ArmyMatt

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Fr. Matt,
You can probably clear this up for me. As I understand it, in the OCA, as a result of the Russian traditional practice, if one intends to commune on Sunday morning, then proper preparation includes a consecutive three day fast that runs Friday, Saturday, and then Sunday morning up to the communion.
On the week of the Prodigal Son, there is a mark on the calendar saying that one does not fast this week, even on Wednesday and Friday. Does that mean that the Sunday communicant would still fast on Friday in accordance with the three day preparation for communion, or would the communicant not fast on Friday, per the mark on the calendar for that week of the Prodigal Son?

As I understand it, by comparison, in GOARCH the practice today doesn't involve a consecutive 3 day fasting preparation for communion.

during the normal cycle, as far as I was taught, is you fast Wednesday, Friday, then Saturday from midnight til communion.

the week of the publican and the Pharisee is the Fast free week, with the Fast being from midnight til communion Sunday morning.
 
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JohnTh

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during the normal cycle, as far as I was taught, is you fast Wednesday, Friday, then Saturday from midnight til communion.
Yes, and it has a reason.

Three days of fasting means that Saturday should be a fasting day which is against canons.

As a note tough: In Mount Athos tough there is Saturday from afternoon as an ascetic practice because it prepares better the body and thus the soul for the Holy Communion.

Also „midnight” means more exactly 6 hours - or rather 8 - or rather „empty stomach” (the exact expression from the cannons: The people should receive the Holy Communion with the empty stomach)
 
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rakovsky

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Yes, and it has a reason.

Three days of fasting means that Saturday should be a fasting day which is against canons.
Fr. Matt,
What you and John T said about whether to do Saturday fasting for communion doesnt come together.
As I understood the most common OCA practice, which I thought was based on the Russian practice, a person communing Sunday does a three day consecutive fast, Friday, Saturday for 24 hours, and Sunday from 12:00 AM until communion eg 9 AM Sunday.
I took you as confirming this when you said Saturday from midnight until Sunday morning. I took you as referring to Saturday 24 hours from midnight on Saturday, ie 12 AM, through 1 AM, 2 AM, on Saturday etc. Up to 9 AM on Sunday.
If you didnt mean any fasting on Saturday at all, you wouldn't have said "Saturday" from midnight.

But then John T came in and said that the 3 day preparation follows the canon about no Saturday fasting.
 
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ArmyMatt

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Fr. Matt,
What you and John T said about whether to do Saturday fasting for communion doesnt come together.
As I understood the most common OCA practice, which I thought was based on the Russian practice, a person communing Sunday does a three day consecutive fast, Friday, Saturday for 24 hours, and Sunday from 12:00 AM until communion eg 9 AM Sunday.
I took you as confirming this when you said Saturday from midnight until Sunday morning. I took you as referring to Saturday 24 hours from midnight on Saturday, ie 12 AM, through 1 AM, 2 AM, on Saturday etc. Up to 9 AM on Sunday.
If you didnt mean any fasting on Saturday at all, you wouldn't have said "Saturday" from midnight.

But then John T came in and said that the 3 day preparation follows the canon about no Saturday fasting.

I meant no fasting Saturday. fast Friday for 24 Hours, then Saturday no fast, then from midnight to communion strict fast.
 
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rakovsky

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I meant no fasting Saturday. fast Friday for 24 Hours, then Saturday no fast, then from midnight to communion strict fast.
Is this something that they have taught for along time at St Tikhon's or St Vladimir's?
Maybe I have been mistaken for a long time about the standard OCA practice.
 
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ArmyMatt

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Is this something that they have taught for along time at St Tikhon's or St Vladimir's?
Maybe I have been mistaken for a long time about the standard OCA practice.

I suspect so. that's been the practice I have seen everywhere since before I started inquiring into Orthodoxy back in 2005.
 
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rakovsky

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The canon that John T mentioned might have been Canon 64 of the Apostles, as I saw it cited for support on OC.net.
Canon 64 of the Apostles, my translation from Russian:
Canon 64 of the Holy Apostles.
Who of the clergy will be seen fasting on the Day of the Lord, or on the Sabbath, besides only on individual days (Great Sabbath): may he be deposed. If it's a layman, may he be excommunicated.
SOURCE: Правила Святых Апостолов и Вселенских соборов с толкованиями, Правило 65 Святых Апостолов - читать, скачать - священноисповедник Никодим (Милаш)
The commentary underneath says that Saturday is celebrated for being the 7th day of the world's creation by God, making it a day of joy. The commentator's footnote says that Tertullian in his essay “De corona militis” noted that one should not fast on Saturday. The commentor notes that we fast on Great Saturday only, and that it is because Christ spoke of fasting on that day (Mark 2:20)
The commentary says that in layman's terms, this Canon 64, when it forbids fasting on Saturdays and Sundays, is only talking about a full, strict, dry fast like the one that is performed on Great Saturday. That is why during Lent we do fast from meat on Saturdays and Sundays but don't perform a strict fast on the weekends in Lent. The weekends in Lent have more lenient fasting.

So Apostolic Canon 64 allows the common meatless fasting on Saturdays, because for instance it does not forbid Lenten fasting on Saturdays. Canon 64 is not in conflict with the practice of a consecutive 3 day meatless fast that runs from Friday until the time of Liturgy on Sunday morning.
 
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nutroll

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Fasting for three days prior to receiving holy Communion is a common practice that has more to do with infrequent Communion. Imagine a parish with a couple extra liturgies in a week. That priest would always be fasting. If we are receiving regularly, we don't need to go to such lengths to bring ourselves into a state of preparedness. If we only commune a few times a year, it can require more rigorous preparation. I wouldn't require anyone to do a three day fast before communion, but I also wouldn't discourage it for those who commune infrequently and use this as part of their preparation.
 
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InnerPhyre

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If you are trying to fast, you are not a failure. There are people who follow the fast to the absolute letter of the law. they feel so good about themselves that they have not fasted at all. You just do the best you can and turn your heart toward God.
 
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AMM

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There are people who follow the fast to the absolute letter of the law. they feel so good about themselves that they have not fasted at all
Yep - I can't find the exact quote but one of my favorite sayings from the Desert Fathers is, if I may paraphrase the great saint (whose name I also cannot recall):

"When you pray, say 'this is not prayer'. When you fast, say 'this is not fasting'."

Humility is the mother of all virtues.
 
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