

Personally, when I am going to Presanctified at night I eat breakfast and nothing after that until after Eucharist. If I were ill or working hard during the day I’d probably have a light and early lunch. When I am going to evening daily Mass then I do pretty much the same. Sometimes I don’t know I’m going to make it to Mass that evening and end up going. If I ate after lunch then I don’t go up for Eucharist. If I ate an early lunch, or just a late breakfast I probably do go up for Eucharist.

If you are going to daily Mass, and it sounds like that is what you are saying, and you have no real background with fasting but desire to begin to take advantage of your patrimony by adding fasting you could consider just focusing on the traditional Wed. & Fri. abstinence part of it for a while (and since it is Great Lent try eating a light and early lunch and nothing after that until Eucharist).

Back to “Why do you fast?” I highly recommend listening to Fasting in the Byzantine Church Year with Fr. Moses of Holy Resurrection Monastery, along with Feasting in the Byzantine Church Year, also with Fr. Moses. The juridical focus taken in the Latin Church is not the approach in the East. I think you’ll get help with this by listening to Fr. Moses. If you click on “(more info)” you can see a list of all the questions Catherine asks Fr. Moses in each of the videos.

There is much wonderful writing on fasting from the Eastern perspective. I think Great Lent by Fr. Alexander Schmemann of blessed memory is a wonderful book, especially helpful is the section “The Two Meanings of Fasting” (pg 49). Some of the book is available on googlebooks, but not that section any longer.

Fasting is one of the wonderful gifts of the Eastern tradition. I hope you will give yourself the opportunity to learn more about the “Why do you fast?” part from the Eastern perspective. This is where you can find motivation for embracing joyfully elements of this tradition.

 

[5Loaves]

P.S. I am formerly a Latin Catholic, and still active in the Latin Church, including often daily Mass. In the years since I began to grow in my understanding of fasting in the Eastern praxis and increased in my practice of the “strict” Russian calendar it has so changed my experience of receiving Holy Eucharist East and West. I LOVE our liturgical calendar with those four big sections of pink on the calendar and Wednesdays and Fridays. Fr. Loya talks about the rhythm of the liturgical year where we gradually approach a Feast Day, celebrate the Feast and then gradually leave it. It’s so rich!

 

[Monica4316]

thanks for the replies… I don’t mind fasting from morning to after evening Mass, but the problem is that I want to go to Mass almost every day, - and this would mean not eating at all, - I don’t think my family would even allow me to do this… I’m not talking about Presantified Liturgy once a week, but daily Mass. (Latin rite)…

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

thanks for the replies… I don’t mind fasting from morning to after evening Mass, but the problem is that I want to go to Mass almost every day, - and this would mean not eating at all, - I don’t think my family would even allow me to do this… I’m not talking about Presantified Liturgy once a week, but daily Mass. (Latin rite)…

Have you stated if you are an Eastern or Western Catholic?

The Latin Church also has the 1 hour Eucharistic Fast. If you wish to do something a bit more for spiritual reasons and you want to do daily Mass (I am assuming that your daily Mass is in the evenings) then do as 5Loaves suggested and eat an early lunch.

I would suggest that you get a spiritual director and work though this with them or if you think that is too much then talk to your pastor about this issue and see what he thinks.

 

[5Loaves]

thanks for the replies… I don’t mind fasting from morning to after evening Mass, but the problem is that I want to go to Mass almost every day, - and this would mean not eating at all, - I don’t think my family would even allow me to do this… I’m not talking about Presantified Liturgy once a week, but daily Mass. (Latin rite)…

As I said, I also am typically a daily Mass attender and that can be 5PM Mass and I mentioned how I address that

If I were ill or working hard during the day I’d probably have a light and early lunch. When I am going to evening daily Mass then I do pretty much the same. Sometimes I don’t know I’m going to make it to Mass that evening and end up going. If I ate after lunch then I don’t go up for Eucharist. If I ate an early lunch, or just a late breakfast I probably do go up for Eucharist.

I’m a mother and when my kids were still at home I definitely was “working hard during the day”!

If you are going to daily Mass,…you could consider just focusing on the traditional Wed. & Fri. abstinence part of it for a while (and since it is Great Lent try eating a light and early lunch and nothing after that until Eucharist).

…I highly recommend listening to Fasting in the Byzantine Church Year with Fr. Moses of Holy Resurrection Monastery, along with Feasting in the Byzantine Church Year, also with Fr. Moses. The juridical focus taken in the Latin Church is not the approach in the East. I think you’ll get help with this by listening to Fr. Moses I think you’ll get help with this by listening to Fr. Moses. If you click on “(more info)” you can see a list of all the questions Catherine asks Fr. Moses in each of the videos.

Again, return to the question “Why do you fast?”

 

[Aramis]

Have you stated if you are an Eastern or Western Catholic?

The Latin Church also has the 1 hour Eucharistic Fast. If you wish to do something a bit more for spiritual reasons and you want to do daily Mass (I am assuming that your daily Mass is in the evenings) then do as 5Loaves suggested and eat an early lunch.

I would suggest that you get a spiritual director and work though this with them or if you think that is too much then talk to your pastor about this issue and see what he thinks.

Monica’s a canonically Russian Catholic who participates exclusively in the Roman Rite since her translation from Orthodoxy.

She needs, really, to make the canonical change that she was mislead into believing she made at her reception into the Catholic church.

 

[Monica4316]

I think the reason it would be more difficult for me to fast until the evening (on an almost daily level, that is) is because I don’t eat breakfast… I’m afraid I’d be too tired to work if I don’t eat at all until 9 pm daily (and my family wouldn’t let me miss meals anyways).

I’m looking into getting a canonical transfer of rite… just because this is too confusing for me. I emailed an Eastern Catholic priest to ask about fasting before Communion and during Lent. However the reason it is confusing is because I am essentially a Russian Catholic trying to practice the faith without a parish or spiritual direction… the closest parish I could get to Russian is Ukrainian Catholic, and there are already some differences it seems. It would be better to just be Latin rite and be under the spiritual care of a parish and priest, and follow the fasts and calendar together with everyone else. I find this situation too confusing and I often wonder if I’m doing it right, I don’t think it should be this way. I wouldn’t mind being Russian Catholic if there was a parish like that near me, but even so, - I am more ‘Latin’ in the way I understand and practice Catholicism… I hope that if it’s God’s will for me to transfer rites, that He would lead me to a priest who would help me with the process (paperwork, etc). I would still be interested in visiting Eastern churches, having icons on my prayer table, etc, - I just feel that living as an Eastern Catholic is too confusing for me and leads to worry rather than spiritual growth… just because I don’t have access to my ‘sui iuris’ church. I like the liturgy and everything but it’s hard to be a full member of either Latin or Eastern parish in my situation.