- Tue Feb 24, 2009 4:53 pm
#121535
The Holy Season of Lent
Fast and Abstinence.
It is a traditional doctrine of Christian spirituality that a
constituent part of repentance, of turning away from sin and back to
God, includes some form of penance, without which the Christian is
unlikely to remain on the narrow path and be saved (Jer. 18:11, 25:5;
Ez. 18:30, 33:11-15; Joel 2:12; Mt. 3:2; Mt. 4:17; Acts 2:38 ). Christ
Himself said that His disciples would fast once He had departed (Lk.
5:35). The general law of penance, therefore, is part of the law of
God for man.
The Church has specified certain forms of penance, both to ensure that
the Catholic will do something, as required by divine law, while
making it easy for Catholics to fulfill the obligation. Thus, the 1983
Code of Canon Law specifies the obligations of Latin Rite Catholics
[Eastern Rite Catholics have their own penitential practices as
specified by the Code of Canons for the Eastern Churches].
Canon 1250 All Fridays through the year and the time of Lent are
penitential days and times throughout the entire Church.
Canon 1251 Abstinence from eating meat or another food according
to the prescriptions of the conference of bishops is to be observed on
Fridays throughout the year unless they are solemnities; abstinence
and fast are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and on the Friday of the
Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Canon 1252 All persons who have completed their fourteenth year
are bound by the law of abstinence; all adults are bound by the law of
fast up to the beginning of their sixtieth year. Nevertheless, pastors
and parents are to see to it that minors who are not bound by the law
of fast and abstinence are educated in an authentic sense of penance.
Can. 1253 It is for the conference of bishops to determine more
precisely the observance of fast and abstinence and to substitute in
whole or in part for fast and abstinence other forms of penance,
especially works of charity and exercises of piety.
The Church, therefore, has two forms of official penitential practices
- three if the Eucharistic fast before Communion is included.
Abstinence The law of abstinence requires a Catholic 14 years of age
until death to abstain from eating meat on Fridays in honor of the
Passion of Jesus on Good Friday. Meat is considered to be the flesh
and organs of mammals and fowl. Moral theologians have traditionally
considered this also to forbid soups or gravies made from them. Salt
and freshwater species of fish, amphibians, reptiles and shellfish are
permitted, as are animal derived products such as margarine and
gelatin which do not have any meat taste.
On the Fridays outside of Lent the U.S. bishops conference obtained
the permission of the Holy See for Catholics in the US to substitute a
penitential, or even a charitable, practice of their own choosing.
Since this was not stated as binding under pain of sin, not to do so
on a single occasion would not in itself be sinful. However, since
penance is a divine command, the general refusal to do penance is
certainly gravely sinful. For most people the easiest way to
consistently fulfill this command is the traditional one, to abstain
from meat on all Fridays of the year which are not liturgical
solemnities. When solemnities, such as the Annunciation, Assumption,
All Saints etc. fall on a Friday, we neither abstain or fast.
During Lent abstinence from meat on Fridays is obligatory in the
United States as elsewhere, and it is sinful not to observe this
discipline without a serious reason (physical labor, pregnancy,
sickness etc.).
Fasting The law of fasting requires a Catholic from the 18th Birthday
[Canon 97] to the 59th Birthday [i.e. the beginning of the 60th year,
a year which will be completed on the 60th birthday] to reduce the
amount of food eaten from normal. The Church defines this as one meal
a day, and two smaller meals which if added together would not exceed
the main meal in quantity. Such fasting is obligatory on Ash Wednesday
and Good Friday. The fast is broken by eating between meals and by
drinks which could be considered food (milk shakes, but not milk).
Alcoholic beverages do not break the fast; however, they seem contrary
to the spirit of doing penance.
Those who are excused from fast or abstinence Besides those outside
the age limits, those of unsound mind, the sick, the frail, pregnant
or nursing women according to need for meat or nourishment, manual
laborers according to need, guests at a meal who cannot excuse
themselves without giving great offense or causing enmity and other
situations of moral or physical impossibility to observe the
penitential discipline.
Aside from these minimum penitential requirements Catholics are
encouraged to impose some personal penance on themselves at other
times. It could be modeled after abstinence and fasting. A person
could, for example, multiply the number of days they abstain. Some
people give up meat entirely for religious motives (as opposed to
those who give it up for health or other motives). Some religious
orders, as a penance, never eat meat. Similarly, one could multiply
the number of days that one fasted. The early Church had a practice of
a Wednesday and Saturday fast. This fast could be the same as the
Church's law (one main meal and two smaller ones) or stricter, even
bread and water. Such freely chosen fasting could also consist in
giving up something one enjoys - candy, soft drinks, smoking, that
cocktail before supper, and so on. This is left to the individual.
One final consideration. Before all else we are obliged to perform the
duties of our state in life. When considering stricter practices than
the norm, it is prudent to discuss the matter with one's confessor or
director. Any deprivation that would seriously hinder us in carrying
out our work, as students, employees or parents would be contrary to
the will of God.
---- Colin B. Donovan, STL
From
http://www.ewtn.com/faith/lent/fast.htm
Fast and Abstinence.
