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Lenten
Regulations 2007
LENT this year
begins on with Ash Wednesday, February 21. Lent is the holiest season
of the year for Christians, especially Catholics. There are certain
sacrifices we make and certain traditions that we observe:
ABSTINENCE: All
Catholics who have reached their 14th birthday are bound to abstain
totally from meat on the following days: Ash Wednesday (February 21),
all Fridays of Lent and Good Friday (April 6th).
FASTING: All
Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59 are bound also to observe the
Law of Fast on the following days: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
Fasting, that is, eating less, involves limiting oneself to a single
full meal and avoiding food between meals. Lighter nourishment may be
taken on two other occasions during the course of the day. The days
set aside for fast and abstinence are special ways of doing penance
and are an expression of unity with all Catholics.
EASTER DUTY: All
Catholics, after they have made their first Holy Communion, must
confess their sins in the Sacrament of Confession at least once a
year. They must also receive Holy Communion at least once each year
during the Easter season, which this year extends from February 25,
the First Sunday of Lent, until Trinity Sunday, June 3.
PRAYER AND
PENANCE: The entire season of Lent should be observed in a spirit of
prayer and penance. All Catholics are obliged by God’s law to do
penance.Spending extra time in prayer, attending daily Mass, making
the Stations of the Cross in St. James Church on Fridays of Lent at
7:00 pm, voluntary sacrifice and self-denial, combined with works of
charity and service to others, are all excellent ways to obey the
Lord’s command to reform our lives and to prepare for the joyful
celebration of Easter.
SPECIAL NOTES:
Funeral Masses may not be celebrated on Holy Thursday, Good Friday
and Easter. When a marriage is celebrated during Lent, it is to
reflect the special penitential nature of the season. |
