494. Fasting during November and December?

Alright, class, please hold up your hands: Who among you will be keeping the full Advent (Nativity) Fast, which begins today, November 15 and lasts till Christmas? As set forth by my Antiochian Archdiocese, the rule is as follows:

Throughout this period, we abstain from meat, poultry, eggs and dairy. According to the Patriarchate of Antioch, it is not necessary to fast from oil, but people may choose to do so.

From November 15-December 11, fish, wine and oil are allowed every day, except Wednesdays and Fridays. But fish, wine and oil are allowed on November 21, the Entrance of the Theotokos, regardless on which day of the week it falls. From December 12-24, we observe a strict fast with katalysis (relaxation) for wine and oil on Saturdays and Sundays, on commemorations of vigil-rank and intermediate-rank saints such as Nicholas and Ignatius, and for church patronal saints. 

Got that? A bit complex – and there are slight variations from one jurisdiction to another – but it hangs together if you think about it for a bit.

Also, we might add what most authorities dare not say aloud: that, by tradition here in America, it’s permissible to let loose on Thanksgiving Day. Enjoy the turkey and gravy and a glass of wine with your family. *

• This year our Saint Nicholas Church, Cedarburg, is having Thanksgiving dinner at church, for any who have no family to be with – except the local church family. Good idea.

So, spying through the back side of my computer, I am now counting the hands of those who are keeping the Fast in its entirety  Hmmm….  Just as I suspected. (There aren’t many hands up on this side of the computer either.)

So let’s try again. Those of you who are at least giving up something between now and Christmas, hold up your hands.

Well, that’s somewhat better.

But I wonder how long even that will last come December, when the “Christmas” parties begin, and “Here, have a glass of  wine.” “Oh, these ham sandwiches are really good. Try one.” It’s not going to be easy.

Now, I’m not about to give you a treatise here on the many virtues and benefits of fasting. You Orthodox readers know all about that. And any non-Orthodox readers: try a little fasting and find out. See what it does for your general self-control, for one thing.

But what I want to talk about here is:

Why ever are we Orthodox supposed to fast from now till Christmas when nobody else does?

Why do we Orthodox stick out like a sore thumb between November 15 and December 24?

During Great Lent before Pascha we don’t feel so peculiar. At least our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters are fasting with us, albeit on a somewhat different schedule and less strictly *, but at least we don’t feel like we stand out from the crowd. However, during Advent we fast alone.

• Roman Catholic Lenten discipline: “Catholics ages 18-59 are required to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Fasting means eating one full meal and two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. Snacking between meals is not permitted. Catholics ages 14 and older are required to abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all Fridays during Lent.”

OK: compared to our Orthodox rules, that’s not much. But remember that the Roman Catholic Church sets forth minimal laws which people are expected to obey. The Orthodox Church sets forth maximal rules which people should aim for.

And, of course, Western Christian Lent follows a different schedule from ours which can be the same as ours, but can be as much as a month out of sync with us.

Nevertheless, during Great Lent, at least we feel like we have some company. The nice Lutheran lady at our Cedarburg chocolate shop tells me that she gives up chocolate during Lent. * I don’t tell her about Orthodox fasting, but I do share that we also fast during Lent.

• I don’t know how she does it!

However, as I say, during the Advent Fast we Orthodox are hanging out here all by ourselves. We have nobody in the world to share it with. And if anybody knows we’re fasting *, they’re likely to think we’ve got a screw loose. Fasting during December?

• Don’t tell them.

It was not always like this.

In days of yore, all Christians fasted during Advent.

Here’s a good summary of ancient Advent in the Roman Catholic Church:

“While not as ancient as the Holy Week fast, the Advent fast originated in the early Church by at least the fourth century. The Catechism of the Liturgy describes the fast leading up to Christmas: “In a passage of St. Gregory of Tours’ History of the Franks we find that St. Perpetuus, one of his predecessors in the See, had decreed in 480 AD that the faithful should fast three times a week from the feast of St. Martin (November 11th) [up] to Christmas… This period was called St. Martin’s Lent and his feast was kept with the same kind of rejoicing as Carnival. The Catechism of the Liturgy notes that this observance of fasting likely lasted until the 12th century. Remnants of this fast remained in the Roman Rite through the 19th century when Wednesday and Friday fasting in Advent continued to be mandated in most countries.” (courtesy of Fatima Center at fatima.org)

Meanwhile, in the East,

“The practice began around the fourth century and was initially observed by monks. Over time, it became a widespread custom among all Christians to prepare for the Feast of the Nativity, which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ.” (courtesy of Orthodoxchristianity101.com)

Why did Advent fasting continue in the Orthodox Church but vanish from the Roman Catholic Church? That seems to be anybody’s guess.

“Christmas Lent”

What was (and with us Orthodox still is) the purpose of Fasting before Christmas? Exactly the same as Great Lent before Pascha.

Note the length of the Fast in both cases: forty days. The purpose of both Fasts is to set the “tone” of the season: anticipation. To make us control ourselves in some ways, so then we can “let loose” again when the great Feast Day arrives. You Orthodox know what it’s like when we fast during Great Lent, and then Pascha arrives and suddenly we can have all those foods we didn’t have during Lent, and it is a true Feast.