It is a traditional doctrine of Christian spirituality that a
constituent part of repentance, of turning away from sin and back to
God, includes some form of penance, without which the Christian is
unlikely to remain on the narrow path and be saved (Jer. 18:11, 25:5;
Ez. 18:30, 33:11-15; Joel 2:12; Mt. 3:2; Mt. 4:17; Acts 2:38 ). Christ
Himself said that His disciples would fast once He had departed (Lk.
5:35). The general law of penance, therefore, is part of the law of
God for man.
The Church has specified certain forms of penance, both to ensure that
the Catholic will do something, as required by divine law, while
making it easy for Catholics to fulfill the obligation. Thus, the 1983
Code of Canon Law specifies the obligations of Latin Rite Catholics
[Eastern Rite Catholics have their own penitential practices as
specified by the Code of Canons for the Eastern Churches].
Canon 1250 All Fridays through the year and the time of Lent are
penitential days and times throughout the entire Church.
Canon 1251 Abstinence from eating meat or another food according
to the prescriptions of the conference of bishops is to be observed on
Fridays throughout the year unless they are solemnities; abstinence
and fast are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and on the Friday of the
Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Canon 1252 All persons who have completed their fourteenth year
are bound by the law of abstinence; all adults are bound by the law of
fast up to the beginning of their sixtieth year. Nevertheless, pastors
and parents are to see to it that minors who are not bound by the law
of fast and abstinence are educated in an authentic sense of penance.
Can. 1253 It is for the conference of bishops to determine more
precisely the observance of fast and abstinence and to substitute in
whole or in part for fast and abstinence other forms of penance,
especially works of charity and exercises of piety.
The Church, therefore, has two forms of official penitential practices
- three if the Eucharistic fast before Communion is included.
Abstinence The law of abstinence requires a Catholic 14 years of age
until death to abstain from eating meat on Fridays in honor of the
Passion of Jesus on Good Friday. Meat is considered to be the flesh
and organs of mammals and fowl. Moral theologians have traditionally
considered this also to forbid soups or gravies made from them. Salt
and freshwater species of fish, amphibians, reptiles and shellfish are
permitted, as are animal derived products such as margarine and
gelatin which do not have any meat taste.
On the Fridays outside of Lent the U.S. bishops conference obtained
the permission of the Holy See for Catholics in the US to substitute a
penitential, or even a charitable, practice of their own choosing.
Since this was not stated as binding under pain of sin, not to do so
on a single occasion would not in itself be sinful. However, since
penance is a divine command, the general refusal to do penance is
certainly gravely sinful. For most people the easiest way to
consistently fulfill this command is the traditional one, to abstain
from meat on all Fridays of the year which are not liturgical
solemnities. When solemnities, such as the Annunciation, Assumption,
All Saints etc. fall on a Friday, we neither abstain or fast.
During Lent abstinence from meat on Fridays is obligatory in the
United States as elsewhere, and it is sinful not to observe this
discipline without a serious reason (physical labor, pregnancy,
sickness etc.).
Fasting The law of fasting requires a Catholic from the 18th Birthday
[Canon 97] to the 59th Birthday [i.e. the beginning of the 60th year,
a year which will be completed on the 60th birthday] to reduce the
amount of food eaten from normal. The Church defines this as one meal
a day, and two smaller meals which if added together would not exceed
the main meal in quantity. Such fasting is obligatory on Ash Wednesday
and Good Friday. The fast is broken by eating between meals and by
drinks which could be considered food (milk shakes, but not milk).
Alcoholic beverages do not break the fast; however, they seem contrary
to the spirit of doing penance.
Those who are excused from fast or abstinence Besides those outside
the age limits, those of unsound mind, the sick, the frail, pregnant
or nursing women according to need for meat or nourishment, manual
laborers according to need, guests at a meal who cannot excuse
themselves without giving great offense or causing enmity and other
situations of moral or physical impossibility to observe the
penitential discipline.
Aside from these minimum penitential requirements Catholics are
encouraged to impose some personal penance on themselves at other
times. It could be modeled after abstinence and fasting. A person
could, for example, multiply the number of days they abstain. Some
people give up meat entirely for religious motives (as opposed to
those who give it up for health or other motives). Some religious
orders, as a penance, never eat meat. Similarly, one could multiply
the number of days that one fasted. The early Church had a practice of
a Wednesday and Saturday fast. This fast could be the same as the
Church's law (one main meal and two smaller ones) or stricter, even
bread and water. Such freely chosen fasting could also consist in
giving up something one enjoys - candy, soft drinks, smoking, that
cocktail before supper, and so on. This is left to the individual.
One final consideration. Before all else we are obliged to perform the
duties of our state in life. When considering stricter practices than
the norm, it is prudent to discuss the matter with one's confessor or
director. Any deprivation that would seriously hinder us in carrying
out our work, as students, employees or parents would be contrary to
the will of God.
---- Colin B. Donovan, STL
From
http://www.ewtn.com/faith/lent/fast.htm
Her love of God was contagious and affected all who knew her.
