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Thread: Fasting fish
Manoli Maginas
#4
Fr. Joseph Huneycutt has a whole different set of rules in his Orthodixie podcast, which i have NEVER heard before. What our old priest told us was that from the 15th of Nov. to the 12th of Dec. (some say 17th, thats what we follow, and i like it :) ) you can eat fish on every day except Wednesday and Friday. For those days you follow the typical fasting rules for that Saint found in the Menaion or wherever you find those rules :P. From the 13th(or some say the 18. This is what my family follows and what i like :) ) to the 23rd of December is \"strict\" fasting, with wine and olive oil being allowed on some days, depending on what the rank of the Saint is, and what the whatever-the-heck-one-of-those-Orthodox-books says. (I\'m bad with book names). On the 24th is a strict strict strict fast (I\'m not sure about if it falls on Sat. or Sun, but this was last year\'s scenario, not this year\'s, so I have a whole \"week of years\" as I call it (or almost so) till I have to deal with this scenario. ;) ) This means no animal products, and no wine and oil. Past this, i.e. quantity, other types of foods, it\'s up to your SF (Spiritual Father). On all days, \"legalistically,\" you are allowed shellfish and non-vetebrate seafood (what John Chan mentioned above), although in keeping with the \"spirit\" of the Fast, they are feasting foods too, and I would talk to my SF before eating them on XMas Eve :P) If you have trouble following all these intricate rules, don\'t worry, it\'s just legalistic. Remember, the demons never eat. Fasting is not an end, it is a means to an end (not to say we shouldn\'t fast!) If you miss a rule here or there or do something wrong, with the right frame of mind, it doesn\'t matter. And maybe, if you\'re incapable of following all these little rules, talk to your SF. That\'s what he\'s there for :D. The Spirit of the Fast is what counts. Remember, the holiest ascetics (who, as Orthodox Monastics didn\'t eat meat anyway) would eat steak on Holy Friday if they were at the home of somebody who was not a Christian and they didn\'t wanna offend them. Remember, it\'s not the letter, it\'s the spirit that counts.
Hope this helped!
In the Risen Lord,
Emmanuel \"Manoli the Canoli\"
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