Feast & Fast

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Fasting in the Coptic Church:

When we fast, we abstain from food and water for a certain period of time that can be

determined through the guidance of the father in confession depending on one’s spiritual level and

health condition.

Generally speaking, the abstinence period ends at three o’clock in the afternoon because at this hour

[the ninth hour] Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross and saved us. After the end of the abstinence

period, we break our fast and only eat vegetarian food, however, since we fast more than half the

days of the year, the Church has allowed the congregation to eat fish during certain fasting periods.

Q1: Our Lord said that fasting should be “in secret” (Mt 6:18) thus shouldn’t fasting be left to the individual to decide when to fast?

A1: Our Lord also said that prayer should be “in secret” (Mt 6:6) yet we still go to church on set

days and pray as a congregation. Praying in secret does not contradict congregational prayers.

Likewise, set seasons for congregatio nal fasting do not contradict the commandment of fasting in

secret. Moreover, even if the fasting seasons are set, the depth of each one’s fasting and the personal

periods of abstinence can remain in secret. There are many biblical examples of congregational

fasting:

• The whole congregation fasted together and God accepted their fast (Esther 4).

• Everybody in Nineveh fasted together (Jonah 3).

• Congregational fasting is obvious from the words of Joel the Prophet, “Blow the trumpet in Zion,

Consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; gather the people, sanctify the congregation…” (Joel2:15)

• St. Paul fasted with all the people on the ship (Acts 27:21).

• The apostles fasted together (Acts 13:2,3).

• The principle of having set dates for fasting has its origins in Holy Scripture, “The fasting of the

fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth …”

(Zech 8:19)

A2: The Coptic Church fasts over half the days of the year:

• The Advent fast that ends with the Holy Nativity feast (43 days in length / fish allowed)

• Jonah’s fast (3 days / no fish allowed)

• The Holy Great Lent that ends with the Holy Resurrection feast (55 days in length / no fish allowed)

• The Apostles fast that ends with the feast of martyrdom of Ss Paul & Peter (length varies / fish allowed)

• St. Mary’s fast that ends with the feast of the assumption of her body (14 days / fish allowed)

• Every Wednesday & Friday except during the fifty days after the Holy Resurrection (no fish allowed)

– commemorates the plotting of the Jews to crucify our Savior on Wednesday and the crucifixion on Friday.