Fasting & Abstinence

“And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards he was hungry.” ~ Matthew 4: 2

And I set my face to the Lord my God, to pray and make supplication with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes.” ~ Daniel 9: 3

Laws of Days of Abstinence (Discipline of 1962)

-Applies on one’s 7th birthday

-Complete abstinence: all Fridays of the year, Ash Wednesday, Holy Saturday, and the Vigil of Christmas.

-Partial Abstinence (meat and soup or gravy made from meat permitted once a day at the principal meal): all the days of Lent, the Ember Days of Wednesday and Saturday, and the Vigils of Pentecost and Assumption.

-Abstinence from meat is dispensed on Holy Days of Obligation.

Laws of Fast (Discipline of 1962)

-Applies for those aged 21 to 59, inclusive.

Days of Lent from Ash Wednesday inclusive, Ember Days, and Vigils of Christmas, Pentecost, and the Assumption.

-One full meal permitted, and two other meals may be taken which, when combined, are less than a full meal.

The Law of the Eucharistic Fast (Discipline of 1962)

The complete fast from all food and alcoholic drinks for three hours before the reception of Holy Communion, and one hour for non-alcoholic drinks (except for water, which can be taken at any time and does not break the fast).  Those who are able to maintain the midnight fast, which was the previous discipline, are still encouraged to do so.

~ For more, please see: Fish Eaters