As I have explained many times, I am an earnest Catholic, but not a particularly good one.
I tend to focus on the big picture: Who is and is not valid clergy, who is and is not part of the actual real Catholic Church (Sedevacantists) and who is not (all the Novus Orco), but one should really try to live and act as per proper Catholic principles.
WARNING: I am not a priest and this idiot’s guide is primarily for myself.
Lent this year runs from Ash Wednesday 22nd February 2023 and ends on Thursday, April 6 with evening mass on Holy Thursday.
Consulting the Code of Canon Law of 1917 then, we have codes 1250 to 1254 which in essence state the following:
Abstinence = no meat or soups made of meat but eggs, milk and other condiments, even if made from animals are ok.
Fasting = only one meal a day but also allows a little bit of food in the morning and evening but in essence it is traditional that these two smaller meals combined do not comprise enough food to form a full meal.
Every Friday = Abstinence
Ash Wednesday (22nd February 2023) = Abstinence and Fast
Every Friday and Saturday in Lent = Abstinence and Fast
All other days of Lent = Fast only
If you can eat meat on a day, you can also eat fish on the same meal/day
These rules do not apply strictly to labourers that work physically during the day (farmers, stonemasons and so on), or Pregnant or breastfeeding women or children under the age of 7 or people over 60 years of age.
Personally, I am not altogether clear if fish is allowed on Fridays or not. I believe it was allowed for many years before Vatican II, and I do have farm-work to do, so the rules I am going to follow are as follows:
Ash Wednesday – 22nd February 2023: No meat or soups made of it. One meal with possibly small amounts morning and evening
23-24/2/2023: One Meal with possibly small meals morning and evening
Friday 25/2/2023: One Meal with possibly small meals morning and evening, no meat, but I will allow fish if I worked in the field
Saturday 25/2/2023: One Meal with possibly small meals morning and evening, no meat, but I will allow fish if I worked in the field
Sunday 26/2/2023: One Meal with possibly small meals morning and evening
27 Feb to Mar 2: One Meal with possibly small meals morning and evening
Mar 3-4: One Meal with possibly small meals morning and evening, no meat, but I will allow fish if I worked in the field
Mar 5-9: One Meal with possibly small meals morning and evening
Mar 10-11: One Meal with possibly small meals morning and evening, no meat, but I will allow fish if I worked in the field
Mar 12-16: One Meal with possibly small meals morning and evening
Mar 17-18: One Meal with possibly small meals morning and evening, no meat, but I will allow fish if I worked in the field
Mar 19-23: One Meal with possibly small meals morning and evening
Mar 24-25: One Meal with possibly small meals morning and evening, no meat, but I will allow fish if I worked in the field
Mar 26-30: One Meal with possibly small meals morning and evening
Mar 31 to Apr 1: One Meal with possibly small meals morning and evening, no meat, but I will allow fish if I worked in the field
Apr 2-6: One Meal with possibly small meals morning and evening
I am also going to:
- Learn the Lord’s Prayer in Latin
- Learn the Credo in Latin
- Recite them both daily
- Do my best to do some Rosary daily
That’s about it.
I am sure this list is missing out a lot of important things, but if I can stick to it it will be a first attempt for me at keeping Lent “properly” so I am putting it out there for all the other wild donkeys (see BELIEVE! for the reference to wild donkeys.)
For those who want to follow along, feel free to post a comment or let me know how you get on.
A Clarification on Lent
My take on Lent is that while one might argue about Fish on Fridays, and so on, ultimately, the point of Lent is three-fold.
These are all useful things, however, I am also very aware of the passage in Romans 14:14
“I know, and am confident in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean of itself; but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.”
I have not followed Lent pretty much at all, with some small temporary exceptions, however, throughout my life, I have taken periods where I would not touch a specific thing. Like no sugar, or no alcohol, or no coffee, or whatever. Sometimes these were related to food/drink as a general health boost, although I never really suffered from anything that would need me to make such choices. It was primarily a result of my martial arts training and me wanting to discipline my mind in things other than mere training and fighting, and since eating and drinking are pretty instinctual, I decided to take time to experiment. I at times went up to six months without drinking any alcoholic drink, or touching anything sugary, and so on. It is a good practice to do.
I have also done water only fasts for several days and complete fasts for up to 48 hours (no water or anything else) while going about my day in a normal manner. All these practices make you more aware of the spiritual in some way or other, though they might be difficult for some people who are not used to it and obviously, as always, you are responsible for your own actions. Don’t go doing some weird fast that ruins your health and blame it on me or having read this blog.
So I take Lent in that spirit. My last post might not be perfect from a Lent point of view, especially of a priest of a layman that knows his stuff, but it is a first approach for me, and given that generally I tend to favour meat, since grains and so on often are not ideal for me, it should be an interesting test for me to undergo.
I posted the Idiot’s Guide to Lent precisely so that people who are not familiar with it can maybe tag along and try it in a similar fashion.
Anyway, that’s my take.
Enjoy the next 40 days of tiny, self-chosen, privation.
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By G | 19 February 2023 | Posted in Social Commentary