Fasting from midnight to noon

[Jose Lauro Strapasson]

Hi

I usually follow this rules of fasting
http://www.abbamoses.com/fasting.html
but is that true that during strict fast days we must stay from midnight until noon without eat anything?

Thank you very much.

[Fr Aaron Warwick]

Jose,

I have heard that during a strict fast day we should keep the fast from midnight until after the ninth hour, which would be 3 o'clock in the afternoon. I don't think that very many laypeople follow this practice, but that is my understanding.

Aaron

[Chrissi]

Hi

I usually follow this rules of fasting
http://www.abbamoses.com/fasting.html
but is that true that during strict fast days we must stay from midnight until noon without eat anything?

Thank you very much.

Obviously guidelines such as the above mentioned are there because it is in the best interest of us spiritually to uphold a high standard, but most people do not do a complete midnight to noon fast even on strict days. For many people the use of such a strict fast is in situations where they feel spiritually threatened and/or weakened. "Fasting gradually disperses and drives away spiritual darkness and the veil of sin that lies on the soul, just as the sun dispels the mist..." (From the above mentioned site) - St Symeon the New Theologian

Strict fast days usually just have us abstaining from wine and oils as indicated on the St. John of Kronstadt Press calendar (and others).

I hope that has somewhat addressed your question.

In Christ,
Christina

[Father David Moser]

There are many variations on the fasting rule - some stricter, others more lenient. In practice, the rule of fasting that a person should adhere to is te one given to him by his parish priest/spiritual father. Usually this means that whatever the parish practice is - that is what you should do. If there is a desire to do something more - don't do it! - until and unless you discuss it with your spiritual father and receive a blessing to increase your efforts. Excessive fasting can easily lead to despair since it seems so "easy" but is so hard to put into practice (even the easiest rule is hard) - thus it is always necessary to have your spiritual father monitor your fasting practice and to give you a rule that will be beneficial, but not lead you to despair.

Fr David Moser

[Jose Lauro Strapasson]

Thank you all very much!

[Kris]

Peace,

On a strict fast day one should keep a total fast from midnight to the 9th hour (3pm). After this you may eat anything allowed by the fasting rules (i.e. vegan w/o oil or wine), but limiting yourself to only one meal per day.

However, how one fasts is an issue that will differ with the individual, depending on what one's spiritual father advices you.

http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/exo_fasting.aspx

Please pray for me, a sinner.

[Xenia Rose]

Thank you Fr. David for your post.

I have to say, Kris, your post leads me to dispair. I will stick with what my Priest says so that I do not end up giving up totally.

[Kris]

I have to say, Kris, your post leads me to dispair. I will stick with what my Priest says so that I do not end up giving up totally.

Hi,

I'm sorry my post makes you feel this way. I was simply stating what the canons have to say on the issue of fasting; I was not suggesting everyone must adhere strictly to every aspect of them (I myself do not) or that it is a sin not to comply with them 100%.

As I said, "how one fasts is an issue that will differ with the individual, depending on what one's spiritual father advices you" and so it is what your priest tells you that is important.

In XC,
Kris

[Andreas Moran]

Perhaps we should stick harrowing pictures of the starving on our kitchen walls. Some time ago, there was a programme on English TV about a reporter who went to live for a month with an Ethiopian family. This family lived in a hut and most of the time had nothing to eat but wild cabbage soup. They were Ethiopian Orthodox, and on strict fast days they waited until 3pm for their wild cabbage soup. But how may strict fast days are there in a year? I can only think of Holy Friday. To be honest, we talk about our fasting but I don't think we really know the meaning of the word. Well, I speak for myself.

[Kris]

But how may strict fast days are there in a year? I can only think of Holy Friday.

Hi,

Every wednesday and friday (with a few exceptions) are strict fast days (and every Monday if you're a monk), as are all the days of Lent (except weekends), the Dormition Fast, the last week of Advent, the Elevation of the Holy Cross and the Beheading of St. John the Baptist.

The GOARCH website has a calendar (http://www.goarch.org/en/chapel/calendar.asp) which lists all of the fasts (strict ones being indicated by a red Cross).

During Lent, fasting is often more severe. The Lenten Triodion by Mother Mary and Kallistos Ware (pp. 35-36) says the following:

On weekdays in the first week, fasting is particularly severe. According to the strict observance, in the course of the five initial days of Lent, only two meals are eaten, one on Wednesday and the other on Friday, in both cases after the Liturgy of the Presanctified. On the other three days, those who have the strength are encouraged to keep an absolute fast; those for whom this proves impracticable may eat on Tuesday and Thursday (but not, if possible, on Monday), in the evening after Vespers, when the may take bread and water, or perhaps tea or fruit-juice, but not a cooked meal….At the meals on Wednesday and Friday xerophagy is prescribed. Literally this means ‘dry eating’. Strictly interpreted, it signifies that we may eat only vegetables cooked with water and salt, and also such things as fruit, nuts, bread and honey…

…On Great Friday those who have the strength follow the practice of the early Church and keep a total fast. Those unable to do this may eat bread, with a little water, tea or fruit-juice, but not until sunset, or at any rate not until after the veneration of the Epitaphios at Vespers.

On Holy Saturday there is principally no meal, since according to the ancient practice after the end of the Liturgy of St. Basil the faithful remained in church for the reading of the Acts of the Apostles, and for their sustenance were given a little bread and dried fruit, with a cup of wine. If, as usually happens now, they return home for a meal, they may use wine but not oil; for on this one Saturday, alone among Saturdays of the year, olive oil is not permitted.

Again, we should only fast as strictly or leniently as our priest proscribes us. If not coupled with great humility, such strictness of fasting could lead to great pride. Likewise, overly lenient fasting bears little spiritual fruit. So its important to follow the advice of our spiritual guide.

In XC,
Kris

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

Some time ago, there was a programme on English TV about a reporter who went to live for a month with an Ethiopian family. This family lived in a hut and most of the time had nothing to eat but wild cabbage soup. They were Ethiopian Orthodox, and on strict fast days they waited until 3pm for their wild cabbage soup. But how may strict fast days are there in a year? I can only think of Holy Friday.

This sounds like the strict monastic rule which waits until after the 9th hour (often considered 3pm) for the first meal of the day.

As Kris says we have very few days in our Church calendar in which we are urged not to eat at all. For us a 'strict fast' usually means no oil, dairy or meat or in the first week of Great Lent what is called 'dry eating'.

It could be that this reflects a gradual change from the past in how we now apply the fasts.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

[Andreas Moran]

It is interesting to note the distinction between a strict fast and an absolute fast - I had always thought of the former term as meaning the latter, and haven't come across the term 'absolute fast'.

The difficulty in a place like England is that a person may be of, say, the Russian jurisdiction and so know what the Church of Russia expects (and be used to that expectation), and yet the only convenient church is, say, Antiochian where a very different regime may obtain which our hypothetical person may not, in all conscience, be able to follow.

[Peter Farrington]

In the Coptic Orthodox tradition strict fast days are as Kris describes in the EO tradition, that is Wednesday and Friday, all of Great Lent, and the Fast of Nineveh, which is a three day strict fast two weeks befoe Great Lent.

The other fasts are Nativity, the Apostles and the Dormition.

There are also a few other days of strict fasting.

In the Coptic Orthodox tradition during strict fasting no sea-food is allowed.

Also we don't have a Cheese-Fare week when Dairy is allowed but we go straight into the strict fasting of Lent.

As with Kris' and others' comments. The advice of one's spiritual father is most important. But I think that fasting until 3pm is quite common.

Peter