Some commentators often respond disdainfully to these texts by arguing that they are nothing more than “copy and paste.” They haven’t discovered gunpowder. It is evident that, to write a weekly column with the aim of launching an ecclesial topic for reflection, amid work obligations and others, it is necessary to resort to more learned sources; for what is at stake here is disclosing knowledge and raising questions so that from them arises in us the interest in greater formation in the faith. Whoever despises the texts because they expect original dissertations as if it were a doctoral investigation, simply, can choose not to read them.
That said, we offer today a translation of an article originally published in English by Matthew Plese on the One Peter Five portal a few years ago that, unfortunately, seems to have disappeared from the portal in its original version. Everything that follows is a literal translation of that article.
The observance of Lent is the very badge of the Christian struggle. With it we demonstrate that we are not enemies of Christ. With it we avoid the scourges of divine justice. With it we gain strength against the princes of darkness, because it protects us with heavenly help. If men were to become negligent in their observance of Lent, it would be a detriment to the glory of God, a disgrace to the Catholic religion, and a danger to Christian souls. Nor can it be doubted that such negligence would become a source of misery for the world, of public calamity, and of private affliction
(Words of Pope Benedict XIV, 1740 – 1758).
The sacred season of Lent, called the Great Fast by our Eastern Catholic brethren, was instituted by the Apostles themselves, as Dom Gueranger writes:
The fast of forty days, which we call Lent, is the Church’s preparation for Easter, and was instituted at the very beginning of Christianity. Our blessed Lord Himself sanctioned it by fasting forty days and forty nights in the desert; and though He did not impose it on the world by an express commandment (which, in that case, could not have been open to the power of dispensation), nevertheless, He showed with sufficient clarity, by His own example, that the fast, which God had so frequently ordered in the old Law, the children of the new were also to observe… The Apostles, therefore, legislated for our weakness, by instituting, at the very outset of the Christian Church, that the solemnity of Easter was to be preceded by a universal fast; and it was natural that they should have made this period of penance consist of forty days, since our divine Master had consecrated that number by His own fast.
Lent, based on the three pillars of prayer, the fast and the almsgiving, is the principal period of penance of the year and must be observed with the greatest rigor out of love for God, who instituted this time for our healing. Due to the primary importance of Lent, over time, the history and customs of prayers, fasting, abstinence, and almsgiving have been part of the annual Catholic life. This Lent, adopt some of these principles, especially those of fasting, which our ancestors in the faith observed gladly.
Lenten Fasting
Lenten fasting is a cornerstone of Lent and rediscovering the true Catholic fast for Lent is necessary to resurrect Christendom. Lenten fasting began under the Apostles themselves and was practiced in various forms. St. Augustine, in the 4th century, commented: “Our fast at any other time is voluntary; but during Lent, we sin if we do not fast.” In the time of St. Gregory the Great, in the early 7th century, the fast was universally established to begin on what we know as Ash Wednesday. Although the name “Ash Wednesday” was not given to the day until Pope Urban II in 1099, the day was known as the “Beginning of the fast.”
As for the Good Friday fast in particular, Canon 89 of the Council in Trullo in 692 A.D. accounts for the piety and devotion of the faithful of that time: “The faithful, who spend the days of the Salutatory Passion in fasting, prayer, and contrition of heart, must fast until midnight on Great Saturday: for the divine evangelists, Matthew and Luke, have shown us how late at night [the resurrection took place].” That tradition of fasting on Holy Saturday until midnight would last for centuries.
Historical records also indicate that Lent was not a merely regional practice observed only in Rome. It was part of the universality of the Church. Lenten fasting began in England, for example, at some point during the reign of Eardwulf, King of Kent, who converted thanks to the missionary work of St. Augustine of Canterbury in England. During the Middle Ages, fasting in England, and in many other then-Catholic nations, was required both by Church law and by civil law. Catholic missionaries brought fasting, which is an integral part of the faith, to all the lands they visited.
The rules on fasting remained largely in place for hundreds of years. The meal was to be taken once a day after sunset. At midnight, the fast resumed and ended only after the sun had set again on the horizon. But soon the relaxations would begin.
In the 8th century, the time of the daily meal was moved to the hour when the monks prayed the Office of None in the Divine Office. This office is celebrated around 3 p.m. As a consequence of advancing the meal during the day, the practice of a collation was introduced. The well-documented Father Francis Xavier Weiser summarizes this important change with fasting: “However, it was not until the 9th century that less rigid fasting laws were introduced. It happened in 817, when the Benedictine order monks, who worked a lot in the fields and farms, were allowed to take a little drink with a piece of bread in the evening… Over time, the Church extended the new laws to the laity as well, and by the end of the medieval period they had become a universal practice; everyone took a small supper in addition to the main midday meal.”
In 604, in a letter to St. Augustine of Canterbury, Pope St. Gregory the Great announced the form that abstinence would take on fasting days. This form would last almost a thousand years: “We abstain from meat and from all things that come from meat: milk, cheese, and eggs”. When the fast was observed, abstinence was always observed as well.
Through the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas, we can learn how Lent was practiced in his time and try to observe such practices voluntarily in our own lives. Lenten fasting, as mentioned by St. Thomas Aquinas, consisted of the following:
- Monday through Saturday were fasting days. The meal was taken at noon and a collation was allowed in the evening, except on black fast days.
