The Friday fast is a Christian practice of variously (depending on the denomination) abstaining from meat, dairy products, oil or wine on Fridays or holding a fast on Fridays,[1][2] which is found most frequently in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and Methodist traditions.[3][4][5][6][7]
The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, written in the first century A.D., directed Christians to fast on both Wednesdays (the fourth day of the week) and Fridays (the sixth day of the week).[8] The Wednesday fast is done in remembrance of the story of the betrayal of Christ by Judas on Spy Wednesday, while the Friday fast is done in commemoration of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday.[7][3] As such, all Fridays of the year have been historically kept in many parts of Christendom as a day of strict fasting and abstinence from alcohol, meat and lacticinia (milk and milk products).[9][2] Abstinence from meat on Fridays is done as a sacrifice by many Christians because they believe that on Good Friday, Jesus sacrificed his flesh for humanity.[10] In the Eastern Orthodox Church, in addition to fasting from food until sundown, the faithful are enjoined to abstain from sexual relations on Fridays as well.[11][3]
In Christianity
In Orthodoxy
According to Nicodemus the Hagiorite, Orthodox Christians are required to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays, which to eat but once a day, in the afternoon, without consuming oil or wine. The Wednesday fast is observed because on this day the council of the Jews was gathered to betray Jesus Christ; the Friday fast because on this day he suffered death.[3] The supper that is eaten after the fast is broken in the evening is usually vegan.[3]
In Catholicism
In Catholicism, specific regulations are passed by individual episcopates. In the United States in 1966, the Conference of Catholic Bishops passed Norms II and IV that bound all persons from age fourteen to abstain from meat on Fridays of Lent and through the year.[citation needed] Previously, the requirement to abstain from meat on all Fridays of the year applied for those age seven or older. Canons 1252 and 1253 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law express this same rule, and added that Bishops may permit substitution of other penitential practices for Fridays outside of Lent, but that some form of penance shall be observed on all Fridays of the year in commemoration of the day of the week of the Lord's Crucifixion.[12] Abstinence on all Fridays outside of Lent is still the preferred practice among many Catholics, who choose to maintain this tradition rather than substituting an alternative penance.[13] Most Episcopal Conferences have not allowed the substitution of an alternative penance for Fridays of Lent. No Episcopal Conference has lifted the obligation for either fasting or abstinence for Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
Fast and abstinence is regulated by Canons 1250–1253 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law. They specify that all Fridays throughout the year and the time of Lent are penitential times throughout the entire Church. All adults (those who have attained the "age of majority", which is 18 years in canon law) are bound by ecclesiastical law to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday until the beginning of their sixtieth year. All persons who have completed their fourteenth year are bound by the law of abstinence on all Fridays unless the Friday is a solemnity and again on Ash Wednesday; but, in practice, this requirement has been greatly reduced by the Episcopal Conferences because under Canon 1253, it is these Conferences that have the authority to set down the local norms for fasting and abstinence in their territories. The precept to both fast and abstain on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday is usually not dispensed from.
Catholics may eat only one full meal on a fast day. Additionally, they are permitted to eat up to two small meals or snacks, known as collations.[14] Church requirements on fasting only relate to solid food, not to drink, so Church law does not restrict the amount of water or other beverages, even alcoholic drinks, which may be consumed. Church law on fasting has changed over the centuries since fasting is a discipline which may be altered by legitimate Church authorities.
In Lutheranism
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America states the following principles for fasting during Lent:[6]
- Fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday with only one simple meal during the day, usually without meat.
- Refrain from eating meat (bloody foods) on all Fridays in Lent, substituting fish for example.
- Eliminate a food or food group for the entire season. Especially consider saving rich and fatty foods for Easter.
- Consider not eating before receiving Communion in Lent.
