Rules of Lent: Right or wrong

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Vikki2973

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I grew up as a strict Catholic. No meats on any Friday. Mass every weekend, prayers at night kinda thing. But recently i was talking to a friendof mine and she told me that during lent she would take Sundays off from penance. She would allow herself to have whatever she had given for lent. Is this a normal thing or is she wrong?
 
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I know i already asked about lent but Traditional Catholicism
Yeah i am aware i asked about lent already but next question is about other part of where i readed serval forum about how lent is not included in sunday and this is what confuses me actually so we just absent from enything we decided and then on sunday we are alowed to eat what we asbent like candy chocolate what ever you decided to or its its something diffrend could you explain to me a little better how this works? Please try to be detailed with me because i hardly get things when is to shor…
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Giving up something for Lent is a pious custom. As such, there aren’t rules about when or how you should do things.

You can treat Sundays are little Easters if you wish or you can observe your fast every day. It really comes down to how you can best observe your Lenten practice.
 
SuscipeMeDomine said:
Giving up something for Lent is a pious custom. As such, there aren’t rules about when or how you should do things.
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The only “rules” in the Western Church are the ones set by the specific countries / dioceses that usually require fasting and abstinence on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and abstinence on all other Fridays in Lent.
Sundays (and all days other than Fridays and Ash Wednesday) are not addressed so people can do what they want.
 
There was a phone call on the radio today with the same question (I think David Anders) said if for instance you gave up chocolate, you could have maybe one piece on Sunday. I didn’t get the why - something about Sundays being outside of Lent? Help @ Tis_Bearself.
 
As I think we discussed on the other thread, there’s a tradition in the Church that Sunday is not supposed to be a fast day or other type of penitential day. So people tend to regard it as a “cheat” day when you can have whatever you give up the rest of the week, within moderation and reason. Since giving stuff up for Lent other than on church-required fast and abstinence days (which in the Western Church never fall on Sunday) is voluntary and optional, you can structure your personal fast the way you want.
If you want to fast or “give up” something on Sunday, you can. If you don’t want to, that’s okay too.
 
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Vikki2973 said:
I grew up as a strict Catholic. No meats on any Friday. Mass every weekend, prayers at night kinda thing. But recently i was talking to a friend of mine and she told me that during lent she would take Sundays off from penance. She would allow herself to have whatever she had given for lent. Is this a normal thing or is she wrong?
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Originally the 40 days penance was the catechumens preparation for Baptism on Holy Saturday. If one considers the earlier traditions there are four penitential seasons:
  • Fall: preparation for the Nativity, December 25.
  • Winter: preparation for Easter (Pascha), first Sunday after full moon after March 21.
  • Spring: preparation for Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, June 30.
  • Summer: preparation for the Dormition (Assumption of the BVM), August 15.
Much has changed liturgically. Pope Paul VI explained that we should make penance for our sins through prayer, charity, and asceticism. Asceticism is emphasized where there is more prosperity. See:
Paenitemini Paenitemini (February 17, 1966) | Paul VI
“It is strongly recommended to all the faithful that they keep deeply rooted in their hearts a genuine Christian spirit of penitence to spur them to accomplish works of charity and penitence.”
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just a further example, wheras in the united states, abistinance on Fridays is required, here in Canada, our bishops have allowed us to substitute other penances besides just abistinance from meat, if we so choose, on Fridays, even during lent
 
I did say “specific countries” that “usually require”. I realize there are some differences between different countries, and sometimes even between different dioceses in one country. However, no country or diocese to my knowledge ever requires fast or abstinence on a Sunday.
 
Yes, now I remember. Your first sentence is what Anders said. Thanks for the clarification.
 
angell1 said:
just a further example, wheras in the united states, abistinance on Fridays is required, here in Canada, our bishops have allowed us to substitute other penances besides just abistinance from meat, if we so choose, on Fridays, even during lent
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Australia has that observance as well. Maybe like Canada, our culture regards fish as a treat meal. Barramundi is abundant off our tropical coastline, is superb compared to red meat. We are better off deciding on a genuinely abstinence worthy food or activity on Fridays.
 
The tricky thing is I don’t really know the rules for my country because I can’t find them anywhere other than fasting n those two days.
 
Sundays and Feast days through the lenten season we can abstain from the abstaining. It is not cheating, it is a centuries old tradition.
As well as Fridays there are also the Ember days next week. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. These days are reserved for fasting, penance and almsgiving also, by some religious orders and others.
 
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“Cheat day” is a popular expression for a day when one permissibly goes off a diet or a fasting/ ascetic program.

It does not imply actual cheating. It’s just a slang word.
 
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