Abstinence on Sundays during Lent

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I’ve heard various things about this. Some say that you’re not required to abstain on Sundays during Lent, while others call it “cheating.” As for myself, I used to abstain on Sundays as well, but this year, I decided to not abstain on Sundays.

Also as a note of clarification, this is referring to abstaining from something throughout Lent, not just on Fridays.

Appreciate your (name removed by moderator)ut.
 
I’d be very interested to hear more about this, too. i have heard that it is ok to not abstain on Sundays also, but I feel like it would be cheating.
 
Sunday’s are always a day celebrating the Resurrection…even in Lent. It is not cheating to forgo your Lenten resolutions…though honoring them may be a better decision…spirituality.
 
Generally speaking the Church has traditionally prohibiting fasting on Sundays (and Solemnities)
 
Some people find it easier, when giving up something for Lent, to include Sundays. That’s ok if you so choose but technically Sunday, the Lord’s Day, is not part of Lent (even though it’s included as Lent in the liturgical calendar…I know…it gets confusing). Just remember that Sunday is never a day of penance…it’s a day of rest.
 
Sundays are not part of Lent. If you count the days from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday, inclusive, you will come up with more than 40 days. Subtract the number of Sundays, and you will come up with 40. Computo ergo sum.
 
One is only obliged to follow the Church’s law regarding abstinence and fasting.

Everything else is optional.

Since it’s optional, it’s not wrong to do whatever you choose, as long as it’s not otherwise sinful.
 
To me this seems like a bunch of malarkey. Bunch of cheaters!
 
sedonaman said:
Sundays are not part of Lent. If you count the days from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday, inclusive, you will come up with more than 40 days. Subtract the number of Sundays, and you will come up with 40. Computo ergo sum.
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If Sundays are not part of Lent then why is the Gloria omitted during mass and why do the clerics vest in purple?
 
Lent is the forty day period before Easter, excluding Sundays. You are not required to abstain during the Sundays of Lent. On Sundays, we celebrate when Christ arose from the dead, therefore we are to celebrate, and not to fast and mourn our sins.

Giving up something during the Sundays of the season of Lent (first Sunday of Lent, second Sunday of Lent, etc…) are optional. You are not required to abstain during the Sundays of Lent. It is voluntary.
 
Dicerning said:
If Sundays are not part of Lent then why is the Gloria omitted during mass and why do the clerics vest in purple?
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They are not part of the 40 days of Lent.

However, they are Sundays during the Lenten Season. That’s why they are called “first Sunday of Lent”, “second Sunday of Lent”, etc …
 
Choosing to abstain from something during Lent is a personal thing. If you want to skip it on Sunday or Thursday or whatever, it’s your choice to make. However, fasting is only one of the traditional practices for Lent. What about prayer and almsgiving? Do you skip them on Sunday as well? 🙂
 
SuscipeMeDomine said:
Choosing to abstain from something during Lent is a personal thing. If you want to skip it on Sunday or Thursday or whatever, it’s your choice to make. However, fasting is only one of the traditional practices for Lent. What about prayer and almsgiving? Do you skip them on Sunday as well? 🙂
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Prayer and almsgiving are not to be skipped on Sunday. Remember, Sunday is known as the Lord’s Day, and it is an obligation to go to Mass on Sunday 👍
 
Sundays in Lent are part of Lent, and Lent is indeed more than 40 days long.

They are not, however, penitential days.

In the United States and most other countries we are only required to abstain (from meat) on Fridays during Lent, on Ash Wednesday, and on Good Friday (which technically is part of the Triduum, not Lent).

Other things we do for Lent are optional, and so there is no rule on whether to do them also on Sundays of Lent or not. My own feeling is that one should only abstain from things one has given up for Lent on Sundays if not doing so would render the sacrifice on other days significantly less meaningful.
 
Come on, people! Yes, the Sundays are not technically Lent, but so what? You really can’t give something up for 6 weeks? Really?

Fat Tuesday is called Fat Tuesday because people used to have to eat all their meat products by then because they couldn’t eat meat for all of Lent - including Sundays! Nor could they eat meat on any Friday during the entire year! I have no idea what the fasting restrictions were, but I’m sure they were tougher than “1 meal and two small ones” like we have now.

I’m not laying extra burdens on people; you can do what you want with personal devotions and be within Church law.

But a little spiritual fortitude never hurt anybody. Tough it out! You can do it.

Gem
 
sedonaman said:
That’s a new one.
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It’s not new. I’m not sure Lent was ever truly 40 days long. The “forty days of Lent” language you often hear refers to the penitential days in and around the season of Lent, or simply serves as a decent (and numerically symbolic) approximation of the length of the season.
 
Lent (for Western Christians) is the period of time that starts on Ash Wednesday and ends with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday. And yes, Sundays are very much part of Lent.

Lent is* NOT* 40 days. It is approximately 40 days. The Church does not definitively state that Lent is 40 days, regardless of what the devotional literature and songs say. Any attempt to figure out how to make Lent exactly 40 days ends up leading to absurd methods of computation.

That said, the Church tells us we should fast, pray, and give alms during Lent. The Church does not, however, tell us *how *to fast or how many days we should do so. We are free to indulge on Sundays and feast days or to continue to give up whatever we might have chosen to give up. If someone wishes to make sure that they give up something for exactly 40 days they are free to figure out how to make that work. If they don’t care about the number 40 they are free to fast for however many days works for them.
 
SMHW said:
Lent (for Western Christians) is the period of time that starts on Ash Wednesday and ends with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday. And yes, Sundays are very much part of Lent.

Lent is* NOT* 40 days. It is approximately 40 days. The Church does not definitively state that Lent is 40 days, regardless of what the devotional literature and songs say. Any attempt to figure out how to make Lent exactly 40 days ends up leading to absurd methods of computation.

That said, the Church tells us we should fast, pray, and give alms during Lent. The Church does not, however, tell us *how *to fast or how many days we should do so. We are free to indulge on Sundays and feast days or to continue to give up whatever we might have chosen to give up. If someone wishes to make sure that they give up something for exactly 40 days they are free to figure out how to make that work. If they don’t care about the number 40 they are free to fast for however many days works for them.
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A wrestler was once asked, “Is professional wrestling real?” He replied, “What do you mean by ‘real’?” I think we are working with at least two different meanings for “Lent” – one conservative and one liberal. There are those who want to make it up to suit themselves and others who can count the days. Unless there is a new rule [always a possibility with those who prefer relativism], 40=40 the last time I checked. Does scripture say the ancient Hebrews spent “approximately” 40 years in the wilderness? Does scripture say Jesus spent “approximately” 40 days fasting in the desert? Did he really “fast” and was it really a “desert”? Then again, if you begin counting from sundown [the beginning of the Hebrew day] to Sunday morning, the Passion/Resurrection wasn’t three days; it was only 2 plus a fraction.
 
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