Fasting:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Strict fast.
Tuesday, Thursday: Oil and wine permitted.
Saturday, Sunday: Fish, oil and wine permitted.
Orthodox Christians around the world observe four
fasting seasons during the year. Two of these—the Great Fast for the forty days
of Lent, and the Dormition Fast during the first fifteen days of August—are
considered “strict” fasts. The other two are generally observed as “lesser”
fasts: the so-called “Christmas Lent” or fast during the forty days before the
Feast of the Nativity, and the Fast of the Apostles which occurs in June.
In America the Fast of the Apostles is probably the least well known,
but is among the oldest of Christian traditions. It is mentioned by St.
Athanasius in the fourth century, and there are other testimonies to its
existence very early in the history of the Church. The fast begins on the day
after the observance of All Saints’ Sunday, which falls one week after
Pentecost.
Today the fast ends with the observance of the Feast of Sts. Peter and
Paul, which is held on June 29. In earliest practice, however, the fast was
probably not connected with the Feast of Peter and Paul. Rather, it was a time
for fasting after the celebration of Pentecost and/or All Saints. Apparently,
different traditions prescribed different lengths of the fast—whether for one
week, several weeks, or even only one day. Today, the fast still has a variable
length because of its connection to the date of Pentecost, and therefore of All
Saints.
The date of Pentecost varies with the date of Holy Pascha (Easter),
falling fifty days after Pascha. Therefore, the date of the Sunday of All
Saints varies accordingly. This means that the length of the Fast of the
Apostles also varies each year. For those churches which follow the Old
Calendar, the Fast can be very long (as long as 42 days) or very short (8
days), depending upon when Holy Pascha falls. For Orthodox churches which use
the New Calendar, there are some years in which there is no Apostles’ Fast at
all.
There are different traditions regarding how strictly to follow the
Fast. In most Orthodox traditions, the fast is not as severe as that during
Great Lent. Fish, wine and oil are permitted on all days except Wednesday and
Friday, which are strict fast-days throughout the year except immediately
following the Great Feasts of the Lord. In other traditions, fish, wine and oil
are permitted on Saturdays and Sundays during the Fast of the Apostles.
For faithful Orthodox today, the Fast of the Apostles can be an occasion
for reflection upon the lives and example of the Holy Apostles. On the Sunday
of All Saints, we remember and celebrate the lives of all those who have gone before
us in the faith: our fathers, forefathers, the apostles, preachers,
evangelists, teachers, hierarchs and martyrs. The readings which are appointed
for that day (Hebrews 11:33-40, 12:1-2, and Matthew 10:32-33, 37-38, 19:27-30)
remind us that countless worshippers of God have sacrificed their lives for the
faith which we have inherited.
The Fast is also an occasion to remember that in Christ, we have a unity
that goes far beyond our personal opinions, likes or dislikes. The Acts of the
Apostles tells us that the Apostles themselves recognized this very early. The
occasion was an argument which took place regarding whether the followers of
Christ needed to continue to observe the Law of Moses. At first, Peter and Paul
took different sides in the discussion.
Both Peter and Paul were Jews, but their personalities and backgrounds
were very different. Peter, who was formerly a fisherman, was among the first
of the disciples to follow Jesus. Presumably he was uneducated and probably
spoke only Aramaic in the local Galilean dialect. Paul, on the other hand, was
very well educated under Gamaliel, the most famous rabbi (teacher) of his time,
and spoke several languages.
Moreover, Paul—originally named Saul—was not among the Twelve Disciples.
He even led a deadly persecution of Christians until he received an astounding
vision of Christ while on the way to Damascus (Acts 9). The blinding vision
changed his life forever. Thereafter he became an ardent witness to the risen
Christ. But because of his former life, it was very difficult at first for the
disciples to forgive and accept him.
Paul journeyed to Jerusalem to meet with Peter and the other disciples
in order to settle the matter. Paul says that he opposed Peter to his face
(Galatians 2:11 ff.). After some discussion it was agreed that Christians would
no longer follow the Law, including practices like circumcision and the complex
dietary laws given in the Books of Moses. However, they would continue to
observe some of the restrictions of the Law regarding moral principles, and the
eating of blood.
It is significant that Peter did not simply decide to agree with Paul on
these matters. Rather, he was given a vision from God in which it was declared
that foods which were formerly declared to be “unclean” for all Jews, were now
“clean” or acceptable (Acts 10). Thus, Peter realized that God was instituting
a new order and way of life, and that to agree with Paul was a matter of
obedience to Christ himself.
These events remind us to seek God when we have disagreements within the
Church. This requires humility on our part, and the willingness to accept
others even when we might not have agreed with them before. We let go of our
own personal wishes or demands, and pray for the good of the Church and for a
recognition of the will of God for all of us together.
At the conclusion of the Fast, therefore, we celebrate Peter and Paul
together. The icon of the Feast depicts the two men standing side-by-side,
holding the Church together in their hands. This is a powerful symbol of the
supernatural love for one another which is given by the Holy Spirit. In the
Holy Spirit we have agreement and new life. For this reason, Orthodox
Christians today can regard the Fast of the Apostles as one of the most
important times of the year, a time to humble ourselves and pray for genuine
love and unity in the Church around the world.
Sources:
https://holytransfigurationwalsingham.simdif.com/fasts_and_feasts.html
http://myocn.net/what-is-the-fast-of-the-apostles/
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