Tag: Philip’s Fast

Saint Philip’s Fast Pastoral of the Ukrainian Catholic Hierarchy in the US 2023

“Behold, I am about to do something new!vNow it already springs forth; do you not see it? (Is. 43:19)

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We are commencing the Fast of St. Philip, embarking on a journey that culminates in the contemplation of an indescribable mystery – God’s condescension to humanity. It is at the Nativity of Our Lord that God draws near to us, for “In the union of the divine and human, ‘the incorporeal one takes on flesh, the Word becomes approachable, the invisible one is seen, the impalpable one is touched, the one beyond time enters time, the Son of God becomes the Son of Man.’” (Christ Our Pascha, §179). In this divine event, God not only reveals His name but also makes Himself visible, inviting us to recognize Him.

For the second consecutive year, we, Ukrainians in the US, find ourselves preparing for Christmas amidst a full-scale war with the Russian aggressor. Our Ukrainian soil is soaked in the blood of heroes, and our cities and villages under occupation are shrouded under the black pall of the “Russian world.” We continually pose questions to each other and to God: “How much longer will this endure? Why, O God, does this war persist?”

Let us consider the circumstances in which our Lord came to the world. Humanity, perpetually anxious and born in fear, anticipated the coming of the Messiah, each person harboring their own expectations of His identity. Who among them recognized Him as the “something new [that] springs forth,” as prophesied by the Prophet Isaiah? (Is. 43:19) The initial witnesses to the choir of angels were humble shepherds, for “Many are the high and exalted, but God reveals his mysteries to the humble.” (Sir. 3:19)

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Matt. 5:8). Pure in heart shepherds became the symbol of those who were capable to see God. However, the path to purity of heart is arduous, demanding profound introspection. We often find ourselves dissatisfied with our circumstances. This war, while manifestly physical and visible, also has deep spiritual ramifications. We yearn for change, for someone to rise against injustice and corruption, yet we tend to overlook that the journey begins within ourselves, with our heart.

“Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Cor. 6:2) The day of salvation marks the inception of our inner journey. The Apostle Paul calls us to bear witness, to be people of hope who endure “in steadfast perseverance; in afflictions, hardships, and distress.” As we embark on the path to the Nativity, we strive to “open wide our hearts” (2 Cor. 6:13).

The time is opportune for us to begin. Our first task is the transformation of our hearts. When we delve into the lives of the saints, we often marvel at how they found spiritual equilibrium amidst sorrow, mastering themselves and receiving the strength of Christ, “who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and obtained promises. They closed the mouths of lions, quenched raging fires, and escaped the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned into strength…” (Heb. 11:33-34) Today, our front-line defenders demonstrate that heroes are not born but are instead forged through daily toil and self-sacrifice, proving their unwavering commitment to our homeland.

As we commence this journey to the Nativity, we invite you to fathom the depths of this mystery. A single child altered the course of human history with His birth. The tapestry of human history is interwoven with the thread of Jesus Christ. We are also capable and called to change our personal stories and big history. When we gather in the Name of Jesus Christ, each one of us can contribute with the gifts bestowed upon us by the Lord, thereby effecting change in the world around us.

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The Philip’s Fast message from the US Ukrainian Bishops 2020

PHILIP’S FAST (PYLYPIVKA) PASTORAL OF THE UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC HIERARCHY OF THE U.S.A. TO OUR CLERGY, HIEROMONKS AND BROTHERS, RELIGIOUS SISTERS, SEMINARIANS AND BELOVED FAITHFUL,

Glory to Jesus Christ!

St. Philip’s Fast or Pylypivka is about to start. It is a joyful 40-day fast, which begins on November 15, the day after the feast of the apostle St. Philip, and lasts until December 24, Christmas Eve. This fast is meant to prepare us spiritually for the great and solemn holyday – the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the time given to us to deepen our understanding and awareness of God’s mystery – the Incarnation of the Son of God and the coming of the Messiah, the King of Peace, Emmanuel and the Light of the world. It is time for us to find and rediscover true joy of the Nativity of Our Lord through prayer, meditation, and acts of charity, not like it is in the artificial atmosphere of Christmas parties, buying and exchanging gifts and enjoying specially prepared holiday delicacies.

We may think that the coming of Christ is a completed event and a historical fact of the past, and the anticipation of His coming is only symbolic for us. It is not! Christ always comes to us. He is constantly born spiritually in the heart of every person who believes and expects Him. He comes to us in prayer and the Holy Mysteries, especially in Holy Confession and Communion. Today He comes to be with us and among us.

This year, St. Philip’s Fast and the understanding of the coming of Christ and His presence among us takes on a special meaning and significance for us. In the midst of the relentless COVID-19 pandemic, the suffering of many from this deadly illness, often resulting in the sad and tragic loss of family members and friends, political discord and instability, riots, wars and human rights abuses around the world, we are thirsty for a deep awareness and conviction that Christ the Lord is truly present among us and that His grace is life-giving and necessary.

St. Philip’s Fast recalls for us the Old Testament and the world, which froze in anticipation of the coming of Christ, the Light of the world. We will hear readings from the books of the ancient prophets Nahum, Habakkuk, Daniel, and Isaiah, who prophesied of His coming eight centuries before He was born. They wrote that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, about the escape of the Holy Family to Egypt and the return to Nazareth, about His healing of the sick, about His rejection by the chosen people, about His betrayal and taking thirty silver pieces by one of the apostles, about His crucifixion among robbers, about His side being pierced, about His Resurrection and Ascension to Heaven. Later, the holy evangelists, while writing the Gospels inspired by the Holy Spirit, will include these prophecies to show us that Jesus Christ is the Messiah that everyone expected and that He is truly the Son of God.

