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#60480 09/20/02 07:36 PM
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Sometimes Christians are very Semitic. Sometimes, it seems. The next day begins at sundown of the previous day. Is this not the rationale for the Roman Catholic Saturday evening Masses that "count" as Sunday service? Is this not the rationale for monasteries in both West and East in fact celebrating sundown services early in a fasting day to reduce the number of hours of fasting? ("We have celebrated Vespers, it is the next day -- let us feast!")
"Anticipation" has brought believers to think that Christ was Crucified on Holy Thursday and arose on Saturday, according to the Greek author addressing the Liturgical "problems" of Holy Week in the Orthodox Tradition in the recent edition of St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly.
Any clarification as to when in the course of a secular calendar day (midnight to midnight) the next Liturgical day should be considered to start, and when it does not start, would be greatly appreciated. (In other words, when is "anticipation" O.K. and not O.K.?)

#60481 09/20/02 08:27 PM
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Durak,

Byzantines follow the Semitic day outside the Great Fast (Lent) but the Greco-Roman day during the Great Fast. The Semitic day begins the evening before and the Greco-Roman day begins during mid-night.

The Latins are totally on the Greco-Roman day schedule unlike the Byzantines who use both as mentioned above. Yet, they opt for a "extraordinary" Semitic timing to get those Saturday evening Masses in.

Byzantine Catholics get Divine Liturgies in too on Saturday evening ... anticipation. It makes less sense when people demand to celebrate Pascha on Holy Saturday evening rather than Paschal Sunday. Some priests even bless pascha baskets on Saturday without the "Christ is Risen!" troparion being sung at all. Kinda morbid when the shroud is still out.

#60482 09/20/02 08:40 PM
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Quote
Is this not the rationale for monasteries in both West and East in fact celebrating sundown services early in a fasting day to reduce the number of hours of fasting? ("We have celebrated Vespers, it is the next day -- let us feast!")
Sometimes it works the opposite way though. "It's after Vespers on Saturday, we must be careful of what we do and what we eat, we are preparing for the Divine Liturgy". In that case, a half dozen extra hours of fasting are sometimes tacked on due to the "new day starts at sundown" mindset.


He who can without strain keep vigil, be long-suffering and pray is manifestly a partaker of the Holy Spirit. But he who feels strain while doing these things, yet willingly endures it, also quickly receives help. - Mark the Monk

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