Question about Lent fasting

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On several days during Lent, we are supposed to fast, with the rule we can have one full (but meatless) meal, and two smaller meals that together are not as large as that meal. Similarly, on Fridays during lent, we are to abstain from meat. All that is easy to understand. What I"m confused about is what exactly constitutes a day for the purposes of fasting. Is it midnight to midnight (as we now commonly think of days) or sundown to sundown (which was the more traditional definition)? To use Ash Wednesday as an example, does that mean the fasting period starts at midnight on Wednesday and lasts until midnight on Thursday, or does it start at sundown on Tuesday and last to sundown on Wednesday?
 
Latin Catholics I’ve known always use midnight to midnight.

If you get hungry you simply stay up till the clock goes past midnight and eat then.
 
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Tis_Bearself said:
Latin Catholics I’ve known always use midnight to midnight.

If you get hungry you simply stay up till the clock goes past midnight and eat then.
Click to expand...
It’s not just the Latin Catholics you’ve know; it’s the law. A day for legal purposes, which includes fasting and abstinence, is always 24 hours, midnight to midnight, according to the civil time system in use (CIC can. 202)
 
pretty sure midnight to midnight would be how that works. Me personally I have to be very careful with fasting. I’m very thin as it is and missing meals gives me bad headaches, and yes I do eat. I’m just naturally super thin
 
porthos11 said:
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Tis_Bearself:
Latin Catholics I’ve known always use midnight to midnight.

If you get hungry you simply stay up till the clock goes past midnight and eat then.
Click to expand...
It’s not just the Latin Catholics you’ve know; it’s the law. A day for legal purposes, which includes fasting and abstinence, is always 24 hours, midnight to midnight, according to the civil time system in use (CIC can. 202)
Click to expand...
I always fast midnight to midnight, but a strong case can be made for vespers to vespers.

Tomorrow, for example, the Byzantine Rite churches will celebrate Forgiveness Vespers. This is celebrated on the Sunday of Cheesefare and officially begins the Great Fast.

Having said that, my parish is having Forgiveness Vespers rather early in the afternoon and I don’t intend to start my personal fast until Monday
 
It’s my understanding that drinking milk or juice in between meals does not invalidate the fast. However, a milkshake, meal substitute shake, or a fruit smoothing very well may. People with health concerns are exempt. Others please correct me if I’m wrong.
 
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I don’t have any formal health concerns per se (no formal concerns expressed by doctors), but I’m just unsure of given my current height and weight if it would be good for my health. At the very least I will abide with not eating flesh meat on Ash Wednesday or on fridays during Lent. I’m trying to compile a list of fish meals I can have
 
What are the age rules for fasting and abstinence on Ash Wednesday, Fridays during Lent and Good Friday? Thanks
 
2 days of Lent are days of fasting for certain people. One regular meal and two meals that would be half a meal. Imagine a pizza. If you would normally eat 2 slices and a salad for a meal, eat one slice or just a salad for your other two small meals.

7 days require to not eat meat.

The midnight to midnight thing is straining at gnats and swallowing camels. If you are going to have a double Big Mac in hand just waiting until 12:01 AM, does that really seem to be spiritually beneficial?
 
If you’re between the ages of 18-59 you’re allowed one full meal and two smaller meals that don’t equal the full meal
 
babochka said:
40.png
porthos11:
40.png
Tis_Bearself:
Latin Catholics I’ve known always use midnight to midnight.

If you get hungry you simply stay up till the clock goes past midnight and eat then.
Click to expand...
It’s not just the Latin Catholics you’ve know; it’s the law. A day for legal purposes, which includes fasting and abstinence, is always 24 hours, midnight to midnight, according to the civil time system in use (CIC can. 202)
Click to expand...
I always fast midnight to midnight, but a strong case can be made for vespers to vespers.

Tomorrow, for example, the Byzantine Rite churches will celebrate Forgiveness Vespers. This is celebrated on the Sunday of Cheesefare and officially begins the Great Fast.

Having said that, my parish is having Forgiveness Vespers rather early in the afternoon and I don’t intend to start my personal fast until Monday
Click to expand...
Not for Latins. There are no arguments or exceptions for us. For us it is always midnight to midnight. That’s our law.
 
I am very slender also and I have type 1 diabetes so I do not do the fast. I am five feet two and three quarter inches tall and weigh 93 pounds.
 
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All right, so it is midnight to midnight. That’s what I thought but I wanted to make sure, as the things I read about Lent didn’t specify what the starting point for a day was considered in Lent. Thanks!
 
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