Code of Canon Law Chapter II Days of Penance. (n.d.) Vatican.va. Retrieved December 15, 2008, from
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P4O.HTM
Can. 1249 The divine law binds all the Christian
faithful to do penance each in his or her own way. In order for all to be united
among themselves by some common observance of penance, however, penitential days
are prescribed on which the Christian faithful devote themselves in a special
way to prayer, perform works of piety and charity, and deny themselves by
fulfilling their own obligations more faithfully and especially by observing
fast and abstinence, according to the norm of the following canons.
Can. 1250 The penitential days and times in the
universal Church are every Friday of the whole year and the season of Lent.
Can. 1251 Abstinence from meat, or from some other
food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all
Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are
to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
Can. 1252 The law of abstinence binds those who have
completed their fourteenth year. The law of fasting binds those who have
attained their majority, until the beginning of their sixtieth year. Pastors of
souls and parents are to ensure that even those who by reason of their age are
not bound by the law of fasting and abstinence, are taught the true meaning of
penance.
Can. 1253 The conference of bishops can determine
more precisely the observance of fast and abstinence as well as substitute other forms of penance,
especially works of charity and exercises of piety, in whole or in part, for abstinence and fast.
National Conference of Catholic Bishops. "Pastoral
Statement on Penance and Abstinence" November 18, 1966.
"24. Among the works of voluntary self-denial and
personal penance which we especially commend to our people for the future
observance of Friday, even though we hereby terminate the traditional law of
abstinence binding under pain of sin, as the sole prescribed means of observing
Friday, we give first place to abstinence from flesh meat. We do so in hopes
that the Catholic community will ordinarily continue to abstain from meat by
free choice as formerly we did in obedience to Church law."
Stapp, Mike. "More about Fasting and Abstinence" (n.d.)
BeginningCatholic.com Retrieved December 15, 2008, from
http://www.beginningcatholic.com/precepts-of-the-catholic-church.html
"Abstinence means not eating meat (fish is not
considered meat in this case). All Catholics 14 and older are required to observe
abstinence on these days:
- Ash Wednesday, Good Friday (the Friday before Easter), and all Fridays in Lent.
- Outside the U.S., this is required on all Fridays of the year, in honor of the Passion of Jesus on Good Friday.
- In the U.S., it is still strongly recommended to observe Friday abstinence outside of Lent, but Catholics
may choose to substitute another penitential practice or act of charity for these days.
All Catholics age 18 to 59 are required to fast on
Ash Wednesday and Good Friday."
