Holy Saturday

[ardillacid]

I was told that we are to fast and abstain until noon tomorrow. Is this true?

Edited August 17, 2011 by Lil Red

[TeresaBenedicta]

Nope.

Fasting regulations oblige Catholics to fast and abstain on two days of the year: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Abstinence during Fridays during Lent; some form of penance on Fridays during the rest of the year.

[cappie]

Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy: "110. During Lent penance should not be only internal and individual, but also external and social. The practice of penance should be fostered in ways that are possible in our own times and in different regions, and according to the circumstances of the faithful; it should be encouraged by the authorities mentioned in Art. 22.

Nevertheless, let the paschal fast be kept sacred. Let it be celebrated everywhere on Good Friday and, where possible, prolonged throughout Holy Saturday, so that the joys of the Sunday of the resurrection may be attained with uplifted and clear mind."

While currently it's only Good Friday (and Ash Wednesday) that is officially a day of fast and abstinence, the long-standing tradition of the Catholic Church is to celebrate the period leading to the Easter Vigil as a time of fasting and preparation. So, there is a strong tradition in the Catholic Church for observing a period of fast/abstinence/etc. during the period following the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday and the Easter Vigil beginning in the evening of Holy Saturday.

These days of Paschal fasting a preparation, while distinct from Lent, are earlier in origin in the Catholic Christian tradition and no less deserving of our Catholic observation.