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.

Ginawa Tayo Upang Maging Parte ng Ibang Buhay

Gaano ka ba kadalas malungkot? Nararamdaman ang lungkot hindi lamang sa pag-iisa, kundi sa gitna ng maraming tao, sa isang party, o kaya’y pagkatapos manood ng sine. Minsan saglit ang lungkot kapag biglang naalala mo ang iyong kabiyak at hindi mo siya kapiling. Bakit nga ba hindi napapawi ang kalungkutan?

Nangagaling ang kalungkutan sa isang uhaw na nasa pinakarurok ng ating puso. Natural sa atin ang hanapin ang kukumpleto sa ating buhay – at madalas ito’y isang tao din. Makikita ito sa salitang pag-ibig o pagkaka-ibigan: Hindi magiging pag-ibig kapag walang umiibig, at walang iniibig. Ginawa tayo ng Diyos upang maging parte ng buhay ng iba, to whom we can belong to. At hindi tayo kumpleto kapag hindi tayo bahagi ng ibang buhay.

Ito ang nararamdaman natin kapag hinahatid natin ang isang kapamilya sa airport, o nagpapaalam tayo sa isang kaibigan. Ito rin ang nararamdaman kapag hindi tayo makatulog kasi meron tayong nami-miss sa buhay. The person we love the most is the person we miss the most – and always. Itong pagka-uhaw na ito, itong kalungkutan ay isang biyayang bigay ng Diyos upang hindi natin makalimutan ang mga taong nasa puso natin. Ipagdasal natin sila ngayong araw.

Ang Tasang Kape sa Ating Buhay

Pagnilayan natin ang ating buhay sa pamamagitan ng paggamit ng larawan ng tasang puno ng mainit at masarap na kape sa umaga. Pagmasdan natin ang ating mga tasa. Kadalasan yari ito sa iba’t ibang materyales tulad ng plastic o sa mga tinatawag na stonewares, yari ang tasa sa luwad.

Wika ni San Pablo, katulad natin ang mga tasang yari sa luwad. Bagaman marupok at hindi magtatagal, ang bawat tao ay piniling tirahan ng Diyos. At dahil nananahan ang Espiritu ng Diyos sa atin, ang bawat tao’y templo at instrumento ng kanyang mga biyaya. Hindi ba’t, mas masarap ang kare-kareng niluto sa kalang yari sa luad. Mas malasa ang kanin, lalu na ang tutong, kapag niluto sa apoy-kahoy at natural na paso? At kapag napagsasaluhan ang kare-kare at kanin, ito’y nakakabusog sa lahat.

Ito ang kape’t pandasal. Pinagninilayan natin ang “kape” sa ating buhay. Ang mga nakakapuno sa ating hungkag na puso. Pinaglalaanan natin ng panahon sa simula ng ating araw, ang Diyos na nagbibigay-buhay sa ating mahinang kalooban. Ginawa ang tasa para sa masarap at nagbibigay-sayang laman nito. Dahil dito, pagdasal natin na hindi mawala sa ating isipan ang mga nakakabusog sa ating mga puso.