Fasting – Lent

For members of the Latin Catholic Church, everyone 14 years or older abstains from meat on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent. Those 18 and older but younger than 60 fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. 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. The seriously ill and pregnant and nursing mothers are exempt from these fasting guidelines.

These are the minimum. Now, many people like a good Lenten Friday fish fry, but if you’d like to do a more ancient and traditional fast, you could abstain from fish, oil, dairy, wine, and eggs, in addition to the meat (pretty much a vegan diet). Or you could do the Daniel fast, based on the preferred kosher diet of Daniel & company in Chapter 1 of the Book of Daniel. And then there’s good old “bread and water only between sunrise and sunset” fast. But regardless, remember the purpose of this bodily exercise, is sacrifice. Jesus tells us “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” Fasting and abstinence are meant to bring our hearts and minds closer to God. The emptiness in our stomach reminds us of the true need in our hearts which can only be filled by Christ. Fasting and abstaining helps us train ourselves to seek what is above, to be filled with the very life of God, living within us. He fills all our needs, if we just let Him.