It gives us the opportunity to prepare ourselves and refocus on the things that matter leading up to the feast. Fasting is an important tradition of the Church and has scriptural basis. Lent is the 40-day celebration that allows Christian believers to prepare for Easter through penance and fasting. It is striking that the epithet Our Lord gave to Ss James and John was an Aramaic one: Boanerges, which literally means “sons of rage” (being a Greek attempt to render bene regesh). In other words, not only should the mouth fast, but the eyes and the legs and the arms and all the other parts of the body should fast as well. The 1736 Synod of Mt. The Maronite Center for Documentation & Research . It is the period of suffering in order to win the victory over pain, sin, and death. I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks. In the Eastern tradition, it begins on 1 August and ends on 14 August. It is a period of intense fasting (صوم) and prayer (صلاة) to God for 40 days prior to Easter (عيد الفصح) which falls on March 31 this year. Elias Atallah. In this context, the Patriarch thanked "all those who take individual or collective initiatives, those who participate in the campaigns promoted by Caritas-Lebanon, the Red Cross and other charitable organizations and associations, and also by parishes and foundations". Fasting is the abstinence from eating and drinking from midnight till noon with the possibility of drinking water and consuming medication only. This fast precedes the Feast of the Assumption of the Mother of God, which is celebrated on 15 August. However, there is great benefit in following and reinvigorating the ancient customs and following these fasts beyond just the obligations. MARONITE GREAT LENT OBSERVANCES 2020 LENTEN OBSERVANCES 2020 The Most Reverend Bishops Gregory J. Mansour and A. Elias Zaidan have issued the following Lenten guidelines for the Maronites of the U.S.: • All Maronites who are physically capable are to abstain from meat on Ash Monday (24 February 2020) and all Fridays of Lent. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! On Saturday of the Light, abstinence and natural fast apply. 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. St John Chrysostom is not discouraging fasting from food, but he insists that fasting from food must be accompanied with fasting from sin. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 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… 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 It may be true, since we know from pope Paul V (1605 – 1621) that mar Youssef III al-Rizzi abolished some Maronite customs. Histoire du droit de l’Église maronite, t. I, Les conciles des XVIe et XVIIe siècles. Unlike the other Saturday’s of Lent, we are told to fast on this day. Living Maronite shared a photo on Instagram: “Quote from our liturgy this week. The Copts still begin the fast on that Monday. Let the eyes fast by not fixing themselves on beautiful faces and by not observing the beauty of others. Click here for the full text of St John Chrysostom’s beautiful homily on fasting. The practice is performed by Roman Catholics as well as Eastern Orthodox and Protestant Christians. Many of the previous fasts, observed by our ancestors, are no longer mandatory. Are you fasting? When searching the Internet for the fasting rules in the Maronite Church, one is puzzled by the contradictory answers and guidelines. The Synod of Dai’at Mussa, 1598 (canon 30) and the Synod of Hrash, 1644 (chapter 9, canon 5), regulated that the fast starts on 15 June. However, if you feel called to this very rigorous way of fasting, you would not be alone. This allows Catholics to observe 40 days of Lent, but also celebrate two church feasts for which fasting is not required: the … However, this fast is not mentioned in the Maronite synods which regulated fasting rules since 1598, pope Paul V himself does not mention it among the customs abolished by mar Youssef III al-Rizzi, nor does Fr. Fasting from food of course is important. “Fasting is medicine.” St John Chrysostom declares in his beautiful homily on fasting. In the Maronite Lectionary, the Sunday Gospel passages throughout Lent focus on the healing and forgiving powers of Jesus, a reminder that Lent is a time to transform one’s life, just as the water was changed to wine in the Sunday Gospel that marks the entry into the Lenten Season. Our Eastern Fathers have written extensively on the importance of fasting. On Wednesdays and Fridays, a natural fast was prescribed until 1598, in addition to abstinence. Paris-Antélias, Centre d’Études et de Recherches Orientales, Letouzey et Ané, 2002, 388 p. Joseph Feghali. It was translated from Syriac to Arabic karshuni in the 11th century by bishop Dawud. by Fr. 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). Rules may differ depending on the jurisdiction in which the Maronite Church is located. Fasting reminds us of the first sin of Adam and Eve, who ate from the forbidden tree. Feel hungry. The Synod of Hrash, 1644, preserved the rules set in 1598 and expanded them by providing a more complete list. Why do we fast? Adding a second rule (either of abstinence, or of natural fast) on Wednesdays and Fridays only. By gaining control of something so simple we can move to gain control of those things that really distancing us from God. 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