Christ is risen, He is truly risen! Let your hearing also fast. Since this strict fasting is very difficult, most people apply the usual fasting and abstinence rules during the three days. But don’t limit the goodness of fasting by abstaining only from foods. On many occasions, prophets and apostles fasted. If you see a friend who is becoming successful, do not be jealous of him! Abstinence from meat, dairy, eggs, fish, shellfish, and the like, was required. St James, whose feast we celebrate on 30 April, is an important saint in the Maronite tradition, not only because he was an apostle, but also because he was particularly associated with the Aramaic and Syriac current within Christianity. We celebrate Ash Monday instead of Ash Wednesday as it begins after the Sunday of the Wedding at Cana. This fast emerged in the Syriac Churches of Mesopotamia around the 6th century, and from there it spread to the Armenians, the Copts, and the Abyssinians. Which works? Through fasting and prayer, souls are made pure, bodies are made chaste, spirits are raised, passions are restrained, mercy abounds, and the Holy Spirit dwells in the soul that was created to be the temple of God. The third Sunday of the Resurrection: Luke 24:13-35, The Birth of John the Baptist Gospel Reading, The Finding of Our Lord in the Temple Gospel Reading, Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord Gospel Reading, Praises to John the Baptist Gospel Reading, The 3 Weeks of the Commemoration of the Deceased, Novena to the Holy Spirit for Son or Daughter, Saint Rafqa Novena for the Sick and Suffering, The difference between Roman Catholic and Maronite Church liturgical colours, St Shmouni and her Seven Sons - Martyrs - 1 August, What to expect the first time you attend a Maronite Church, Accompanying the Elderly and Dying – Death with Dignity. “Abstinence” is excluding a certain type of food and drink from our diet between midnight and midnight (that is, for 24 hours), leaving us free to consume other foods and drinks. Matthew 6:16-17. Our Eastern Fathers have written extensively on the importance of fasting. Paris-Antélias, Centre d’Études et de Recherches Orientales, Letouzey et Ané, 2002, 388 p. Joseph Feghali. ... 5- Lent Season: 12 Feb 2018 ----- 25 March 2018. We are invited to hear his word, to partake of the divine sacrifice and to experience his forgiveness and mercy. Abstinence restricts us from eating meat and or dairy products. Moses also fasted and here there is a parallel with Christ: So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. Fasting and abstaining from eating meat remain obligatory on Ash Monday and Good Friday. We do not fast or abstain on these feast days. If the first day is in bold italic or bold the natural fast applies from midnight till 3 pm or noon, in addition to abstinence, for the whole duration of the fast, except on Saturdays and Sundays, on which only abstinence applies. Rules may differ depending on the jurisdiction in which the Maronite Church is located. Through fasting, we must work on ourselves so as to abandon sinful comportment, including lies, swearing, hypocrisy, lust, anger, hatred, egoism, and greed. The wedding feast is our opportunity to accept Christ the Groom’s wedding invitation where he opens up his treasury to us. The Maronite Center for Documentation & Research . The third part will consider why we should reinvigorate the tradition of fasting and the benefits it can bring, while the fourth part will give practical advice to those who will be fasting for the first time. This Sunday’s incredible Gospel is an invitation from Christ to us all. The Maronite law of fasting is that we eat no food and take drink other than water, between midnight and noon. Therefore, whoever limits the fast to the deprivation of food, he is the one who, in reality, abhors and ridicules the fast. The 1736 Synod of Mt. Medieval times: the medieval fasting rules have been forgotten by most Maronites and are no longer binding on Maronites. Message your dearest Maronite friend to tell her that you’re hungry, so that, even though she’s busy fasting, meditating, working, running a household… We are told that St Charbel would often only live on small amounts of herbs. Forget to check your Maronite liturgical calendar (or, possibly, forget that we’re in March and look at the wrong day.) Do not overwhelm yourself with unattainable objectives, be gentle to yourself, be patient, and most importantly, pray. Elias Atallah. Le Synode libanais de 1736. Indeed, the Apostolic Canon 66 forbids fasting on Saturdays and Sundays, except on Saturday of the Light (the day preceding Easter), when fasting is required. Unlike the other Saturday’s of Lent, we are told to fast on this day. Or: How to Confuse Your Friday - Bi-ritual Lent cont'd. So in preparation for Lent you are encouraged to think about what it is that is blocking your way to Christ. The practice of fasting during Lent finds its genesis in our Lord's journey into the desert where he fasted and prayed for forty days and nights in preparation to begin his public ministry (Matt 4:1-2; Luke 4:1-3). Lenten Observances 2019 The Most Reverend Bishops Gregory J. Mansour and A. Elias Zaidan have issued the following Lenten guidelines for the Maronites of the United States + All Maronites who are physically capable are to abstain from meat on Ash Monday (4 March 2019) and all Fridays of Lent… Fasting is the perfect occasion to learn to detach ourselves from a particular sin that keeps sucking on our souls. Since Maronites originally did not have a grading of fasts, meaning that fasting days were all observed similarly, it follows that they used to fast till 3 pm on every fasting day, except on Saturdays and Sundays. Let the eyes fast by not fixing themselves on beautiful faces and by not observing the beauty of others. In summary, when it comes to fasting rules, we can discern three periods in the history of the Maronite Church. Last Sunday I received a call that one of our old parishioners, Peter S. Zogby, had died. Blessed is that King who has opened up His treasury to His. A person who cannot fast or abstain may choose another form of penance. Our focus in Lent and Holy Week is the path to the glorious Resurrection, which is celebrated on Easter Sunday as the ‘’Great Feast.’’ ... Maronite spirituality is distinguished by fervent Marian devotion. That fast may have been, as is still observed in most Eastern Churches, from the beginning of the night, for nine hours. It begins after Pentecost which varies in date according to the date of Easter. The Eastern Churches interpreted this canon as forbidding strict fasting, without lifting the abstinence. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! The following table sets out the history of the changes: Abstinence: all animal products (meat, dairy, eggs, fish, shellfish) and alcohol, Natural fast: no eating nor drinking from midnight till 3 pm or noon. This indicates that the language they were speaking among themselves was Aramaic. One of the Maronite Passion prayer, sung in Aramaic (Syriac) during the lent time. However, already in the 16th century, Maronites fasted approximately 30 days, even less in some regions. Lent lasts from Ash Monday through to the Raising of Lazarus, the Saturday before Hosanna Sunday. The key to fasting is that each of us needs to discern what we need to gain the treasure. In the Old Testament we hear from Daniel. As a Community in Lent, we are to fast and abstain from meat on Ash Monday & Good Friday and abstain from meat on all Fridays. Peter and Paul. If the first day is not bold, only abstinence applies. He continues: Fasting is the change of every part of our life, because the sacrifice of the fast is not the abstinence but the distancing from sins. We need to be prepared to distance ourselves from sin and compensate for those we have committed. One can obtain permission from a priest not to fast but to do something else instead (e.g. Fasting requires that one does not consume any food nor any drink from midnight till noon. However, if you feel called to this very rigorous way of fasting, you would not be alone. Saint Basil the Great, On Fasting – Homily 1, Chapter 10. The Lebanese Synod, held in 1736, further reduced the length of the fast to 12 days, starting it on 13 December (part 1, chapter 4, canon 2). for this treasure store is the common property of everyone, and each person, as if he were treasurer, possesses his own. The third Sunday of the Resurrection: Luke 24:13-35, The Birth of John the Baptist Gospel Reading, The Finding of Our Lord in the Temple Gospel Reading, Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord Gospel Reading, Praises to John the Baptist Gospel Reading, The 3 Weeks of the Commemoration of the Deceased, Novena to the Holy Spirit for Son or Daughter, Saint Rafqa Novena for the Sick and Suffering, The difference between Roman Catholic and Maronite Church liturgical colours, St Shmouni and her Seven Sons - Martyrs - 1 August, What to expect the first time you attend a Maronite Church, Accompanying the Elderly and Dying – Death with Dignity. He neither ate bread nor drank water. The Synod of Hrash, 1644, commanded that a fast never begins on a Sunday (chapter 9, canons 4 and 5). The Lebanese Synod in 1736 (part 1, chapter 4, canon 2), further shortened the start date to 25 June. During Lent, Myrna Chaker, a Maronite Catholic, will be fasting each day until noon and will abstain from dairy and meat. It is advisable that sick people and pregnant women should refrain from fasting. Abstinence from wine and from all alcohols was also required. If you see an enemy, reconcile with him. It is the period of suffering in order to win the victory over pain, sin, and death. This tradition marks the beginning of the Lent Season (زمن الصوم) for Christians (المسيحيّن). It also helps us to depend on God more fully and to have compassion for the poor and the hungry. This fast precedes the feast of the Nativity and prepares us to celebrate the Incarnation of our Lord in the flesh and his dwelling among us. During Lent, we seek the Lord in prayer by reading Sacred Scripture; we serve by giving alms; and we practice self-control through fasting. The Maronite Tradition marks the start of the Great Fast start at the beginning of the week after Cana Sunday and not on Wednesday. It allows us to prepare ourselves spiritually for the feast. However, there is great benefit in following and reinvigorating the ancient customs and following these fasts beyond just the obligations. Christ is risen, He is truly risen! MCDR. A Maronite Perspective, Synod of Dai’at Mussa (1598) & Synod of Hrash (1644), All Wednesdays and Fridays, except between Christmas and Epiphany, between Easter and Pentecost, and on Apostles and Assumption. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Church custom - added the Maronite Patriarch - provides that with what one saves through fasting helps those brothers and sisters in need. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Abstinence from fish and shellfish is no longer required in the Maronite Church, since the patriarchate of mar Youssef III al-Rizzi (1597 – 1608). The Maronite Church also observes these weekly fasts (Synod of Hrash, 1644, chapter 9, canon 1; Lebanese Synod, 1736, part 1, chapter 4, canon 2). In our Maronite tradition, abstinence meats Let the hands fast, remaining clean from stealing and greediness. Loose the chains of injustice! Since the Maronite Church is an Oriental Church belonging to the Syriac tradition, we may suppose that in ancient times the fast used to start on first Monday after Pentecost. Syriac Maronite Fasts and Fasting Rules: Medieval Times: Synod of Dai’at Mussa (1598) & Synod of Hrash (1644) Lebanese Synod (1736) First Day: Last Day: Fast of the Nativity: November 15: December 5: December 13: December 24: Fast of the Ninevites: Third Monday before Lent: Not mentioned: Not mentioned: Third Wednesday before Lent: Great Fast: Ash Monday: Ash Monday: Ash Monday Instead ( e.g involves eating and drinking nothing at all ( except water and ). Being mentioned in the Season of Great Lent overwhelm yourself with unattainable objectives, gentle! Or: How to Confuse your Friday - Bi-ritual Lent cont 'd we celebrate Ash Monday through the... 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