The Laws on Fasting and Abstinence

Some Notes about Fasting and Abstinence

(Taken from Fr. Harold Parilla’s Facebook)

1. Abstinence means avoiding the consumption of meat, but eggs, milk products and condiments made of animal fat may be eaten. Chicken meat is covered by the prohibition on eating meat on days of abstinence.

Many commentators hold the opinion that the current law forbids only the meat of warm-blooded animals. Thus, the meat of cold-bloodied animals like frogs and turtles may be eaten on days of abstinence. [Hallelujah to lovers of exotic food!]

2. Abstinence from meat is required on all Fridays of the year (not just on Fridays of Lent), unless a solemnity falls on a Friday. The obligation of abstinence binds those who have completed their 14th year and older. The completion of the 14th year occurs at midnight at the end of one’s 14th birthday.

3. Fasting means eating only one full meal per day with two other lighter meals. The quantity of the “lighter meals” is to be measured according to local custom. In the Philippines, one prevalent standard holds that the two lighter meals should, when combined, not equal a full meal. This area leaves much room for individual estimation.

4. Fasting is obligatory only on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. The obligation to fast binds one beginning at midnight at the end of one’s 18th birthday up to midnight at the end of one’s 59th birthday. Note that the law on abstinence specifies the completion of the 14th year, while the law on fasting mentions the attainment of the age of majority until the beginning of the 60th year. [Praise God for the precision of canonical time!] No snacks are allowed in between meals on days of fasting.

5. Universal law provides that the conference of bishops can determine more particular ways in which fasting and abstinence are to be observed. The conference can substitute in place of abstinence and fasting other forms or penance, especially works of charity and exercises of piety (cf. can. 1253).

6. In view of can. 1253, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) prescribes that “Except on Good Friday and Ash Wednesday, abstinence may be substituted with exercises of piety, such as reading the Bible, going to Mass, visiting the Blessed Sacrament, praying the holy rosary, or with acts of charity, such as visiting the sick and prisoners, giving alms to the poor, or teaching catechism”. Based on the wording of the CBCP provision, it would seem that the list of exercises of piety and or acts of piety given is not exhaustive.

7. In light of universal law and the CBCP provision, the following can be said about fasting and abstinence in our context:

a. In the Philippines, fasting and abstinence remain obligatory on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. On these days, substitution is not permitted.
b. In the Philippines, on all other Fridays of the year, the faithful either abstains from meat or does exercises of piety or acts of charity.

8. An important presumption must be cited: the laws on fasting and abstinence bind only those who are healthy enough to observe them.

Gethsemane: a Poem

If the mass is in English, should the song repertoire be all English?

In the growing concern for good liturgy, many music ministries, whether in the parish, school or local community, would like to know how to choose appropriate songs for the mass.

One of the concerns is the use of language. In a repertoire for a particular liturgy, should we use one language according to the tongue used for the mass? If the mass is in English, should the songs be all English? If the mass is in Filipino, can we also sing Cebuano or English songs? This is a chance to use our pastoral judgment: What is best for the members of the gathered liturgical assembly.

Parish and worship communities nowadays are multi-lingual and diverse. In the Philippines, we are usually tri-lingual. We understand and speak English, Filipino and our own regional dialect. We are multi-cultural and thus our music ministries should respect this intercultural relationship within the gathered assembly.

To respect the diverse languages and ethnicities of the congregation, a bilingual or multi-lingual repertoire can help bring the gathered community together in sung praise. Choirs of the community must know their gathered assembly. What languages do they speak?

In an academic institution in Manila, where English and Filipino are modes for instruction, a bilingual repertoire is appropriate. But in a school like Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro City in Mindanao, a tri-lingual repertoire will fit the community: English, Filipino, and Cebuano. If a community knows Latin, then a latin song can be sung too; if not, don’t. The use of the vernacular is still the norm, “for the sake of a better comprehension of the mysteries being celebrated.” (General Instruction of Roman Missal, no. 12)

Furthermore, we can also use varied musical forms to encourage participation. We can use music with refrains, responses and even song translations as long as the translation does not violate the integrity of the original song.

Therefore, many liturgical leaders and musicians should compose and use their traditional music for worship. They know their culture, and thus they know how to incorporate various cultural expressions into the liturgy, particularly music. However, they have to ensure that the songs they sing are always theologically correct and appropriate for the parts of the mass.

The objective in judging the language of the mass is clear. It is the mandate of Vatican II in 1965. This is the dream: “full, conscious and active participation of the faithful.” Thus do everything to make the mass an experience.