Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are
days of fast and abstinence.
All Fridays in Lent are days of
abstinence.
Fasting means eating one full meal
with two smaller meals, which together do not equal the full
meal. No snacks or eating between meals allowed.
Fasting obliges Catholics between
the ages of 18 and 59.
Abstinence means eating no meat nor
soup nor gravy made from meat.
Abstinence obliges all Catholics
over the age of 14.
Sickness, hard manual labor,
pregnancy, etc., automatically excuse a person from these
obligations. Nevertheless, it should be pointed out that these
are serious obligations. In cases of doubt or question, the
priest who hears a person’s confession should be consulted.