Ash Wednesday Fast: What Do You Do?

[Basilisa Marie]

I have a question. Does milk count as food or drink?

 

I would say drink, but a milk shake or smoothie as food. 

 

Every year my mom would make an amazing seafood chowder or seafood alfredo for Ash Wednesday...I always worried about having a special feeling food for a fast day like that...but now it just seems like a good way for my family to kick off Lent.  Plus it's not like it was a complex recipe (bag of mixed seafood, simple white sauce).  

For Lentil soup, what I do is grab a bag of lentils and cook them according to the bag's instructions.  Lentils themselves are SUPER bland, so you can add as much or little seasoning that feels right.  I add carrots, onions, garlic, celery, tomatos, but keep my seasonings to mostly black pepper and salt.   I base it off this recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/lentil-soup/

[IcePrincessKRS]

I have a question. Does milk count as food or drink?

 

Drink.

 

Fasting The law of fasting requires a Catholic
from the 18th
Birthday [Canon 97] to the 59th Birthday [i.e. the beginning of
the 60th
year, a year which will be completed on the 60th birthday] to
reduce the amount of food eaten from normal. The Church defines this
as one meal a day, and two smaller meals which if added together
would not exceed the main
meal in quantity. Such fasting is obligatory on Ash Wednesday and
Good Friday. The fast is
broken by eating between meals and by drinks which could be
considered food (milk shakes,
but not milk). Alcoholic beverages do not break the fast; however,
they seem contrary to the spirit of doing penance.

 

http://www.ewtn.com/faith/lent/fast.htm

[cmaD2006]

Drink.

 

Fasting The law of fasting requires a Catholic
from the 18th
Birthday [Canon 97] to the 59th Birthday [i.e. the beginning of
the 60th
year, a year which will be completed on the 60th birthday] to
reduce the amount of food eaten from normal. The Church defines this
as one meal a day, and two smaller meals which if added together
would not exceed the main
meal in quantity. Such fasting is obligatory on Ash Wednesday and
Good Friday. The fast is
broken by eating between meals and by drinks which could be
considered food (milk shakes,
but not milk). Alcoholic beverages do not break the fast; however,
they seem contrary to the spirit of doing penance.

 

http://www.ewtn.com/faith/lent/fast.htm

And to remember ... if you cannot physically fast (ex: diabetics, hypoglycemics, etc) you are not obligated to.  You are however obligated to abstain from meat.