Monday, March 14, 2005
LENTEN OBSERVANCE OF THE ORTHODOX
Today is the beginning of Lent for Orthodox Christians. I've asked an Orthodox friend to describe his Lenten observance for all of you. This is what he wrote:
Today is the first day of Lent for us. We still follow the Julian Calendar for determining when Pascha (Easter) is. Also, we never celebrate Pascha until after the Jewish Passover, like the first Pascha. Our Easter this year is May 1, though sometimes it coincides with Western Easter. The evening before the first day of Great Fast (Lent) we celebrate Forgiveness Vespers, in which half-way through the lights are dimmed and the clergy's vestments are changed from gold to purple, as is the altar cloth and any other cloths in the church, all while the canter chants from the psalms "Turn not away thy face from they child, for I am afflicted. Hear me speedily, draw near to my soul, and deliver me." At the end of the vespers, the priest prostrates before the congregation and asks their forgiveness for any sins and failings against them. The congregation responds "God forgives". After this, each person goes to the priest and prostrates and asks his forgiveness, and then goes (usually in a line) and asks forgiveness of each person in the congregation--that way Lent begins having been forgiven by God and by every one else around you. It is also tradition that during the first week one asks forgiveness of anyone that might not have been there.
This begins Clean Week, in which fasting is especially severe. During this first week, meals are only eaten on Wednesday evening, Friday evening, and on Saturday and Sunday for lunch and dinner. At these meals, and for the rest of Lent, no animal products (meat, dairy, eggs, fish, etc. with the exception of shellfish) are eaten, and no alcohol or oil except on the weekends. The rule regarding number of meals is often mitigated for those of us in the world, but in most cases no food or drink is taken on Clean Monday.
Finally, it is common to greet fellow Orthodox throughout the Fast with the greeting "A blessed struggle to you!" or simply "Blessed struggle".
Obviously the Orthodox take fasting seriously, and obviously we Roman Catholics get off easy. Maybe too easy? Our Lenten fast used to be a lot stricter prior to Vatican II. We used to be allowed meat only once a day, and no between meal snacks. Only one of those meals could be what is still called a "full meal."
The similarity between what my friend describes and what I have read about the fast of Ramadan is noteworthy. Fasting is still a part of Catholic belief and practice--a neglected part in most Catholic circles today. Is it a Jewish practice as well?
For the practice to be so widespread, it must be spiritually beneficial. What, then, are we missing by neglecting it? Personally, when my turn comes to stand before the judgment seat, I'm going to be earnestly hoping that the person who went before me was a Roman Catholic, because I have no hope at all of measuring up to Orthodox ascetical practice.
