What does the word "Lent" mean?

Why ashes on Ash Wednesday?

What are the official rules for fasting and abstinence?

Why do we give things up for Lent?

What are the Scrutinies?

Should I go to Confession during Lent?

What are the "three pillars of Lent"?

Why Stations of the Cross?

Why Palms on Palm Sunday?

When does Lent end?

What is the Triduum?

How are Lent and Baptism connected?

Why meatless Fridays?

Are Sundays part of Lent?

Are chicken and fish considered meat?

What feasts are celebrated during Lent?

What determines the date Easter Sunday falls on or when Lent begins?

Ashes

Ash Wednesday liturgies are some of the best attended in the entire year. Ashes are an ancient symbol of repentance (sackcloth and ashes). They also remind us of our mortality ("remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return") and thus of the day when we will stand before God and be judged. This can be linked easily to the death and resurrection motif of Baptism. To prepare well for the day we die, we must die now to sin and rise to new life in Christ. Being marked with ashes at the beginning of Lent indicates our recognition of the need for deeper conversion of our lives during this season of renewal. Thus the importance of this tradition is to remind us that we are entering a period of prayer and spiritual renewal, fasting and almsgiving.

What is the Church's official position concerning penance and abstinence from meat during Lent?

In 1966 Pope Paul VI reorganized the Church's practice of public penance in his "Apostolic Constitution on Penance" (Poenitemini). The 1983 revision of the Code of Canon Law incorporated the changes made by Pope Paul. Not long after that, the U.S. bishops applied the canonical requirements to the practice of public penance in our country.

To sum up those requirements: Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59 are obliged to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. In addition, all Catholics 14 years old and older must abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all the Fridays of Lent.

Fasting as explained by the U.S. bishops means partaking of only one full meal. Some food (not equaling another full meal) is permitted at breakfast and around midday or in the evening—depending on when a person chooses to eat the main or full meal.

Abstinence forbids the use of meat, but not of eggs, milk products or condiments made of animal fat.

According to Father John Huels in The Pastoral Companion (Franciscan Herald Press), abstinence does not include meat juices and liquid foods made from meat. Thus, such foods as chicken broth, consommé, soups cooked or flavored with meat, meat gravies or sauces, as well as seasonings or condiments made from animal fat are not forbidden. So it is permissible to use margarine and lard.

Huels states that even bacon drippings which contain little bits of meat may be poured over lettuce as seasoning. And Huels notes that no one considers gelatin or Jell-O to be meat.

Huels gives a norm long used by moral theologians: If in doubt whether a particular food is considered meat, look to the common estimation of persons in the area. Custom is the best interpreter of the law.

Each year in publishing the Lenten penance requirements, the U.S. bishops quote the teaching of the Holy Father concerning the seriousness of observing these days of penance. The obligation to do penance is a serious one; the obligation to observe, as a whole or "substantially," the days of penance is also serious.

But no one should be scrupulous in this regard; failure to observe individual days of penance is not considered serious. Moral theologians remind us that some people are legitimately excused from fasting and/or abstinence because of sickness or other reasons.

In his "Apostolic Constitution on Penance," Pope Paul VI did more than simply reorganize Church law concerning fast and abstinence. He reminded us of the divine law that each of us in our own way do penance. We must all turn from sin and make reparation to God for our sins. We must forgive and show love for one another just as we ask for God's love and forgiveness.

The Code of Canon Law and our bishops remind us of other works and means of doing penance: prayer, acts of self-denial, almsgiving and works of personal charity. Attending Mass daily or several times a week, praying the rosary, making the way of the cross, attending the parish evening prayer service, teaching the illiterate to read, reading to the blind, helping at a soup kitchen, visiting the sick and shut-ins and giving an overworked mother a break by baby-sitting—all of these can be even more meaningful and demanding than simply abstaining from meat on Friday.

Who are excused from fast or abstinence?

Besides those outside the age limits, those of unsound mind, the sick, the frail, pregnant or nursing women according to need for meat or nourishment,  manual laborers according to need, guests at a meal who cannot excuse themselves without giving great offense or causing enmity and other situations of moral or physical impossibility to observe the penitential discipline.

The day before Ash Wednesday, many people will celebrate the "feast before the fast" with Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras (French for "Fat Tuesday"), as we know it today, actually comes from "Shrove Tuesday" (traditionally called Shrovetide, the word "shrove" coming from the word "confess"). Shrovetide was the final celebration before Lent.  During Lent, people would typically wear dark clothing, abstain from meat and rich foods, and avoid celebrations.  Therefore, Shrove Tuesday—the day before Lent—provided people with an opportunity to engage in one last celebration, wear colorful costumes and decorations, and use up the rich foods in their homes.  In some places, "Fat Tuesday" is also known and celebrated as Pancake Day.  Pancake Day- and the pancake supper -was (and still is) a practical means of using up those rich foods and other perishable items such as sausages, bacon, other scraps of meat, etc.