- All meat or animal products were forbidden throughout Lent.
- Abstinence from these foods was maintained even on Lenten Sundays, although fasting was not practiced on Sundays.
- No food was to be eaten on Ash Wednesday or Good Friday
- Holy Week was a more intense fast consisting only of bread, salt, water, and herbs.
Lenten fasting included fasting from all dairy products, which included butter, cheese, eggs, and animal products. From this tradition, Easter eggs were introduced, and therefore, the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday is when pancakes are traditionally eaten to use up the leftovers of dairy products. And similarly, Fat Tuesday is known as carnival, which comes from the Latin words carne levare, literally the farewell to meat.
In the 14th century, the meal had begun to advance steadily until it started to be held even at 12 o’clock. The change became so common that it became part of Church discipline. An interesting but often unknown fact is that because the monks prayed the liturgical hour of None before eating, the custom of calling noon “noon” entered our vocabulary as a result of fasting. With the advancement of the meal, the afternoon collation was maintained.
Some of the most significant changes in fasting occurred under the reign of Pope Benedict XIV, between 1740 and 1758. On May 31, 1741, Pope Benedict XIV issued the bull Non ambiginius, which granted permission to eat meat on fasting days, while explicitly prohibiting the consumption of fish and meat in the same meal on all fasting days of the year, in addition to Sundays during Lent. Previously, the forty days of Lent were observed as days of total abstinence from meat. The concept of partial abstinence was born, although the term would not appear until the 1917 Code of Canon Law. Unfortunately, Lent would only continue to diminish in the coming centuries.
Father Anthony Ruff recounts in his article “Fasting and Abstinence: The Story” the changes made by Pope Leo XIII in the document titled Indultum quadragesimale as an additional modification to the changes introduced by Pope Benedict XIV.
In 1886, Leo XIII allowed the consumption of meat, eggs, and dairy products on Lenten Sundays and in the main meal on all weekdays [of Lent], except Wednesdays and Fridays. Holy Saturday was not included in the dispensation. A small piece of bread was allowed in the morning with coffee, tea, chocolate, or a similar drink.
Although the evening collation had become widespread since the 14th century, the practice of an additional morning collation was introduced only in the 19th century as part of the gradual relaxation of the discipline.
The Catechism of Father Patrick Powers, published in Ireland in 1905, mentions that abstinence includes meat and “any product of animal origin, such as milk, butter, cheese, and eggs.” However, Father Patrick notes that “in some countries, however, milk is permitted at meals.” The United States was one of those nations, while Ireland and other countries did not obtain such dispensations. The use of eggs and milk during Lent would change drastically with the 1917 Code of Canon Law.
For more information on how Lenten fasting deteriorated rapidly in the 20th century, see the article Fasting in the 20th Century Before Vatican II (Fasting Part 7: Fasting in the 1900s Pre-Vatican II | The Fatima Center). With this history in mind, we can better understand the importance of Lenten fasting for our ancestors and rediscover in our own lives this Lent the celebration of Lent as forty days of fasting and forty-six days of abstinence, even from dairy products, to continue these immemorial practices. It is not too late to commit to some form of bodily penance for the rest of Lent.
Lenten Prayers
Lent also focuses on prayer, and fortunately, many Catholics still pray the Stations of the Cross every Friday of Lent, which carries indulgences for those who fulfill the conditions. In addition to this practice, praying the indulgenced prayer to the Cross every Friday of Lent (Fasting Part 7: Fasting in the 1900s Pre-Vatican II | The Fatima Center) should be something that more Catholics rediscover.
In addition, every day of Lent has a special church in Rome. These churches usually have a connection with the readings and prayers of the traditional Mass of that day, especially for catechumens, and reading about the daily churches is a practice worth doing this Lent (Fasting Part 7: Fasting in the 1900s Pre-Vatican II | The Fatima Center).
Similarly, it would be negligence on our part not to try to attend Holy Mass more frequently during this sacred season and, even on days when we cannot attend, to read the prayers of the Missal (1962 or earlier), since every day of Lent has its own Mass, as Dom Gueranger points out:
Every weekday of Lent has its own Mass; whereas, in Advent, the Mass of the preceding Sunday is repeated during the week. This richness of the Lenten liturgy is a powerful means for us to enter into the spirit of the Church, as it thus presents us, in many ways, with the sentiments appropriate for this holy time… All this will provide us with very solid instruction; and as the selections from the Bible, which are presented to us each day, are not only some of the best in the sacred volume, but are also especially appropriate for Lent, their attentive reading will produce a double advantage.
Lenten Almsgiving
In addition to prayer and fasting, almsgiving is one of the main means of penance we perform during Lent. Almsgiving refers to giving to the poor. By giving to the poor, we repair sins, as we see in the poor the person of Christ Himself. Although it is not strictly almsgiving, giving our time to visit the sick, the elderly, or the imprisoned also repairs sin. Our Lord at the end of time will judge all, and He will judge us by the works of mercy. All will be judged by them.
May the restoration in our own lives of this Lent of increased prayer, fasting, and almsgiving be for the glory of God and the glory of Christendom.