Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of abstinence and also days of fast, that is limited to a single full meal.
The Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence.
With regard to Good Friday, the teaching of the Second Vatican Council should be recalled:
"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, #110).
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 and 1252).
The other Fridays of the season of Lent are days of abstinence from meat.
With regard to the obligatory days listed above, however, there is frequent question about the degree of seriousness of the matter.
The teaching of the Holy Father may be simply paraphrased: 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.
Diocesan faculties give priests the ability to dispense individuals from the obligation of observing days of penance. Dispensation for groups is given by the Episcopal Vicar.
In keeping with the spirit and meaning of the Lenten fast, Catholics are encouraged to observe the Good Friday fast through Holy Saturday and until the celebration of the Easter Vigil.
From the Diocese of Toledo |