- Abstain from or limit a favorite activity (television, movies, etc.) for the entire season, and spend more time in prayer, Bible study, and reading devotional material.[6]
It is the practice of many Lutherans to abstain from alcohol and meat on the Fridays of Lent;[2] a Black Fast has been historically kept by Lutherans on Good Friday.[15][16]
In Anglicanism
The Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England designates "All the Fridays in the Year, except Christmas Day" as "days of fasting or abstinence", alongside the forty days of Lent, the Ember Days, the Rogation Days, and the vigils of the most prominent feast days.[17]
The 1928 Book of Common Prayer of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America describes "All the Fridays in the Year, except Christmas Day and the Epiphany, or any Friday which may intervene between these Feasts" as days "on which the church requires such a measure of abstinence as is more especially suited to extraordinary acts and exercises of devotion".[18]
In Methodism
The Methodist Churches traditionally encourage their adherents to fast on Fridays throughout the year.[4] The General Rules written by the founder of Methodism, John Wesley, state: "It is expected of all who desire to continue in these societies that they should continue to evidence their desire of salvation, by attending upon all the ordinances of God, such are: the public worship of God; the ministry of the Word, either read or expounded; the Supper of the Lord; family and private prayer; searching the Scriptures; and fasting or abstinence."[19] A principal Methodist liturgical book The Sunday Service of the Methodists (put together by Wesley), as well as the Directions Given to Band Societies (25 December 1744), mandate fasting and abstinence from meat on all Fridays of the year (except Christmas Day, if it falls on a Friday),[4][20][5] a practice that was reemphasized by Phoebe Palmer and became standard in the Methodist churches of the holiness movement.[21][22]
Wesley required fasting on both Wednesdays (in remembrance of the Betrayal of Christ) and Fridays (in remembrance of His crucifixion and death) for those seeking ordination.[19]
See also
References
- ^ Mazokopakis, Elias E. (2018). "Why is Meat Excluded from the Orthodox Christian Diet during Fasting? A Religious and Medical Approach". Mædica: A Journal of Clinical Medicine. 13 (4). doi:10.26574/maedica.2018.13.4.282 (inactive 12 July 2025).
The Holy Tradition (written and oral) of the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church, while advising avoidance of olive oil, meat, fish, milk, and dairy products every Wednesday and Friday throughout the year, additionally includes four principal fasting periods per year when meat as well as dairy products and eggs are forbidden.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link) - ^ a b c "Fasting Guidelines" (PDF). Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
Definitions:
"Fast" Limiting the quantity of food. On fasting days, two ¼ meals are eaten, and one regular meal in the evening.
"Strict Fast" means: only bread and water in limited quantities.
"Abstain" means: abstaining from animal meat (fish and seafood is acceptable); wine & alcohol (beer is acceptable). - ^ a b c d e Concerning Fasting on Wednesday and Friday. Orthodox Christian Information Center. Accessed 2010-10-08.
- ^ a b c John Wesley (1825). The Sunday Service of the Methodists. J. Kershaw. p. 145.
Days of Fasting or Abstinence All the Fridays in the Year, except Christmas-Day
- ^ a b Crowther, Jonathan (1815). A Portraiture of Methodism: Or, The History of the Wesleyan Methodists. T. Blanshard. pp. 251, 257.
- ^ a b c Weitzel, Thomas L. (1978). "A Handbook for the Discipline of Lent" (PDF). Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 March 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
- ^ a b "Fasting and abstinence". The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
The fast of Wednesdays and Fridays: Besides the aforesaid fasts, the Church fasts on Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year except any solemn feast falling on these days and the fifty days after the Easter. The Significance of Wednesday is that it was on this day that the Jews made plot to crucify Jesus Christ and Friday to commemorate His passion, crucifixion and death for the whole world.
- ^ "The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles to the Nations, known as The Didache" (PDF). Legacy Icons. 2016. p. 8. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
- ^ W., W.J. (1881). "Questions Regarding the Lenten Fast". Irish Ecclesiastical Record. Browne and Nolan: 28.
- ^ "Why don't Catholics eat meat on Fridays?". Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. 12 May 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
Abstinence is one of our oldest Christian traditions. "From the first century, the day of the crucifixion has been traditionally observed as a day of abstaining from flesh meat ("black fast") to honor Christ who sacrificed his flesh on a Friday" (Klein, P., Catholic Source Book, 78) ... Since Jesus sacrificed his flesh for us on Good Friday, we refrain from eating flesh meat in his honor on Fridays.
