p. 55Fasting and Abstaining

Do not confound the obligation of fasting with that of abstaining. They are two distinct things.

By fasting is meant, not eating, or eating only a certain quantity of food as fixed by the Church.

By abstaining is meant, keeping from certain kinds of food, especially from flesh-meat.

I. Fasting

The Church commands all Catholics who have completed their twenty-first year, and have not attained a recognized old age, or who are not otherwise legitimately dispensed, to fast under pain of committing a grievous sin.

The mere fact that one had never fasted before, although he may be over twenty-one years of age and has the required health for so doing, does not excuse from the obligation to fast under pain of mortal sin.

Such as are obliged to fast, are allowed to take only one full meal on fast-days ordained by the Church.

At this full meal anything may be eaten, except meat, if it should happen to be on an abstinence day; (see Abstinence Days, page 57), or fish during Lent, if meat should be a part of the meal.

Meat and fish at the same meal are not permitted, even on Sundays during Lent.

If the full meal be taken at noon, then the breakfast dare not exceed the matter and quantity regulated by approved custom.

This breakfast consists only of a warm drink, such as coffee, tea or chocolate, slightly sweetened, and a slice or two of bread; say about two ounces, or equal quantity of biscuits, crackers, or the like. Such eatables as butter, eggs, cheese, fruit and the like are not permitted at this p. 56breakfast, and milk only in sufficient quantity to merely color the warm drink.

At the evening collation the fourth part of an ordinary meal is permitted. No meat is permitted at this repast, as it is the collation of one fasting.

If the full meal be taken in the evening, however, then meat will be permitted at it on a non-abstinence day. In this case then, the equivalent of the evening collation can be taken in the morning, and the breakfast as luncheon at noon, thus inverting the above-mentioned order.

Who are not obliged to fast?

Those who have not completed their twenty-first year.

Those of advanced age.

The sick and infirm, who cannot fast without positive injury to their health.

Hard-working people and such who feel that they cannot perform their work properly, when they fast, and that they thereby injure their health.

Women who are pregnant or who are nursing.

Those who by their occupation, are exposed to all kinds of weather, and to irregularity in getting their meals.

Persons having doubts about their obligation to fast or abstain, should consult their confessor or any Priest whom it is convenient for them to meet. It is advisable always to be governed in this matter by the decision of the Priest.

Those who cannot comply with the fast and abstinence as enjoined by the Church, ought to practice some other good work or mortification instead. It is well to abstain, for example, from intoxicating drinks.

Fast-Days in the United States ordinarily are:

1. All Fridays in Advent.

2. Every day in Lent except Sunday.

3. All Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays in the Ember Weeks, that is the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday following the first Sunday in Lent; the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday following Whitsunday or Pentecost; the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday following the 14th day of September, and the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday following the third Sunday of Advent.

4. The following Vigils of feasts: Saturday before Whitsunday; August 14, Vigil of the feast of the Assumption; October 31, Vigil of the feast of All Saints, and December 24, Vigil of Christmas.

II. Abstinence

The Church prohibits the use of flesh-meat on certain days under pain of mortal sin, to all Catholics who have attained the use of reason.

Thus, in most countries, every Friday of the year is a day of abstinence from flesh-meat, except Christmas Day.

During Lent, even on Sundays, the Church prohibits also the use of fish and flesh-meat at the same meal; so that only one of the two kinds of food may be taken at the same time.

The Church counsels also abstaining from intoxicating liquors on certain days in consideration of her dispensations from the old and severe laws of fasting and abstinence.

The use of eggs, milk, butter and cheese is permitted on all fast and abstinence-days, except at the breakfast of those who are obliged to fast; who may use a slight quantity of milk, however, in the warm drink permitted in the morning. Besides lard, the fat rendered from any kind of meat may be used in preparing food on any day of fasting or abstinence throughout the year.

Who are not obliged to abstain?

The sick, whose condition is one of great weakness, so that strengthening food like meat, is absolutely necessary for them.

Those, who, through great poverty, through traveling, working or stopping away from home, have nothing or scarcely anything else at the time to eat.

Those who, living with non-Catholics, cannot be accommodated with anything else; especially after having made known their custom and desire to abstain from flesh-meat.

Abstinence Days in the United States ordinarily are:

1. All Fridays of the year, except Christmas Day.

2. All Wednesdays in Lent.¹1All days of Lent are days of abstinence by the general law of the Church. But by an indult of the Holy See, granted August 3, 1887, for ten years, the use of flesh-meat is allowed, once a day only, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays for those who are obliged to fast, the second and last Saturday of Lent excepted. As for those who are not obliged to fast, meat is permitted more than once on the above-mentioned days. Flesh-meat is permitted for everyone at all meals on Sundays.

3. All Wednesdays and Saturdays in Ember weeks, that is: The Wednesday and Saturday following the first Sunday in Lent; the Wednesday and Saturday following Whitsunday or Pentecost; the Wednesday and Saturday following the 14th day of September, and the Wednesday and Saturday following the third Sunday of Advent.

4. The following Vigils of feasts: Saturday before Whitsunday; August 14, Vigil of the feast of the Assumption; October 31, Vigil of the feast of All Saints; December 24, Vigil of Christmas.

By an indult of the Holy See granted March 15, 1895, for ten years in favor of workingmen, the Bishops of this country may dispense the former from the more rigid law of abstinence in view of certain difficulties that may exist in their dioceses. In virtue of this indult, workingmen p. 58together with their entire households may eat flesh-meat on the abstinence days of Lent, on Ember days and on the Vigils of the feasts, except on Fridays, on Ash Wednesday, on the days of Holy Week and on the Vigil of Christmas. As flesh-meat, however, is permitted by the indult of August 3, 1887, on all Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays of Lent, Wednesday and Saturday are the only days remaining in Holy Week on which the use of flesh-meat is not permitted. Those who are obliged to fast, however, can avail themselves of this dispensation only at the principal meal.

In desiring to make use of this indult in favor of workingmen, the faithful must make sure, that it is in use in their respective diocese.

If on any day you are in doubt about the obligation to abstain or the privilege to eat meat, consult the following rules:—

Rule 1. No meat at all for anyone: All Fridays of the year, Ash Wednesday, Wednesday in Holy Week, Holy Saturday and the day before Christmas.

Rule 2. No meat at all for those who are obliged to abstain, but are not obliged to fast, who are not workingmen, where they are specially dispensed, or are not of the latter’s households.

All Fridays of the year, Ash Wednesday, all Wednesdays in Lent, Holy Saturday, all Ember days, the Vigils of the feasts of Pentecost, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of All Saints and of Christmas.

Rule 3. No meat at all for those who are obliged to fast: All Fridays of the year, all Wednesdays in Lent, Holy Saturday, Wednesdays and Saturdays in the Ember Weeks, and the Vigils of the feasts of Pentecost, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of All Saints and of Christmas.

Rule 4. Meat once a day only for those who are obliged to fast: All Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays in Lent, except the second Saturday in Lent, which is an Ember Day, and Holy Saturday. Also on all abstinence Wednesdays of the year, for those who live together with workingmen, where the latter are specially dispensed, except the days mentioned in Rule 1.

Rule 5. Meat three times a day: On all Sundays of Lent for everyone; on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays of Lent for those who are not obliged to fast, except the second Saturday of Lent, which is an Ember Day, and Holy Saturday. On all days of the entire year and of Lent even, for workingmen and such of their households as are not obliged to fast, where the special dispensation has been given, except the days mentioned in Rule 1.