Fasting and Abstaining from Meat

Fasting is more than a means of developing self-control.  It is often an aid to prayer, as the pangs of hunger remind us of our hunger for God.  The first reading on the Friday after Ash Wednesday points out another important dimension of fasting.  The prophet Isaiah insists that fasting without changing our behavior is not pleasing to God.  “This, rather, is the fasting that I wish:  releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own” (Is 58:6-7)

Fasting should be linked to our concern for those who are forced to fast by their poverty, those who suffer from the injustices of our economic and political structures, those who are in need for any reason.  Thus fasting, too, is linked to living out our baptismal promises.  By our Baptism, we are charged with the responsibility of showing Christ’s love to the world, especially to those in need.  Fasting can help us realize the suffering that so many people in our world experience every day, and it should lead us to greater efforts to alleviate that suffering.

Abstaining from meat traditionally also linked us to the poor, who could seldom afford meat for their meals.  It can do the same today if we remember the purpose of abstinence and embrace it as a spiritual link to those whose diets are sparse and simple.  That should be the goal we set for ourselves–a spares and simple meal.  Avoiding meat while eating lobster misses the whole point!

Fast and Abstinence Observance 

Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.  For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. 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 norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards.

Learn more about being in Solidarity with the Poor

Meatless Friday’s from Around the World

Each Friday of Lent, we abstain from eating meat as a way to experience a little of the hunger that many experience daily. Journey with Catholic Relief Services around the world and incorporate these Lenten recipes into your meatless Fridays. Give the money you saved each week by not eating meat—about $3 per person per meal—to your CRS Rice Bowl to feed those in need around the world.  You can obtain a CRS Rice Bowl in the Basilica’s vestibule.

CRS Rice Bowl:  Meatless Friday Recipes

For More Information

Director of Faith Development
Br. Scott Slattum, OFM
Phone:  602-354-2082
Email:  [email protected]