This question is particularly relevant to Melkites, but other Eastern Christians are welcome to chime in:

I'm aware of the traditional Eastern Orthodox fasting guidelines concerning Great Lent, Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year, pre-Lent preparations (i.e. Meatfare Sunday and Cheesefare Week), etc., but I'm wondering how (and to what extent) these are typically observed by Eastern Catholics. I'm aware of some who observe in a way that is identical to the Orthodox, but I guess what I'm asking is: what, officially, are the guidelines for fasting throughout the year? For example, the Melkite Eparchy of Newton says this concerning the Lenten fast:


But this appears only to address Great Lent. What about the other fasting/abstinence periods? Are there any specifically Eastern Catholic (specifically, Melkite) guidelines on this? More practically (as just one example), do I, as a Melkite, sin by eating meat during Cheesefare Week because, unfortunately, I bought too many meat-based groceries on my last shopping trip and haven't finished them off yet?

Of course, these questions are ultimately best answered by one's spiritual father, but I am in a period/place in my life where I, unfortunately, don't presently have one who is readily accessible and Eastern Catholic. So, figured I'd ask here.

Thanks, and God bless.

Welcome Iason. Always nice to see another Melkite among our ranks.

I would suggest to you that (although I can't offhand point to it as written anywhere) these same guidelines are applied within the Eparchy to all of the fasting periods.

Many years,

Neil

Glory to Jesus Christ!



Welcome, Iason!

If I understood Neil he was encouraging you to follow the guidelines for the Eparchy, although as you say it is best you have a spiritual father for such questions (not that Neil is saying otherwise), and for other questions

We get our Byzantine Catholic parish calendars from St. Tikhon’s and they're exactly the same calendars (revised Julian) as the ones given out at the Russian Orthodox Parish (OCA) I attend for festal vigils etc when my parish has none. We have Agape meal after every Sunday Divine Liturgy and it is expected that foods and drink at the meal will conform to the fasting guidelines.

You might consider freezing the meat or giving it away.

Iason,

the part entitled "The Law" in your quotation above, seems to be the rule for the US eparchy; it is not the case for the general Melkite Church.

The eparchs usually only mitigate the fasts in the diaspora, where their people are surrounded by others who either do not fast at all, or fast only minimally.

The general Melkite is usually encouraged to: (i) certainly follow the local, eparchial guidelines; (ii) follow the modern Melkite fasting customs, if able; and (iii) follow the ancient fasting customs if strong enough. It is the latter, which describes the eating of fish only on 25 March and Palm Sunday; the taking of wine and oil only on most weekends of the Great Fast.

As to the other fasting periods, well the trick is in interpreting the term "fast", which in Greek and Arabic (the languages of our tradition) is used to mean both fasting and abstinence. The Great Fast (Lent) is a period of fast and abstinence, to use the Western terms. The other three fasting periods (Apostles Fast, Dormition Fast, Nativity Fast) are periods of abstinence.

Your US eparchial calendar usually (or used to!) show the modern Melkite interpretation of the fast, which should help. If you receive the daily Melkite readings or the weekly Byzantine spiritual meditations, they will also direct you to the correct fasting or abstinential behaviour.

As you state, part of celebrating the fast is planning. That means planning the reduction of meat--and if you plan to fast strictly or according to our ancient tradition--to reduce milk, cheese, butter, and eggs as we approach Forgiveness (Cheesefare) Sunday.

Whether you still have meat in your refrigerator or no, it would be a shame not to start the fast on Monday (15 February 2010) by not eating until at least noon, and thereafter eating a simple meal, capping the day off with the communal chanting of the beautiful service of Great Compline.

To subscribe to the the daily Melkite readings: http://www.melkites.org/en/readings.php

Thank you all for your answers! They've been very helpful. The suggestion to subscribe to the daily Melkite readings, in particular, is a great one, and it's something that I'll certainly do. Thanks again, and God bless.

Mary,

Actually, I was just replying to Iason's



in indicating that the same guidelines, as best I recollect, are applied in the other fasting seasons - sorry for the confusion.

I also agree that the guidance of a spiritual father is the best approach to determining how strictly one should observe the fast.

Many years,

Neil