Lenten Observances

“The main current of Lent must flow through the interior man, through hearts and consciences. The essential effort of repentance consists in this. In this effort, the human determination to be converted to God is invested with the predisposing grace of conversion and, at the same time, of forgiveness and of spiritual liberation… Penance is not just an effort, a weight, but it is also a joy. Sometimes, it is a great joy of the human spirit, a delight that other sources cannot bring forth.

Contemporary man seems to have lost, to some extent, the flavor of this joy. He has also lost the deep sense of that spiritual effort that makes it possible to find oneself again in the whole truth of one’s interior being. Our civilization especially in the West, closely connected as it is with the development of science and technology, catches a glimpse of the need for intellectual and physical effort. But he has lost the sense of the effort of the spirit, the fruit of which is man seen in his inner self. The whole period of Lent, since it is a preparation for Easter, is a systematic call to this joy that comes from the effort of patiently finding oneself again. Let no one be afraid to undertake this effort.” - Pope St. John Paul II, The Light of Christ, 1979

The Code of Canon Law states that Fridays throughout the year and in the time of Lent are penitential days for the entire Church. Although fasting usually refers to any practice of restricting food, there is a distinction, in the Church, between fasting (limiting food to one full meal a day, with two smaller meals allowed) and abstinence (abstaining from eating meat.) Abstinence from meat on Fridays as the universal form of penance on all Fridays of the year is no longer mandatory. We may choose another way of observing the Church’s requirement for acts of penance on Fridays, but we must be sure not to neglect it.

Since the change in the abstinence rules, some people have become confused about the requirement to observe penitential days. Despite this, both fasting and abstinence are required on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. For clarity, the rules of the Church in the United States about fasting and abstinence — in effect since 1966 — state that:

“Catholics in the United States are obliged to abstain from the eating of meat on Ash Wednesday and on all Fridays during the season of Lent. They are also obliged to fast on Ash Wednesday and on Good Friday. Self-imposed observance of fasting on all weekdays of Lent is strongly recommended. Abstinence from flesh meat on all Fridays of the year [excluding solemnities like Christmas, which may fall on Friday] is especially recommended to individuals and to the Catholic community as a whole.” (Ref. Canons 1249-1253, Code of Canon Law)

Let us joyfully fulfill these Lenten Observances, preparing our hearts and minds for the glory of Easter and renew our commitment to the Church’s call for penance on Fridays throughout the year to prepare our souls for the glory of Heaven.