Would anyone know how the 40 days of fasting is done and explain to me how it is done. What exactly are you supposed to do in Sundays, can you eat or what do you do. Please someone enlighten me I am not too familiar with this subject. Thank you very much and God Bless all of you who help me answer this question.
Gearing up for Lent already, eh! You’re certainly keen
I’m assuming you’re Latin rite Catholic rather than Eastern Rite in the following answer.
The basics are that fasting (eating the equivalent of two moderate-sized meals without snacking) is required on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Abstinence (not eating meat) is required on those same two days and on every other Friday in Lent.
Some form of penance is required right throughout Lent. Some choose to exclude the Sundays, since Sunday is a mini-Easter and should be a day to rejoice rather than do penance. Some bishops relax the Lenten discipline for certain feasts such as St Patrick or St Joseph too - consult your local diocese for this. If you do the math I think the ‘40 days’ of Lent comes out to the Lenten period minus the Sundays, so someone has factored this in!
Truth is some penitential act would seem to be required on all Fridays of the year, though apologist Jimmy Akin disagrees. What form this and your Lenten penance takes is up to you - whether you pray more, do more charitable works, fast or abstain from meat, give up some other food such as sweets or coffee, refrain from or reduce recreations such as internet or TV or what have you.
Most parishes will publish the rules of Lenten discipline in their churches and/or bulletins prior to Ash Wednesday each year so’s you know precisely where you stand.
