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Jonah's Fast & Feast

Fasting in the Orthodox Church

As true masters of fasting, they, the desert fathers, more than any Christians, can teach us about discipline in fasting! A leader of a community asked Abba Poemen: How can I gain the fear of God?? Abba Poemen replied: How indeed can we gain the fear of God when we have bellies full of cheese and jars of salted fish??Abba Poemen thus teaches us that the ultimate goal of fasting is to help lead us, or to open us, to the fear of God.
 

It is for this reason that the Copts avoid meat and all animal extracts including eggs, milk, butter, and cheese. As Abba Poemen stated, the goal is help lead us to God, and food can be one less worry we have with which to occupy ourselves. Although not all fasts are the same, fish is abstained from during the fasts of Jonah, Wednesdays and Fridays, and Great Lent.

The History of Jonah's Fast 

Also designated 'the Fast of Nineveh', this fast is observed to commemorate the penance of the Ninevites through the preaching of Jonah (Jon. 3:1-10).

 

This fast was originally kept by the Syrian Orthodox Church and was adopted as one of the fasts of the Coptic church by Pope Abraham, the sixty-second pope of Alexandria (975-978), as a mark of unity and solidarity between the two sister churches.

 

The fast lasts for three whole days, representing the time spent by Jonah inside the belly of the whale, starting on a Monday, exactly two weeks before the fast of the Great Lent. Liturgies are held daily in the afternoon. The eating of fish and all forms of animal fat are abstained from by the church during this fast.

Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia Vol. 4

Spiritual Application 

Overview

"And when we examine the story of Jonah, great is the force of the resemblance. Jesus was sent to preach repentance; Jonah also was sent: but whereas the one fled, not knowing what should come to pass; the other came willingly, to give repentance unto salvation. Jonah was asleep in the ship, and snoring amidst the stormy sea;while Jesus also slept, the sea, according to God's providence, began to rise, to show in the sequel the might of Him who slept. To the one they said, "Why are you sleeping? Arise, call you're your God, that God may save us;" but in the other case they say unto the Master, "Lord, save us." Then, they said, Call upon thy God; here they say, save Thou. But the one says, Take me, and cast me into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you; the other, Himself rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. The one was cast into a whale's belly: but the other of His own accord went down,
where the invisible whale of death is. And He went down of His own accord, that death might cast up those whom he had devoured, according to that which is written, I will ransom them from the power of the grave; and from the hand of death I will redeem them.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem.

Let us devote the morning time on each of the four days of the fast and feast of Jonah to the book of Jonah, which is four chapters long. Ask for God's mercy on us, especially in these three fasting days, for the times we have sinned like Jonah and have not loved strangers or those who are different.

Try to attend one of the daily liturgies from 4-7 p.m., or if you are not able to attend, attempt to fast until later in the evening with the rest of the church.

During these three days, we should look at our lives and show remorse for our disobedient natures. We should aim to follow in the footsteps of Jonah the prophet and the people of Nineveh
who came back to themselves and repented.

Monday

Call for sinners to repent.

The prophecy proclaims God's call for the people of Nineveh to repent by sending Jonah to them. The Vespers' Gospel speaks about the Savior's call for the people to repent: "If you do not repent, you will all perish." The Matins' Gospel concerns God's mercy towards His people and their cry for forgiveness. As for the Liturgy Gospel, it deals with the penitents' continued life of grace. The Pauline Epistle urges people to live in the fear of God, while the Catholic Epistle deals with the perishment of sinners. The Acts deals with the growth of the Church by the penitents' return to the Lord, away from the life of sin.

Tuesday

Urging the sinners to hear the Word of God.

The prophecy deals with God's attentive ear to the sinners' repentance as He heard Jonah's cry while he was in the belly of the whale. The matins Gospel deals with God's tolerance with sinners and the liturgy gospel is about the Savior's constant call for the people to listen to the Word of God. The Pauline Epistle is about the necessity
to hear the Word of God, the Catholic Epistle talks about the importance of turning from evil ways, and the Acts reading calls for repentance.

Wednesday

Forgiveness for penitents.

The prophecy here revolves around God's delight
with penitents. The Matins' Gospel proclaims God's mercy to those who repent, and the Liturgy Gospel declares the Savior 's forgiveness for penitent sinners. The Pauline Epistle talks about the grace of salvation toward those who repent, the Catholic Epistle refers to renouncing worldly pleasures, while the Acts calls for the mercy towards repentant sinners.

Thursday

The Feast of Jonah.

On this day is declared the salvation of those who believe in Christ's Resurrection. The Matins' Gospel deals with the Savior 's support to those who believe in His ability to forgive their sins. The Liturgy Gospel proclaims the Lord's power, evident in His Resurrection. The Pauline Epistle
declares the salvation of those who believe in His Resurrection, the Catholic Epistle proclaims salvation by the Sacrament of Baptism, which is considered a symbol of our Lord's death and Resurrection, and the Acts talk about the
blessings bestowed on the people by our Lord's Resurrection.

Focus on the Coptic Family Fr. Mikhail Mikhail

Rites

The rites for Jonah's Fast are the same as those for the weekdays of Great Lent, which are as follows:
- There are no cymbals or triangle played accompanying any of the hymns.
- Vespers raising of incense is not prayed prior to Liturgy.
- The Doxologies, Gospel Response, and communion Psalm 150 are chanted in the Weekday Lent tune.
- During Matins:
- The hymn Lord Have Mercy is chanted instead of the Verses of Cymbals.
- After the priest prays O God Have Mercy, the candles on the altar are extinguished and the sanctuary veil is shut. The prophecies of the day are read. After the prophecies, the curtain is reopened and the candles are lit.
- Then specific litanies are prayed with prostrations.


- During the Divine Liturgy:
- The 3rd, 6th, 9th, 11th, and 12th, hours from the Book of Hours are prayed.
- The offertory psalm Alleluia I shall go in is chanted
- After the Thanksgiving prayer, during the Offering of the Lamb, His Foundations is chanted followed by prostrations.
- The hymn You are the Censer is chanted after the Absolution of the Servants.
- The hymn Wherein God Takes Away is chanted before the reading of the Acts.
Mikhail, Deacon Albair Gamal, The Essentials in the Deacon's Service

Hymns

Verses of Cymbals

  • Lord have mercy is said instead of the Verses of Cymbals

The Offertory Hymn

  • Alleluia. I shall go in, unto the altar of God, before the face of God, who gladdens my youth. I will confess to you, O God, my God, with a harp.Remember O Lord, David and all his meekness. Alleluia.

His Foundations

  • His foundations are in the holy mountains; the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things were said concerning you, O city of God. Alleluia. 

  • And of Zion it will be said, "This one and that one were born in her. And the Most-High Himself shall establish her." Alleluia.

The Hymn of the Censer

  • You are the censer of pure gold, bearing the blessed ember.

Praxis Response

  • God lifts away the sins of the people, through the burnt offering and the aroma of incense.

Psalm 150 Response

  • Jonah in the belly of the whale, as a symbol of Christ in the tomb for three days.