Q. Yo! Ram! Is today Ash Wednesday?
A. Yes it is!
Q. Is it a holy day of obligation?
A. No it is not.
Q. But I guess it would be nice for me to attend Mass today...
A. Yup! As with every other day
Q. Lol! Then remind me what the Church requests us to do during this period of Lent...
A. Well first of all Lent is the 40 days preparation period for the most important celebration in the Church calendar: Easter or the resurrection of Christ. As we've said before here, this one historical fact is so central to the Church's life that she celebrates its anniversary not just annually as we do with birthdays and wedding anniversaries, but every week. Every Sunday is an anniversary celebration of that first great Easter Sunday.
The 40 days of Lent (which strictly speaking don't include in their tally the 6 Sundays of Lent when traditionally faithful would take a break from their fasts and penances) also commemorate and imitate Jesus' own 40 days of fasting and penance in the desert.
Q. Ok. So what can I do to live this Lent well?
A. Well the Church has traditionally advised 3 things: fasting, prayer and almsgiving.
She has asked us to fast on 2 days: Ash Wednesday (today) and Good Friday.
Q. Where fasting means...
A. …means instead of taking the normal 3 meals that many people manage, take only one and then replace the other two with a light snack. Some people though, out of personal devotion, make it a complete fast: they completely skip even those two light snacks.
Fasting also traditionally includes abstinence: that on the two days of fasting as well as on every Friday of Lent we don't eat chicken or red meat or products made with these.
Q. But I can eat fish, right?
A. Yes.
Q. Ok. Thanks! Have to run... Will catch you later...
A. Cheers!
10thFebruary 2016