1.      Reminder about Fasting and Abstinence

 All Fridays of the year are days of abstinence from meat, but Catholics may substitute special acts of charity or piety on this day.  However, during Lent, penance is an important requirement of Christian life. Fulfillment of this duty involves prayer, works of piety and charity, and self-denial by fulfilling one’s obligations more faithfully and especially by observing the prescribed fast and abstinence.

 Fasting is a practice of interior penance that trains us to deny our earthly appetites in order to make us more free to do the will of God. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. Fasting obligations apply to adults age 18 through 59.

 Abstinence is refraining from eating meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and the Fridays of Lent. It applies to those who are 14 years and older.

 If you cannot participate in fasting and abstinence for health reasons, you can find another way to practice penance.