The story of salvation does not end with the coming of Christ over 2,000 years ago, but it continues to this very day. We are all awaiting His second coming, which He Himself prophesied, and it will be very different from the first. When Christ comes a second time, everyone will recognize Him. During His first coming, He was not loved but was rejected. When He comes a second time, all the tribes will acknowledge Him as Lord. During His second coming, He will also be accompanied by the angels. During His first coming, He entered the world as a helpless baby in the manger. When He comes a second time, He will come as the King of kings and Lord of lords. That is why the expectation of the coming of Christ is not and cannot be symbolic, but is a completely genuine event – He will come a second time.

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Philip’s Fast (Pylypivka)

All Christian churches prepare for the feast of the birth of Christ by some sort of period of penance. The Western church calls this the period of Advent, connected with the Latin word for “come,” since we are waiting for Christ to come into our lives. We may be celebrating an event in the past, the birth of Jesus, the first coming of God into our world, but we are also celebrating the present, God coming into our own lives and into the world of today, and the future expectation of Christ’s second coming, when he will come in glory to judge tote world in righteousness.

The Roman Church once began the Christmas preparation on St. Martin’s Day, Nov. 11, which gave forty days until the winter solstice on Dec. 21, and the church of Milan in Italy still has a forty-day preparation beginning on Nov. 15.

Traditionally, the Byzantine Church also begins its Christmas preparation on Nov. 15. Since this follows the feast of St. Philip the Apostle, it is called the Philip’s Fast. There is a legend about St. Philip, that when he was about to be martyred, he delayed his entrance into heaven by forty days in order to do penance for the sake of his persecutors. This is certainly only a legend, since Philip was not connected with the pre-Christmas fast until the ninth century, but it does point out one aspect of fasting – it is an act of charity for others. Some contemporary groups have expressed this by introducing the custom of setting aside the money they save by fasting to buy food for the poor. St. Philip is the apostle who leads us to Christ. When Jesus called him to be a disciple, his first action was to go and tell Nathaniel. When Nathaniel questioned him about Jesus, Philip replied, “Come and see” (Jn 1:46). Later in the Gospel, some Greeks (Gentiles, representing all nations) wanted “to see Jesus” (Jn 12:21), and it is Philip and Andrew that lead them to Christ. At the Last Supper, it is Philip that asks the question, “Master, show us the Father,” and Jesus replies, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn 14:8¬9). In the face of Jesus our Lord, we are able to see the love of the Father for us. The holy Apostle Philip, therefore, leads us to Christmas, to see for the first time the face of God, who came into the world to break down the barriers between humanity and God (Eph. 2:14).

Today, all churches have also mitigated the period of penance before Christmas. The Western church continues to celebrate Advent very solemnly, but now as a joyful time of expectation for the coming Messiah. The world expends much energy in the celebration of Christmas, and the commercial preparation continues to grow longer and longer, in the hopes that we will spend more and more money on gifts for one another. The church hopes that we will give some of our time and energy to preparing ourselves spiritually for Christmas. There are today many groups and movements that want to curb the commercialization of Christmas, for either religious or political reasons. A spiritual question The celebration of Christmas is a spiritual question. We do not want to empty Christmas of the genuine joy that goes with the feast. Christmas can be a wonderful feast with beautiful carols and a renewed community feeling called “the spirit of Christmas.” On the other hand, intemperate partying and greed can become evil and smother the spiritual meaning of the feast – God has become human that we might become godlike. St. Paul was to observe, “For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that for your sake he became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty you might become rich” (2 Cor 8:9). Here, “becoming rich” does not mean the acquisition of lots of money and possessions, but to become like God, which is worth more than “thousands in gold and silver” (Ps 118:72). The giving of gifts has a Christian meaning. When Jesus was born, the wise men came from the East bringing him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. When we give gifts to one another, we are acting out the principle that Christ taught us, “whatever you do for the least of my brothers or sisters, you do for me” (Mt 25:40:45). Unfortunately, we sometimes use the giving of gifts to use and manipulate one another. The celebration of Christmas is truly a spiritual issue. We must say no to the false values of materialism, of consumerism and of greed. We must accept the gift of Christ, given to us by the Father, who “so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life” (Jn 3:16).

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Philip’s Fast (Pylypivka) begins

The Philip’s Fast (Pylypivka), the pre-Christmas fast, begins today. The Church begins the Fast the day after the feast of the Holy and All-Praiseworthy Apostle Philip. The Fast is a period of 40 days of spiritual preparation for the celebration of the Nativity/Theophany cycle of the liturgical (Church) year.

Historically, the Philip’s Fast (Pylypivka) was a period of strict fasting on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday –days of strict fasting without meat, dairy products or oil (in Slavic countries).

Now the bishops have indicated that the Fast is lessened a bit also to include fasting, works of penance and doing charitable work. BUT today we observe the Fast on Wednesdays and Fridays by an abstention from meat and foods that contain these ingredients.

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).

Recall, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church maintains that “Abstention from meat and meat products is to be observed on all Fridays of the year except for compact weeks, patronal feasts and the twelve major feasts” (CCEO: 882, § 4).

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. A general rule is that for a day of fast, the amount of food of the main meal is less than the other two meals combined.

Those exempt from fasting and abstinence are:

  • 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
  • travellers (if travel time exceeds 8 hours)
  • those engaged in heavy labour
  • those who eat from the table of others
  • the poor who live from charity

On December 24, the Vigil of the Nativity, there is an abstention from meat, dairy and eggs, and foods that contain these ingredients.

When we arrive at the Nativity on December 25, until January 4, there is no fasting or abstinence.

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.

At the Divine Liturgy you will notice that the priest will wear dark vestments as the norm for this penitential season with exception of Saturdays, Sundays and first class feasts.

Further reading: The Winter Pascha (St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press) by Thomas Hopko.