Lent, Eastern style

Ukrainian Catholics use a different calendar and different traditions to prepare for Easter

By RAMON GONZALEZ
WCR Staff Writer
Edmonton

They view Lent as a time for soul-searching and repentance that symbolizes Jesus' withdrawal into the wilderness for 40 days before he began his public ministry. Accordingly, they encourage fasting, prayer, spiritual renewal and charitable works during Lent, which they call the Great Fast.

Where they differ with their Western counterparts is in the approach, which is coloured with their own traditions and customs.

Because Sunday is the day of the Resurrection, the Western Church, which includes Roman Catholics, Lutherans and Anglicans, skip Sundays when they calculate the length of Lent. Therefore, in the Western Church, Lent always begins on Ash Wednesday.

The Eastern Church, which consists of the Orthodox churches, the Oriental churches and the Eastern-rite churches that are part of the Roman Catholic Church, such as the Ukrainian Catholic Church, does not skip over Sundays when calculating the length of Lent.

Therefore, Lent in the Eastern tradition always begins on Clean Monday, the seventh Monday before Easter, and concludes on the Friday before Palm Sunday - using the Julian calendar for Easter.

"Sunday is also regarded as the day of the Resurrection in the Eastern churches but we count our 40 days differently," noted Father Stephen Wojcichowsky, assistant pastor at St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral and religious education consultant with Edmonton Catholic Schools.

"Our actual Lenten fast extends to the Friday evening before Palm Sunday and we count all of the days, including the Sundays. That's why we start (Lent) two days before the Roman Catholics. If you count backwards you'll see that the 40 days come back to two days before Ash Wednesday."

And then on the Saturday before Palm Sunday, which is called Lazarus Saturday, Eastern Catholics begin a new liturgical time, which they call Passion Week or Holy Week.

In the Eastern tradition, the Lenten fast is relaxed on the weekends in honour of the Sabbath (Saturday) and the Resurrection (Sunday) but as Wojcichowsky puts it, "We still try to maintain a sense of the fast during those two days."

In the eastern tradition Monday to Friday during Lent are not considered liturgical days as in the Latin rite.

"The rule is not to celebrate the Divine Liturgy during those days," explained Wojcichowsky. "I think that's one of the greatest differences with Roman Catholics, who are encouraged to go more frequently to Mass during Lent."

But as the Ukrainian pastor explained, "that's not necessarily the practice" because "if you go to most of our parishes they will celebrate the Divine Liturgy even Monday to Friday."

During Lent, Eastern Catholics discourage marriages and try to stay away from parties and dances, Wojcichowsky noted. "We certainly lose our restrictions (on weekends) but the spirit of it remains throughout those 40 days."

Although most Eastern Catholics, including Ukrainian Catholics in Western Canada, celebrate Easter on the same day as Western Catholics, many Eastern Christians celebrate it on a different day.

The reason for the difference is that "most Eastern Christians follow the Julian calendar and Western Christians, who include Roman Catholics and Ukrainian Catholics in Western Canada, follow the Gregorian calendar," Wojcichowsky noted.

"This year we are far apart in terms of our celebration of Easter with those who celebrate on the Julian calendar." For example, this year Western churches celebrate Easter on March 31. "But the Orthodox and other Ukrainian Catholics will celebrate Easter on May 5. It's a five-week difference, which is the most that we are apart."

Next year Easter will fall on April 27 for those who follow the Julian calendar but on April 20 for Western Christians. In 2004, it will fall on April 11, the same day as in the Gregorian calendar. Then in 2005 the dates for Easter will again fall five weeks apart.

Although the majority of Western Canadian Ukrainian Catholics celebrate Easter on the same day as their Roman Catholic counterparts, most Ukrainian Catholics in Eastern Canada celebrate it according to the Julian calendar, except for a few parishes "here and there" that follow the Gregorian calendar.

"And then you get situations in families where the grandparents, because they grew up that way, celebrate on the Julian calendar but the young family celebrates on the Gregorian," Wojcichowsky commented. "My family, for example, lives in Montreal and celebrates the feast days on the Julian calendar. I celebrate here on the Gregorian calendar."

During Lent, Eastern Catholics fast and abstain but, as Wojcichowsky explained, the abstinence goes further than the actual staying away from the food, extending to Confession, repentance and acts of charity towards the poor.

"(Regarding abstention from food), the rule is that we wouldn't have more than one full meal a day," he said. "So the other two (meals) would have to be smaller meals."

On the very first day of the fast, as well as on Good Friday, Eastern Catholics also abstain from meat, eggs and dairy products. The ancient discipline was strict, banning meat, eggs and dairy products for all of Lent.

"That why on Easter Sunday we have the blessing of the Easter baskets where we have cheese and eggs and meat and things of that nature," the priest related. "But people don't maintain that kind of strictness in this day and age."

Most importantly, Eastern Catholics see an intensification of their personal and community prayers during Lent. Personal prayers include daily, except on Sundays, prostrations or full bows to the floor and the recitation of the prayer to St. Ephrem.

Community prayer includes special services for the dead once a week or more and the liturgy of the pre-sanctified gifts, which is one of the liturgical highlights of the week. Communion is consecrated at the Sunday Liturgy and then reserved for use during the week. At St. Josaphat Cathedral they celebrate the liturgy of the pre-sanctified gifts on Wednesdays and Fridays.

There is also an emphasis on spiritual renewal during the Lenten season, with each parish having its own Lenten mission, stressed Wojcichowsky. "We also try to ensure that there is an increase in charitable work especially for the poor. For example in our eparchy we make a special effort to help the struggling Church in Ukraine."

Also beginning on the first Sunday of Lent, Ukrainian Catholics and other Eastern Christians bless icons "to remind us that we have been made in the image and likeness of God," Wojcichowsky explained.

"It's an interesting counterpoint to Ash Wednesday because on Ash Wednesday you remember the roots of your humanity in the earth. Well, in a sense we do that too but then we take it a step further and we remember that out of that dust of the earth we were created to be the image and likeness of God."

And then in Holy Week Eastern-rite Catholics have an emphasis on the Anointing of the Sick, a practice which is carried out, at least at St. Josaphat's, on Lazarus Saturday, the Saturday before Palm Sunday.

"I think the important thing to recognize is that (during Lent) we try to immerse ourselves in the spirit of the ancient discipline even though in practice it may be virtually impossible," Wojcichowsky said.

"But by concentrating on the spirit of the Great Fast we unite ourselves with that communion of holy people throughout the ages who have tried to make their whole life a pleasing offering to God."

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