Penitential Days and Abstinence

The penitential days and times in the universal Church are every Friday of the whole year and the season of Lent, unless a liturgical solemnity occurs on any of these days. Acts of penance, piety, and charity should be practiced on those days. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday there is an obligation to fast (for those between 18 and 59 years of age) and to abstain from meat (from the age of 14 onward). The law of fasting prescribes that only one full meal may be taken during the day while a light meal is allowed in the morning and at night with no other food at other times of the day. In the United States, on all Fridays of the year the National Conference of Bishops recommends abstinence from meat, prayer (ex. Way of the Cross), penance (especially eating less food), charity (ex. visiting the sick) and almsgiving. Abstinence from meat is obligatory on all the Fridays of Lent.