18. The Philip’s Fast (Pylypivka): We are making the 40-day fast that began on November 15, the day after the feast St. Philip to spiritually prepare Nativity of the Lord. We keep the Philip’s Fast because we believe that doing so it can help us to better understand and appreciate all of God’s saving plan for each of us.
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church teaches her faithful that “Penitential fasting practices, repentance and abstinence that aim to satisfy the sins committed and to achieve the highest level of perfection is the oldest tradition in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church” (CCEO: 882, §1).
To observe the Fast, we do not eat meat or foods containing meat on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Definitions: Abstinence means that we do not eat a certain type of food, for example meat and oil, or any other foods that have that as an ingredient. Fasting means that we eat less food. Those exempt from fasting and abstinence: children under the age of 14; adults over the age of 60; those who are gravely ill, pregnant women, post-partum mothers, breast-feeding mothers, travelers (if travel time exceeds 8 hours), those engaged in heavy labor, those who eat from the table of others, the poor who live from charity.
Further reading: The Winter Pascha (St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press) by Thomas Hopko.
19. Awareness for Persecuted Christians: Since 2003, millions of Christians have been forced to flee their homes as a result of war and direct persecution from ISIS. In the 14 years since the start of the war and genocide, the number of Christians in Iraq has dropped by 90 percent — leaving somewhere between 175,000 and 300,000. On November 28, Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda of Erbil, Iraq, asked Christians in the USA to pray for persecuted Christians in the Middle East. He encouraged his American audience to financially support the Knights of Columbus and other organizations that assist Iraqi Christians and to spread awareness about the difficult situation in the Middle East. To make a donation: https://www.kofc.org/un/en/secure/charities/hope.html, or send a donation to the K of C —Persecuted Christians Fund, One Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510.
Let us pray: O God of all the Nations, the One God who is and was and always will be, who in your providence willed that your Church be united to the suffering of your Son, look with mercy on your servants in Iraq who are persecuted for their faith in you. Grant them perseverance and courage to be worthy imitators of Christ. Bring your wisdom upon leaders of nations to work for peace among all peoples. May your Spirit open conversion for those who contradict your will that we live in harmony. And in all things may we be united in truth and freedom to seek your will in our lives. We ask this through Christ our Lord. AMEN. Our Lady, Queen of Peace, pray for us.
20. SUMA FEDERAL CREDIT UNION: 555 George St., New Haven, CT. Business hours: Tuesday, 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Phone 203-785-8805; fax: 203-785-8677.