When Are We to Fast: Midnight-to-Midnight, or Vespers-to-Vespers?
I
have been confused about the fasting regulations; I understand them with regard
to what we can or cannot eat on certain days, but when does the day begin? I am
a simple soul and was simply keeping the day from the time I got up till I went
to bed, then someone said that in the Orthodox Church the day begins at Vespers
and so we should keep the fasts from evening (say 6 p.m) to evening. What is
right? — S.B.,Whitchurch, Avon.
ESSENTIALLY what you are doing is right, the day is calculated from
midnight to midnight with regard to the fasting prescriptions. However, the
Vespers-to-Vespers idea seems to be one that is being floated in various
circles. I read one church magazine where this method was being promoted so
that one's social life need not suffer too much. The writer suggested, quite
correctly, that one cannot have a "night out" on Saturday because of
preparing for Holy Communion on Sunday and because of the Vigil. Friday night,
another "traditional" night out, is spoiled by the fact that it is a fast
day, and so the solution was to fast from Vespers (which presumably one hasn't
attended) on Thursday until the Vespers that one won't attend of Friday
(because you are getting ready for your night out), and this way you can nicely
dovetail your social life into your Orthodox observance without too much
trouble. The fatal flaw in this calculation is that we are not supposed to
dovetail our church-life into our social life so that it causes the least
upset — we are called upon by the Church to set Jerusalem (our spiritual life)
above all other, as at the head of our joy (see Ps. 136:8). In acting thus, we
are making the same mistake with regard to our time, as we so often do with
regard to our possessions, when we give alms of the residue that remains over
(if any) when we have spent all we need to or, even worse, all we want to,
rather than giving our alms as a matter of first import. It is not a saving
course.
Another reason for following the evening-evening fasting regime is much
more high-brow. Having learned, as converts do, that the liturgical day in
Orthodoxy begins at Vespers. We think that we will be more correct in doing it
this way. This way has nothing of the carnal self-interest of the reasoning
outlined above! When we come into Orthodoxy, we learn that there is a right and
a wrong way with regard to almost everything that touches upon church-life. We
also notice, very quickly, that some of those already in the Church, are doing
things the "wrong" way. We see icons that are not painted in the
traditional style, we hear polyphonic singing in church choirs, we see people
kneeling on Sundays, taking the Holy Mysteries infrequently, and a host of
other things, and so we set about to correct these things. But here is where we
so often stumble.
"Ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness,
considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted," writes the Apostle Paul
with regard to correcting others. We should note that he speaks of those
"overtaken in a fault," not that we should minutely examine the
supposed errors of others to find some fault in them to correct. He addresses
his admonition to those who are "spiritual" which might be read
either as a specific injunction to those with pastoral care of others (the
clergy) or those who have already made some spiritual progress and are
spiritually mature—either way most of us are not included! Also we note the
Apostle says "restore such a one," not judge him, or condemn him, or
lord it over him. And he adds "in a spirit of meekness" and
"considering thyself," and "lest thou also be tempted"—most
of which things we usually neglect in our desire to correct someone else, or
even the whole body of the believers, rather than ourselves.
So our method of "correcting" is often ill-conceived and badly
executed, but indeed we also have to be sure that we are correcting something
which is a "fault." And with that thought let us return to your
specific query regarding fastdays.
The general usage of the Orthodox Christians is to keep the day with regard
to the fasting prescriptions from midnight to midnight. Now, is this right, or
is it something, as it at first appears, like the sentimental icons or the
harmonized singing, which is a departure from the Church's true tradition, and
which then we should perhaps set about correcting, if only with regard to our
own spiritual lives? The answer is that it is not a fault. It is the proper
usage. And so the old adage (one that in many spheres the present
"government" might have profitably taken on board fifteen years ago!),
"don't mend it if it isn't broken," applies here.
Generally in the first instance, it is good, humbly but not mindlessly, to
accept the tradition as it is handed on to us. This is after
all of the essence of tradition. It places us in the position of sons to the
older generation within the Church and we are thus able to inherit a blessing
from them. As we grow we are perhaps able through reading to discern some of
the "wrongs" or "faults" and in our own lives to eliminate
them, but we should not be too ready to set about "correcting" the
Church which we have joined.
So with regard to your question, the midnight-to-midnight practice is the
tradition as we have received it—that fact alone should be enough to sustain us
for the while. When we hear doubts raised against the practice, then we have to
look more deeply. We have already seen the carnally self-interested motive for
trying to change the practice—it was clean contrary to Scripture. What now when
someone raises the objection that the practice is at fault? How can we
demonstrate for ourselves they are mistaken?
We must bear in mind that in Orthodoxy our fasting discipline is both an
ascetical practice and is linked to our Eucharistic life. If we look at the
matter in these two ways we can see that the current general practice does not
need our "correction."
Among the ascetic fathers it was the practice on weekdays not to eat until
the ninth hour of the day, three o'clock in the afternoon. This practice is
still kept during the Great Lent in some monasteries and indeed among many lay
people. A liturgical "reminder" of this is the fact that, during the
Great Fast, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is served; it is a Vespers
service and during it the Holy Mysteries are imparted to the Faithful, who are
therefore completely abstaining from food. They eat on that day therefore afterVespers*.
A further hint is that in some, admittedly rather clumsy, translations of the
services, Compline is referred to as the After-Supper Service. This sounds odd
and rather humorous, but it is an exact translation of the Greek and Slavonic
words for the service and does indicate to us that the meal of that day properly
comes after Vespers and before Compline. The only other possible interpretation
of this practice, the idea that we are doing this so as to begin the day with a
good meal, would be something completely surprising to the ascetic fathers!
If we remember the Eucharistic significance of the fast; then we know that
in preparation for receiving the Holy Mysteries, we fast from all foods and all
drink from midnight before the Liturgy (whether it be a morning or evening
one), during which we partake of the Mysteries. The Eucharistic fast begins at
midnight. Of course usually it ends in the morning, because the Divine Liturgy
is properly celebrated at the third hour of the day (9 a.m.), but it is
permitted that it be served at any time between dawn and midday. However, some
Liturgies, the Presanctified and those on the eves of certain festivals or on
Great Thursday, are appointed to be celebrated with Vespers—the fast (complete
abstinence) is then broken after Vespers, and so what we eat for that day is
eaten after Vespers—it is not a meal that pertains to the following day for, if
that were the case, we would have had a meal before the Eucharist itself on
that (second) day. Our Eucharistic fasting discipline is not something totally
eccentric and wholly disconnected to the fasting regime which runs throughout
the year. Indeed the latter in part is a preparation for the reception of the
Eucharist, and so the two disciplines are concurrent. Were one to keep the
Vespers-to-Vespers day for fasting, one would find that one's weekly fasting
discipline would be out of kilter with one's Eucharistic fasting discipline.
One practical thought is that on those days when we have more than one
meal— the vast majority of days for most of us I expect!—if we keep to the
faddish idea of fasting Vespers-to-Vespers there would in fact never be a day
when we abstained from meat, or dairy products or whatever, because one of the
meals would fan into another "day" and would be subject to a
different discipline.
In short what you have been doing is proper, sober, commonsensical, and
Orthodox — keep to it.
* The
fasting rules for the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts vary, even among the
more strict Spiritual Fathers. In my experience, the normative rule is not to
eat or drink anything six hours prior to communing in the evening. A light,
Lenten meal around noon is thus usually permissible for those who cannot fast
the entire day. (It goes without saying that fasting the entire day is more
beneficial, for those who have the strength.) But one should always discuss
this with his or her Spiritual Father or Priest
Source: http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/fast_timing.aspx
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