Lent - help!

[GWright]

Hi there

Please help with this:

It used to be that when I gave up things for lent, I kept off it until easter sunday.

However, the other day I read here that lent end on Holy Thursday evening (when we move into the Easter Tridumm). So, great, I thought - it means I can have beer earlier than easter sunday

But now I have read this:

What most people mean by “When does Lent end?” is “When does the Lenten fast end?” The answer to that question is Holy Saturday (the day before Easter Sunday), which is the 46th day since Ash Wednesday (if you include Ash Wednesday) but the 40th day of the Lenten fast. (For an explanation of the discrepancy, see How Are the 40 Days of Lent Calculated?)

Liturgically, however, Lent ends two days earlier, on Holy Thursday—at least since 1969, when the General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar , which govern the revised Roman calendar which is used in the celebration of the Novus Ordo Mass, were released. More specifically, paragraph 28 of the General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar states, “Lent runs from Ash Wednesday until the Mass of the Lord’s Supper exclusive.” In other words, liturgically speaking, Lent ends just before the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday evening.

catholicism.about.com/od/lent/f/When-Does-Lent-End.htm

This seems to suggest that, while the liturgical season of lent ends on Holy Thursday, the lenten fast doesnt end until Holy Saurday.

So my questions:

• is this right?
• even though we will move on from lent on Holy Thursday, do we still need to keep off our lentend sacrifices until easter sunday?
• why confuse people by having the liturgical season and fast ending at different times?

This is a perfect example of the needless confusion and ambiguity which so angers me about the church in modern times. Even the fact that the answer is ambiguous and open to interpretation somewhat devalues our efforts imo.

Many thanks if you can help.

 

[Iron_Donkey]

The practice of giving stuff up for Lent is entirely personal and not official in any way, so there is no official rule. You can do whatever makes sense to you (or nothing). I personally think it makes sense to continue until Easter, since Easter is the culmination of all things Lenten, though this culmination begins (if that makes sense) on Good Friday, the first day of the Triduum. If the idea is to fast from something until Christ is Risen, then waiting until Easter makes perfect sense.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

Lent ends and the Triduum begins on Holy Thursday. Since the Triduum is an even more sacred time than Lent it doesn’t make sense to me to say “now I can have whatever it was that I gave up for Lent.”

My personal view is that my Lenten fast lasts until after I have attended Mass for Easter. If it’s the Easter Vigil then my fast ends on Saturday night, if it’s Mass on Easter Sunday then my fast ends Sunday morning. Then bring it on because we’re celebrating!

 

[AlanFromWichita]

Jesus is gone from us for a couple of overnights, so quick get it while He isn’t watching?

 

[owensjo]

Lent ends and the Triduum begins on Holy Thursday. Since the Triduum is an even more sacred time than Lent it doesn’t make sense to me to say “now I can have whatever it was that I gave up for Lent.”

My personal view is that my Lenten fast lasts until after I have attended Mass for Easter. If it’s the Easter Vigil then my fast ends on Saturday night, if it’s Mass on Easter Sunday then my fast ends Sunday morning. Then bring it on because we’re celebrating!

I agree. I redouble my efforts to fast during the Triduum and end fasting Saturday night after the Easter Vigil.