It never ceases to amaze me that people will do an internet search to find exactly what they’re looking to find, and then post here on CAF as if the web page that they found is some kind of infallible teaching of the Church.
I’ve already posted a link to the actual document from the US bishop’s conference that proves that what was posted from someone’s web blog is not an accurate depiction of what the document actually says.
In spite of that, some posters here still claim (albeit indirectly) that the web blog is to be trusted, while the bishops’ document is to be dismissed.
I’ll try again by quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
2041 The precepts of the Church are set in the context of a moral life bound to and nourished by liturgical life. The obligatory character of these positive laws decreed by the pastoral authorities is meant to guarantee to the faithful the very necessary minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in the growth in love of God and neighbor:
2043 The fourth precept (“You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church”) ensures the times of ascesis [sic.] and penance which prepare us for the liturgical feasts and help us acquire mastery over our instincts and freedom of heart.
vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c3a3.htm
No doubt, someone will do a google search and say “no, don’t trust the Catechism, trust this webpage instead”
