Ash Wednesday is the indication that the Lent season has finally started. As our participation in Lent, we are encouraged to practice the three pillars of Lent: praying, almsgiving, and fasting. All are significant to observe this lent however, in this article we will solely focus on the significance of fasting.
Fasting is simply reducing our food intake to 1 full meal and 2 smaller meals, and abstaining from consuming meat during Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and Fridays of Lent.
Before, fasting was observed throughout the 40 days of Lent starting on Ash Wednesday until before Easter. However, in 1962-1965, the Second Vatican Council then altered the mandatory fasting. Instead of a 40-day fasting period, it was then altered to be practiced only at the beginning of Ash Wednesday and Fridays of Lent.
At the age of 14, children are encouraged to abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent. Meanwhile, ages 18-59 are obligated to practice fasting and abstain from eating meat but only to those people that have reasonable health. For children and adults with physical and mental illness, pregnant women, and those nursing are exempted from fasting. Furthermore, as written in the Canon Law, for the children not fasting, parents are responsible for conferring to them its significance during Lent.
May we all commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Let us accompany him through his journey in atoning our sins through fasting wherein we abstain from consuming what we enjoy as our sacrifice.