Lent

Ash Wednesday, February 17, and Good Friday, April 2, are days of abstinence from meat and also days of fast, that is, limited to a single full meal. The other Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence from meat. The law of abstinence binds all Catholics 14 years and older. The law of fasting binds all Catholics from their 18th birthday until their 59th birthday (canons 97, 1252). “Let the paschal fast be kept sacred. Let it be celebrated everywhere on Good Friday and, where possible, prolonged throughout Holy Saturday, so that the joys of the Sunday of the Resurrection may be attained with uplifted and clear mind.” (Constitution on the Liturgy, No. 110) With regard to the obligatory days listed above, however, there are frequent questions about the degree of seriousness of the matter. To paraphrase Pope John Paul II: the obligation to do penance is a serious one; the obligation to observe, as a whole or “substantially,” the penitential days specified by the Church is also serious. No one should be scrupulous in this regard; failure to observe an individual day of penance is not considered serious. People should seek to do more rather than less. Fast and abstinence on the days prescribed should be considered a minimum response to the Lord’s call to penance and conversion.