But shouldn’t the Nativity of the Lord and His Resurrection be enough to make us celebrate? Yes, but we are mere mortal human beings after all. Long before it became a popular saying about male-female relations, the Orthodox Church already knew it: “The way to our heart is through our stomach”. That’s what the Fast before the Christmas Feast is supposed to do for us. It’s a little less strict than Great Lent, because the Feast of the Nativity is not as great as Pascha, the Feast of Feasts. So you see how this works?

Or how it should work. Brothers and sisters, we all know how hard it is to keep the Advent Fast. All the world around us is feasting and carrying on during the days before Christmas, and we know we should not be.

How did we get into this difficult situation? Wrong question. The right question is: How did the world begin to celebrate Christmas during Advent? It was not always like this, at least back in rural Ohio where I grew up. Yes, during early December we’d go into stores to buy Christmas gifts for others *, and they’d be playing Christmas music to get us into the mood. But Christmas didn’t come till December 25. My mom and dad yielded a bit: we could bring out one Christmas decoration on Thanksgiving Day. But we didn’t decorate our trees till Christmas Eve. We opened our gifts on Christmas morning, and then the Christmas parties began.

• My uneducated guess – I haven’t been there – is that on Black Friday most people are not buying gifts for others.

Wow! What a clever idea! We celebrated Christmas during the Twelve Days of Christmas. We were Protestants; We hadn’t been fasting during Advent, but at least the Christmas cookies didn’t come out till Christmas. We had the general idea.

Well, that was a long time ago. We all know what early December is like now.

We’re Counter-cultural!

How are we Orthodox supposed to keep our Advent Fast while all the world around us is keeping the Christmas Feast? And then how are we to start celebrating Christmas on December 25, just as they’re giving it up?

Brothers and sisters, this will take some planning and some effort on our part. But it can be done. And this can be, should be, and hopefully will be good training in how we Orthodox should relate to modern society. Advent should be our time to practice being “counter-cultural”.

Our modern Western culture has gone secular. In some past Posts I’ve give you the statistics on how fast Christianity is losing ground in America, and I’ve also given you some examples of some of the varieties of Christianity which are growing, and which we would scarcely recognize as Christian. And many of our Christian brothers and sisters have gone lax in many ways.

Or are we?

Next case in point – and this is going to hurt:

Here is a recent Pew Research study of religious attendance in America. At last they pay some attention to us Orthodox! but you don’t want to hear it.  Check it out for yourself.

Religious tradition	At least once a week	Once or twice a month/a few times a year	Seldom/never	Don’t know	Sample size
Buddhist	18%	50%	31%	< 1%	264
Catholic	39%	40%	20%	1%	7,202
Evangelical Protestant	58%	30%	12%	1%	8,593
Hindu	18%	60%	21%	1%	199
Historically Black Protestant	53%	36%	10%	1%	1,916
Jehovah’s Witness	85%	11%	3%	1%	245
Jewish	19%	49%	31%	< 1%	847
Mainline Protestant	33%	43%	24%	1%	6,083
Mormon	77%	14%	9%	1%	664
Muslim	45%	31%	22%	1%	237
Orthodox Christian	31%	54%	15%	< 1%	186
Unaffiliated (religious “nones”)	4%	24%	72%	< 1%	7,556

That means that most Orthodox pay fairly minimal attention to their religion. So how many Orthodox do you suppose are fasting during Advent…? Well, that’s none of our business, is it? Because…

…we are going to keep the Fast, are we not, brothers and sisters?

If it’s only you and me and my wife! we are going to keep the Advent Fast.

Therefore, gird up your loins, as they used to say. Today, right now, don’t wait: Decide what you are going to give up during these next forty days. Plan your meals. If you can’t do it all – and that is extremely difficult except for those who live in monasteries – at least do something.

And start thinking right now how you, your family, your parish family can celebrate Christmas during the Twelve Days of Christmas.

Again, remember: Orthodox fasting rules are not laws. They can be modified in case of age – that came to my mind first! – illness, pregnancy, your family situation, whatever. Use your common sense. If you’re already a vegetarian, think of something else to give up. It would be good to give up something that you find it particularly hard to do without, just to prove you’re in charge of it, not the other way ‘round. If you’re not accustomed to fasting, start low and work up over the years. Don’t try to attempt too much at the beginning. (If you read this Post after November 15 and forgot about the Fast, start now.)

So… let’s try again.

Hold up your hands: How many here present are going to give up something during Advent?

Great! that’s much better. Therefore, a blessed and hungry Advent to you! In only two weeks we’ll hear our first hymn of Preparation for Christmas. If fact, why don’t we listen to it now to help get ourselves into the Advent mood?

This is sung by Capella Romana in Greek. The English words are printed at the bottom.

Next Week: The Entrance of the Virgin Mary into the Temple

Week after Next: a Twentieth Century Saint, Saint Porphyrios, Wonderworker of Kavsokaliva