LENT begins on Ash Wednesday, March 1. The rules for fasting and abstinence are the following:
– Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days for fasting and abstinence, that is, no meat and one main meal only.
– On all other Fridays in Lent, penance should be practiced, that means, a time for prayer, self-denial (which may include fasting and no meat) and helping others in a special way.
Lent is a time for preparing for Easter, by attending especially to the Word of God and increasing the time we spend at prayer.