What is permissible during the Ash Wednesday fast?

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Can you drink beverages during the fast? How about tea or coffee? I’m a desk worker and I’m always sipping on something through the day and I was hoping to get some tea soon haha. Is it ok?
 
But milk is fine.

Nice to know if you take milk or cream in your beverage.
 
You will get varying answers on milk. We were taught, nothing liquid that is nourishment, so milk was out, but coffee and tea were ok without a Croixs are ok. Just my 2 cents.
 
You will get varying answers on pretty much everything.

From theUSCCB

Q.** I understand that Catholics ages 18 to 59 should fast on Ash Wednesday and on Good Friday, but what exactly are the rules for these fasts?**

A. Fasting on these days means we can have only one full, meatless meal. Some food can be taken at the other regular meal times if necessary, but combined they should be less than a full meal . Liquids are allowed at any time, but no solid food should be consumed between meals.

SO, they mention only “solid food.” If milk is considered a solid food, stay away.

Personally, milk, for me, isn’t.
 
According to the “Blessed Be God” prayer book if you live in the USA, we are to fast during the weekdays of Lent, but on Ash Wednesday and on Good Friday there is also complete abstinence, that means no meat can be eaten for the principled meal, that includes milk (anything that comes from an animal). My priest joking remarked “That is until the abomination that is known as skim milk was invented”. XD

Outside of Ash Wednesday and Good Friday (you shouldn’t be eating meat anyway on Fridays throughout the year) during Lent, you can eat meat for the principled meal. Two smaller meatless meals to maintain your strength can be eaten, but together they should not equal a full meal. Milk and fruit juices are permitted, and you can drink as much as you would like (but not eat).

Note: If your health or ability to function would be seriously affected by fasting, such as if you are a Soldier or work in a very labor intensive job, the law of fast does not oblige. But if you work say a desk job you should be fasting during Lent.
 
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Scott84 said:
you shouldn’t be eating meat anyway on Fridays throughout the year)
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That depends on where the OP lives. For instance, in the UK we are asked to go without meat on a Friday, but it isn’t a sin if we do something else for self=denial. In fact, our parish is putting on a hotpot supper next Friday as a fundraiser for a parish in Africa and that’s during Lent, note, so if even on a Lent Friday the abstinence rule can be disregarded, it shows how minor the custom is considered for the rest of the year…
 
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Ah yes! That is correct! I should have noted this was the fasting rules for the USA. I’ll make that little edit!
 
maryjk said:
You will get varying answers on pretty much everything.

From theUSCCB

Q.** I understand that Catholics ages 18 to 59 should fast on Ash Wednesday and on Good Friday, but what exactly are the rules for these fasts?**

A. Fasting on these days means we can have only one full, meatless meal. Some food can be taken at the other regular meal times if necessary, but combined they should be less than a full meal . Liquids are allowed at any time, but no solid food should be consumed between meals.

SO, they mention only “solid food.” If milk is considered a solid food, stay away.

Personally, milk, for me, isn’t.
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There’s also nothing which defines a “full meal” either so I guess it’s flexible. Obviously if you decide to have a huge feast as your full meal then that’s not exactly the spirit of the fast.

As for liquids I’m water only. I enjoy coffee and juices so all the more reason to add these to the fast as penance on this day.
 
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Sbee0 said:
There’s also nothing which defines a “full meal” either so I guess it’s flexible. Obviously if you decide to have a huge feast as your full meal then that’s not exactly the spirit of the fast.
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It also depends on the person. I, a stationary programmer, require less calories than say, a lumberjack. My full meal could be his small meal or a snack.
 
Sbee0 said:
As for liquids I’m water only. I enjoy coffee and juices so all the more reason to add these to the fast as penance on this day.
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Now in my case I normally drink soda like an alcoholic! I never touch fruit juices lol. So as part of my penance for Lent I am abstaining from soda and am switching to fruit juices. It’s a big adjustment for me.
 
Scott84 said:
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Sbee0:
As for liquids I’m water only. I enjoy coffee and juices so all the more reason to add these to the fast as penance on this day.
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Now in my case I normally drink soda like an alcoholic! I never touch fruit juices lol. So as part of my penance for Lent I am abstaining from soda and am switching to fruit juices. It’s a big adjustment for me.
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How about considering water for some of those drinks? Better for your teeth. Fruit juices are horrendously acidic.
 
The OP might check and see if her local bishop has said anything more specific. In the letter my bishop sent out on fasting and abstinence, he specifically says: “Eating between meals is not permitted on these two days [i.e. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday], but liquids including milk and fruit juices are allowed.”

So the way my bishop interprets it, drinking milk or fruit juice throughout the day does not break the fast.

Personally, I go with just water on these days. I wouldn’t ordinarily drink a glass of milk other than at meal times anyway, though.
 
No there isn’t anything that defines a full meal.

My full meal is very different than my 23 year son’s full meal. And that is different than my husband’s full meal.

Limiting my son to my full meal would not allow him to function.
 
Rather than a prayer book, I tend to check the USCCB site.

That way I am following the current rules give to us.
 
Go vegan just to be safe.

I do are least. I have Ritz crackers in the morning with some water.

In the evening I have more Ritz with a bunch of daiya cheese on it plus water with a bit of lemon.

If I get hungry before midnight, I suck on an ice cube.
 
Only those two days? I thought all Fridays in lent were fast days.
 
All fridays are meatless days. They can be fasted. Every day aside from Sunday is when you observe your Lenten abstention.

I happen to fast on every day of holy week too (two small meals) and then nothing on holy Saturday, since jesus is in hell. I then go bananas and eat like mad on Easter.

My personal observance though
 
Huh, interesting. I wonder why I thought Fridays were fast days…
 
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