- ^ Menzel, Konstantinos (14 April 2014). "Abstaining From Sex Is Part of Fasting". Greek Reporter. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
- ^ Penitential Practices for Today's Catholics Archived 2015-09-15 at the Wayback Machine. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Accessed 2007-12-07.
- ^ Latona, Mike (2012-04-02). "The fine print about Fridays". Catholic Courier. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
- ^ United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (2022). "Fast & Absinence". USCCB.org.
- ^ Pfatteicher, Philip H. (1990). Commentary on the Lutheran Book of Worship: Lutheran Liturgy in Its Ecumenical Context. Augsburg Fortress Publishers. pp. 223–244, 260. ISBN 9780800603922.
The Good Friday fast became the principal fast in the calendar, and even after the Reformation in Germany many Lutherans who observed no other fast scrupulously kept Good Friday with strict fasting.
- ^ Jacobs, Henry Eyster; Haas, John Augustus William (1899). The Lutheran Cyclopedia. Scribner. p. 110. Archived from the original on 9 April 2010. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
By many Lutherans Good Friday is observed as a strict fast. The lessons on Ash Wednesday emphasize the proper idea of the fast. The Sundays in Lent receive their names from the first words of their Introits in the Latin service, Invocavit, Reminiscere, Oculi, Lcetare, Judica.
- ^ Church of England (1716). The book of common prayer, and administration of the sacraments, and other rites and ceremonies of the church, according to the use of the Church of England: together with the psalter or Psalms of David, pointed as they are to be sung or said in churches. Oxford: Oxford University Press. hdl:2027/gri.ark:/13960/t81k49h7h.
- ^ Tables and Rules for the Movable and Immovable Feasts, Together with the Days of Fasting and Abstinence, through the Whole Year, p. 3 of 6. The 1928 U.S. Book of Common Prayer. Accessed 2009-04-09.
- ^ a b Beard, Steve (30 January 2012). "The Spiritual Discipline of Fasting". Good News Magazine. United Methodist Church.
- ^ McKnight, Scot (2010). Fasting: The Ancient Practices. Thomas Nelson. p. 88. ISBN 9781418576134.
John Wesley, in his Journal, wrote on Friday, August 17, 1739, that "many of our society met, as we had appointed, at one in the afternoon and agreed that all members of our society should obey the Church to which we belong by observing 'all Fridays in the year' as 'days of fasting and abstinence.'
- ^ Synan, Vinson (25 August 1997). The Holiness-Pentecostal Tradition: Charismatic Movements in the Twentieth Century. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 24. ISBN 9780802841032.
- ^ Smith, Larry D. (September 2008). "Progressive Sanctification" (PDF). God's Revivalist and Bible Advocate. 120 (6). God's Bible School and College.
Principles which underlie our Wesleyan/holiness heritage include such commitments as unquestioned scriptural authority; classical orthodox theology; identity with the one holy and apostolic church; warmhearted evangelical experience; love perfected in sanctifying grace; careful, disciplined living; structured spiritual formation, fidelity to the means of grace; and responsible witness both in public and in private—all of which converge in holiness of heart and life, which for us Methodists will always be the "central idea of Christianity." These are bedrock essentials, and without them we shall have no heritage at all. Though we may neglect them, these principles never change. But our prudentials often do. Granted, some of these are so basic to our DNA that to give them up would be to alter the character of our movement. Wesley, for example, believed that the prudentials of early Methodism were so necessary to guard its principles that to lose the first would be also to lose the second. His immediate followers should have listened to his caution, as should we. For throughout our history, foolish men have often imperiled our treasure by their brutal assault against the walls which our founders raised to contain them. Having said this, we must add that we have had many other prudentials less significant to our common life which have come and gone throughout our history. For instance, weekly class meetings, quarterly love feasts, and Friday fast days were once practiced universally among us, as was the appointment of circuit-riding ministers assisted by "exhorters" and "local preachers."
External links
- The Wesley Fast by Methodist Prayer
- Friday Fast in Hinduism
