Building on last week’s look at the Universal Canon law
binding all Catholics everywhere, the US Bishops are permitted to make specific
“adaptation” to those Catholic living in the United States. As the last Canon stated: “Can. 1253 The conference of bishops
can determine more precisely the observance of fast and abstinence as well as
substitute other forms of penance, especially works of charity and exercises of
piety, in whole or in part, for abstinence and fast.”
Regarding Fasting and Abstinence: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory
days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are
obligatory days of abstinence. For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on
fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one
full meal. Two smaller meals may also be taken, but not to equal a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are
binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards. Members
of the Eastern Catholic Churches are to observe the particular law of their
own sui iuris Church. If possible, the fast on Good Friday is
continued until the Easter Vigil (on Holy Saturday night) as the “paschal fast”
to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus, and to prepare ourselves to
share more fully and to celebrate more readily his Resurrection.
Regarding Almsgiving: The foundational call of Christians to
charity is a frequent theme of the Gospels. During Lent, we are asked to
focus more intently on “almsgiving,” which means donating money or goods to the
poor and performing other acts of charity. As one of the three pillars of Lenten
practice, almsgiving is “a witness to fraternal charity” and “a work of
justice pleasing to God.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2462).
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