Laurie asked about Orthodox Lenten fasting. I thought I'd post an answer here. First off, she's referring to the 40 day fast before Holy Week, the preparation for the time when we commemorate Jesus' death and resurrection. The fast started off as a preparation for those who were preparing to be received into the church as new Christians. Traditionally, they would fast and pray for the forty days and then were baptized on Lazarus Saturday--the day before Palm Sunday. In time, the rest of the church adopted this preparation as it was good for getting ready for Holy Week, to remember the most somber time of the year and the most joyous time of the year.
I am usually quite reticent to recommend an Orthodox style fast for anyone who's not Orthodox. The fasting goes along with prayer and almsgiving--not that you can't do those outside the Orthodox church, but the prayer includes special Lenten services where we come together as Orthodox Christians and are prepared to continue the fast with special hymns and fortified with Holy Communion.
But I know that Laurie and her husband and daughter are in Iran studying and working for peace. They are doing a very important work that makes the word "almsgiving" seem like a drop in the bucket. Perhaps that can make up for the fact that they have no Christian community (as I understand it) and no one with whom to partake of preparation for Holy Week and the Resurrection. So, with these caveats, I will describe the Orthodox style of fasting during Lent.
Another caveat is that each person decides in him/herself and with a spiritual father what is the correct fast for the individual to be following. And it is not a sin to not fast. Fasting is simply something that is good for us, for our souls, to be prepared. I will describe the strict fast.
Basically, the fast is that you eat any foods other than flesh meat (any meat--beef, chicken, pork, etc.), milk, eggs. Most of Lent we do not eat fish (some days it is prescribed), wine, or oil. Any day of Lent it is fine to eat shellfish--this is because in the time it was created, shellfish was the common person's food, instead of the delicacy it is today. On weekends, to celebrate the Resurrection, we mitigate our fast and have wine and oil. And on special feast days--namely, the Annunciation (the day that the Archangel appeared to Mary), March 25 (9 months before Christmas) and Palm Sunday, fish is allowed.
You can see how tied in with church life this fast is, which is one reason why I don't usually recommend it for non-Orthodox Christians.
When I'm fasting, I try to remember that I am simplifying to make room for Christ in my life. I try to see myself as I am without the excess. And another reason we have added recently is for identification with the disenfranchised.
As I wrote this I thought of a dream I had a couple of years ago. It is still very vivid in my mind--it was a vivid dream, and very gruesome. I dreamed that a friend (I don't know this "friend" in real life) was working with the poor in a third world country, and decided that, in order to live in solidarity with the maimed that she worked with, she would cut off her leg. I had decided to do it too in order to support her in this, but at the last minute backed out.
I've had a couple of years after this dream occurred to continue to think about it, and what it meant. I've thought that such an act was surely misguided, and yet. What are we really willing to do in order to be in solidarity with "the least of these"? What am I willing to do in theory but not in practice?
I think this is tied in with what we are thinking about during Lent. We are identifying ourselves with Christ and with his sacrifice. Yet we do not offer ourselves up on the cross. What are we willing to do instead for the good of the world?
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6 comments:
I left a reply to this on another entry, but I will do it here too.
My then future daughter in laws mother told Christina and I she thought fasting was "so cute", and could she fast, it would be so fun.
Portland Art Museum is awesome.
Dont get to go as much as I would like!
"so cute" rolls eyes.
I like what you've said about Fasting, Elizabeth.
I also agree about "Now, let your servant depart in peace". It's such an incredible prayer.
I'm sorry to hear of your flu. And, of the Blogger hiccup.
So cute....can't imagine what she's thinking! If she wants to have "fun" I suppose she could try it. Very strange way of thinking.
So, I think blogger is back to normal--at least I hope so, now that I've separated out my posts again.
Beautiful post... i have also had one catholic friend who wanted to fast during lent... just to make it more special... although catholics do have a lent and are a little more tied into the whole fasting thing (but they have definitely lost a lot over the last 40 years). Anyway, your explanation was right on and I'm going to try to remember it for future reference when people ask me about fasting (because it isn't all about the food). I would love to have a portland art museum membership... maybe when my children are a little older! We do have a zoo membership and really use it, especially in the summertime. OMSI would be fun, too, especially because it is indoor.
thank you so much for your post on fasting, which i've only just now read due to having been very busy the last few days. we are, as you said, without christian community here, and greatly appreciate you reaching out and explaining your fast so well. maybe we can continue blogging about our fasts in the upcoming weeks before and during Lent. thanks!
Laurie--I'd love to hear what you decide on, and what it means for you. Perhaps I'll also blog about our Lenten fast. This'll be my first Lent while blogging.
One more note that you may or may not know--we Orthodox usually celebrate Easter on a different Sunday than the western church does. It's usually a week later, sometimes 5 weeks later, and occasionally the same day. It has to do with church calendar and whether we look at the real full moon or when the full moon was scheduled for thousands of years ago...as a priest friend of ours said, "the full moon is not a theological matter!" I truly wish we could forget this calendar difference and celebrate Easter with all Christians.
Anyway. All that is to say that we don't start Lent on the same day as Catholics do. They always start on a Wednesday, and we always start on a Monday. This year we start Lent on March 6. I probably will post about Forgiveness Vespers, which kicks off Lent with a beautiful service, where we go to each person in attendance and ask for forgiveness. It's a beautiful thing for a community, and I think it'll be wonderful to celebrate this service in our new community.
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