Are we still required to fast?

[knobbers24]

This past Sunday, our Priest mentioned during his homily, that Catholics are still required to fast on Wednesday’s and Friday’s throughout the year. I was not aware of this. Could someone please clarify if this is in fact true, and what are the fasting guidelines.

Thank you

 

[Fr.Charles_Grondin]

There is no requirement to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays (other than Ash Wednesday and Good Friday). However on Fridays throughout the year there is the basic obligation to abstain from meat:

Can. 1251 Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday.

Can. 1253 The conference of bishops can determine more precisely the observance of fast and abstinence as well as substitute other forms of penance, especially works of charity and exercises of piety, in whole or in part, for abstinence and fast.

However, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has determined that another form of penance may be substituted for abstinence from meat on Fridays outside of Lent. Fridays of Lent remain days of abstinence:

Among the works of voluntary self-denial and personal penance which we especially commend to our people for the future observance of Friday, even though we hereby terminate the traditional law of abstinence binding under pain of sin, as the sole prescribed means of observing Friday, we give first place to abstinence from flesh meat.

[Catholics in the US] are henceforth free from the obligation traditionally binding under pain of sin in what pertains to Friday abstinence, except as noted above for Lent.

Friday, please God,will acquire among us other forms of penitential witness which may become as much a part of the devout way of life in the future as Friday abstinence from meat.