Eastern Catholic Life Official Publication of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic VOL. LIII, NO. 2 FEBRUARY 2017 While the Bridegroom is With Us Bishop Kurt’s Reflection on the Beginning of the Great Fast Prophet Isaiah, in which God says, break forth like the dawn, and your keep rereading it for the rest of your “Isn’t this the fast that I choose: to healing shall spring up speedily, life. You’ll say to yourself, why did I loose the bonds of wickedness, to your righteousness shall go before never read this before? undo the straps of the yoke, to let you; the glory of the Lord shall be the oppressed go free, and to break your rear guard.” And in another On January 20, our new President evey yoke? Is it not to share your passage He says, “If you take away asked six religious leaders to pray, bread with the hungry and bring the yoke from your midst, the point- three before the oaths and three after. I was thrilled to hear some of them quote from the prophets, he other day my gas sta- the very passages that I mentioned tion attendant, who is above in which God commands us from Turkey, decided to care for the poor and helpless. toT ask me some questions about Imagine—a president that listens my religion. I said to him, “You to the words of the Old Testament are Muslim, aren’t you?” He got prophets. We will pray for him in an enormous boyish grin and said, our Church as we do for every presi- “Yes, thank God.” I often thank God dent that he will listen to the guid- that I am Byzantine Catholic. I am ance offered him by God. so grateful that God has put me in this Church that still professes our It is clear from the Scriptures that ancient unchanging life-giving faith God has no use for fasting if we do in the most beautiful liturgies and not also do works of charity and also customs. In a world of uncertainty try to turn away from sin. However, and doubt, our Church holds fast to none of these readings tell us not to the life giving words of Jesus Christ, fast. Should Christians fast? Why do and his message of hope. We are not we fast? Well the answer to the first animals; we are not a chemical acci- question is remarkably easy. When dent. Every human being is impor- the followers of Saint John the Bap- tant to God, and is endowed with tist aksed Jesus, “Why is it that we an immortal soul, free will, and the fast and the Pharisees fast, but your knowledge of good and evil. Each followers do not fast?” Jesus replied of us will be judged by the just God to them, “As long as they have the according to the nobility of our ac- bridegroom with them, they cannot tions. To say that we will not be fast. But the days will come when judged is to say that we are not re- the bridegroom shall be taken away sponsible for our actions, that we from them; and then they shall fast are mere animals or chemical reac- in those days.” So if someone asks tions. I am not saying that God is why we fast, the answer is so very not merciful to those who ask for simple, Jesus said that His followers would fast. (By the way, this pas- mercy, but our sins cost Him an Icon of Christ the Bridegroom enormous price, the sacrifice on the sage is why we Eastern Christians cross. When sin is denied or made do not celebrate the Divine Liturgy light of, it not only denies our noble the homeless poor into your house, ing of the finger, and speaking wick- on weekdays during Lent. How status but also denies the enormity when you see the naked, to cover edness, if you pour yourself out for can we fast while the Bridegroom is of Christ’s death on the cross. For him, and not to hide yourself from the hungry and satisfy the desire of present? It’s like showing up glum these reasons, I thank God that I am your own flesh.” God reminds us the afflicted, then shall your light at your friend’s wedding and refus- in a Church that still teaches God’s that the purpose of the fast is not rise in the darkness, and your gloom ing to celebrate.) law, that still teaches about sin, that some kind of magical ascetic power, be as the noonday…and you shall Now that we see that Christians still says “Lord have mercy” over but to reaffirm our dignity through be like a watered garden.” There is should fast, from words of Jesus in and over, that still teaches we must self-discipline, and also the dignity so much beauty in this chapter, I three of the Gospels, we still might confess our sins, and that still cel- of every man, woman, and child, don’t have space for half of it. I hope wonder, but why? What is the pur- ebrates the great season of Lent. the poor and homeless, for example. you read Isaiah chapter 58 for your- God promises us some spectacular self before Lent. For that matter, I pose of fasting? The answer to that A popular reading for the season rewards in the surpassing poetry of hope you read the whole book of question is deep in our metaphysics. of the Great Fast is chapter 58 of the this chapter, “Then shall your light Isaiah. If you do, you will probably We believe that the real you is both Continued on page 2 Clerical appointment and Sunday afternoon Divine Parishes celebrate Saint Ask a priest a question—p9 obituary—p2-3 Liturgy in Bayonne—p3 Nicholas —p4—5 Page 2 Eastern Catholic Life FEBRUARY 2017 enforced it. I began by saying how happy I am While the Bridegroom is With Us that I am Byzantine Catholic. I am so happy that Bishop Kurt’s Reflection on the Beginning of the Great Fast I am in a Church where we respect tradition in- Continued from page 1 stead of just rules and regulations. And what is our tradition for the Great Fast? Meatfare Sun- a body and soul. We do not believe that the im- ever they felt like. day is approaching quickly, right after the pre- portant part of you is the soul, and the body is Because we believe that we are a unity of body Lenten Sundays of Zacchaeus, and the Publican unimportant. I often hear people (people who and the Pharisee, and the Prodigal Son. Meatfare are sincerely trying to live a better life) say, “You and soul, and that both are important to God, and that God made both in the image of His own Sunday is called “Meatfare Sunday” for a reason. are a spiritual being having a human experience Traditionally it is the last day to eat meat until (or a physical experience).” This ancient heresy beauty, it is not enough to simply practice our faith “in the spirit”. We cannot reduce our faith to Easter. The next Sunday, Foregiveness Sunday, is was battled by the earliest Christians, including also called “Cheesefare” for a reason. Cheesefare the ones who wrote the New Testament. It has ideas or emotions or beliefs. Jesus gave us physi- cal signs as part of the Holy Mysteries, the Sacra- Sunday is called Cheesfare Sunday because it is been fought by the Church in every era. It is the the last day to eat dairy products before Easter, heresy that says that the physical world is evil or ments. Jesus gave us water and oil and marriage and His flesh and blood to sanctify us. The good that includes milk, milk products, and eggs. The a trap, and we need to liberate our spirit from its reason that we make Easter baskets is because of physical body. This heresy was at the root of Cal- God made the physical world too, and He made it because He loves it. We can sin in our spirt the Fast. The Easter basket contains all the things vinism that has misled so many people and made that we gave up for Lent. What is the point of them into miserable, unhappy Christians. This and we can sin in our mind, and we can also sin with our bodies. Since the body is so important, an Easter basket if we don’t keep the traditional heresy is at the root of much of the contemporary Fast? hatred for the human race that encourages abor- it must be disciplined in the Christian faith, just tion and artificial contraception. as we discipline our spirit and educate our mind. I strongly encourage everyone in our Eparchy And that is why we fast! to consider seriously our traditional fast because A strange thing about this heresy, whether you Jesus fasted, and because Jesus said we would fast, call it “puritanism” or “dualism” or whatever, is Not only did Jesus tell us that we would fast, but He also gave us His example. Jesus Himself and because God made our bodies and loves our that its followers use it to justify the most extreme, bodies. In conclusion, I offer one more thing for but contradictory, positions. Some of these her- fasted for 40 days before He began His public life. We know that the first Christians fasted two days you to think about.