Tag: Penance

Eastern Fasting Regulations

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Since I often have to look up the fasting regulations in the Byzantine Church, I thought I’d do a quick post on my own blog so I know where to find them…

Fasting Seasons

The Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church sui juris of Pittsburgh observes the following four seasonable observances:

1. The Philip’s Fast
The forty day fasting period, November 15th – December 24th

2. The Apostles Fast
The 8-42 fasting days between the Monday after All Saint’s Sunday and June 28th.

3. The Dormition Fast
The fourteen day period between August 1st-14th.

4. The Great Fast
The forty day fasting period from Pure Monday to Palm Friday (which is then extended through to Holy Saturday).

Kinds of Fasts

Simple Fast

No meat or meat products. Eggs and dairy allowed. It is required on:

  • Wednesdays of the Great Fast.
  • All Fridays of the year, except during major celebratory periods:
    • The week following the Publican & Pharisee
    • Bright Week
    • Pentecost Week
    • The Feast of the Nativity
    • …or any major Feast of the Lord or Theotokos which falls on a Friday

Strict Fast

No meat, eggs or dairy. It is required on Clean Monday and Good Friday.

Dispensations

  1. Expectant and nursing mothers
  2. Infants
  3. Those in poor health

Time for Confession?

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Lent, the traditional season of penance, is drawing to a close. As we enter Holy Week I thought it might be helpful if I shared some of the prayers from the Byzantine Rite. These prayers are prayed by the priest as you stand before the icon of Christ prior to confessing:

God our Savior, through your prophet Nathan You granted the repentant David the forgiveness of his sins.  You also accepted Manasseh’s prayer of repentance.  In your love now receive your servants here present who repent for the sins they have committed. 

O Lord, Who forgive offenses and pass over transgressions, overlook all that they have done.  As You have said “I do not desire the death of a sinner, but that he should turn from his wickedness and live” and, another time, that sins should be forgiven even to “seventy-times-seven.”  How incomparable is your goodness and how limitless your mercy; for if You were to take notice of iniquities, who should be able to stand?  You are the God of the repentant and we glorify You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever.

Behold my spiritual child, Christ stands here invisibly and receives your confession.  Therefore, be not afraid or ashamed and conceal nothing from your confessor, but tell without hesitation all that you have done so you shall have pardon from our Lord Jesus Christ.  Behold his holy image is before us and I am but a witness bearing testimony before Him of the things which you have to say, but if you shall conceal anything you shall have the greater sin. Take heed, therefore, lest having come to the Physician, you depart unhealed

Confession

Might it be time to go to the Sacrament of Confession?

Why stop now?

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For the last six weeks Catholics have been abstaining from meat on Fridays as part of their Lenten observance. Lent is over!…Easter is here!…does that mean that we can stop now?

In centuries past

Christians have historically done penance on Fridays to remember our Lord’s Passion, as well as on Wednesdays to recall Judas’ betrayal:

…fast on [Wednesday] and [Friday] – The Didache (1st Century), Chapter 8

What about now?

There has been some confusion over this subject in recent years, but Canon Law states:

The penitential days and times in the universal Church are every Friday of the whole year and the season of Lent – Canon 1250

So, it’s clear that every Friday is a penitential day. But what kind of penance is required?

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