Post #6456

FASTING AND ABSTINENCE IN LENT These are the current fasting and abstinence rules for Lent, as they've stood since the reign of Pope Pius XII: Fasting obliges those between the ages of 21 and 59. Fasting means: ~ Only one full meal is allowed in the day, and that after noon ~ That meal may contain meat, unless it's also an abstinence day ~ Further, two small meatless snacks, called collations, are allowed each day: when added together they must not exceed the size of a full meal ~ Snacking between these is not permitted ~ No liquid breaks the fast, including milk ~ Things that we may call liquid, but are made of solid matter, such as soup and fruit or vegetable smoothies, do break the fast ~ each fasting day is midnight to midnight All the forty days of Lent (that is, excluding Sundays) are fasting days, ending at midday on Holy Saturday. Abstinence obliges all those who are 7 or older. Abstinence means no meat or soup made from meat. Other foods, including those using meat juices, are allowed. In the universal law of the Church, the abstinence days in Lent are all Fridays and all Saturdays, with the addition of Ash Wednesday and the Ember Wednesday. Ireland follows these rules. In England, the Saturdays are swapped for the Wednesdays, so the abstinence days are all Wednesdays and all Fridays with the Ember Saturday. In the USA, the abstinence days are all Fridays and Ash Wednesday only. The Ember Wednesday and Saturday are days of "partial abstinence", which means one may only eat meat once at one's main meal. In Scotland, St. Joseph's Day is a Holy Day of Obligation and the obligation to fast is overturned. In Ireland that is true of St. Patrick's Day.