Another tradition of Mardi Gras is the King Cake, a circular-shaped pastry decorated with icing and colored sugar.  The colors of the sugar—which are also the colors of Mardi Gras—are purple, green and gold. The colors, in order, signify justice, faith and power.  A small plastic baby is inserted inside the cake.  Whoever gets the baby in his or her piece is said to have good luck for the next year—and must also supply next year's cake!

While Some of the events associated with Mardi Gras may have (sadly) become rather raucous, the basic meaning of the celebration remains.

Giving something up

For most older Catholics, the first thought that Lent brings to mind is giving something up. In my childhood, the standard was to give up candy, a discipline that found suitable reward in the baskets of sugary treats we received on Easter. Some of us even added to the Easter surplus by saving candy all through Lent, stockpiling what we would have eaten had we not promised to give it up.

There is the story of a father who had urged his children to move beyond giving up candy and cokes to giving up some habit of sin that marked their lives. About halfway through Lent he asked the children how they were doing with their Lenten promise. One of his young sons had promised to give up fighting with his brothers and sisters during Lent. When his father asked him how it was going, the boy replied, "I'm doing pretty good, Dad—but boy, I sure can't wait until Easter!"

That response indicates that the young boy had only partly understood the purpose of Lenten "giving up." Lent is about conversion, turning our lives more completely over to Christ and his way of life. That always involves giving up sin in some form. The goal is not just to abstain from sin for the duration of Lent but to root sin out of our lives forever. Conversion means leaving behind an old way of living and acting in order to embrace new life in Christ. For catechumens, Lent is a period intended to bring their initial conversion to completion.

Scrutinies: Examining our lives

The primary way that the Church assists the catechumens (called the "elect" after the celebration of the Rite of Election on the First Sunday of Lent) in this conversion process during Lent is through the celebration of the rites called Scrutinies. These ritual celebrations on the Third, Fourth and Fifth Sundays of Lent are communal prayers celebrated around the elect to strengthen them to overcome the power of sin in their lives and to grow in virtue. To scrutinize something means to examine it closely. The community does not scrutinize the catechumens; the catechumens scrutinize their own lives and allow God to scrutinize them and to heal them.

There is a danger in celebrating the Scrutinies if the community thinks of the elect as the only sinners in our midst who need conversion. All of us are called to continuing conversion throughout our lives, so we join with the elect in scrutinizing our own lives and praying to God for the grace to overcome the power of sin that still infects our hearts.

Many parishes today seek to surface the concrete issues that the elect need to confront; these issues then become the focus of the intercessions during the Scrutinies. Some parishes extend this discernment process to the wider community so that all are called to name the ways that evil continues to prevent them from living the gospel fully. Even if the parish does not do this in an organized way, every Catholic should spend some time reflecting on what obstacles to gospel living exist in his or her own life. Then when the Scrutinies are celebrated, we will all know that the prayers are for us as well as for the elect.

Taking seriously this dynamic of scrutiny and conversion gives us a richer perspective on Lenten "giving up." What we are to give up more than anything else is sin, which is to say we are to give up whatever keeps us from living out our baptismal promises fully. Along with the elect we all need to approach the season of Lent asking ourselves what needs to change in our lives if we are to live the gospel values that Jesus taught us. Our journey through these forty days should be a movement ever closer to Christ and to the way of life he has exemplified for us.

Scrutinies and Penance

The elect deal with sin through the Scrutinies and through the waters of the font; the already baptized deal with sin through the Sacrament of Penance. The same kind of reflection that enables all members of the community to share in the Scrutinies can lead the baptized to celebrate this Sacrament of Reconciliation to renew their baptismal commitment.

Lent is the primary time for celebrating the Sacrament of Penance, because Lent is the season for baptismal preparation and baptismal renewal. Early Christian teachers called this sacrament "second Baptism," because it is intended to enable us to start again to live the baptismal life in its fullness. Those who experience the loving mercy of God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation should find themselves standing alongside the newly baptized at Easter filled with great joy at the new life God has given all of us.

Prayer, fasting and almsgiving

The three traditional pillars of Lenten observance are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. The key to renewed appropriation of these practices is to see their link to baptismal renewal.

Prayer: More time given to prayer during Lent should draw us closer to the Lord. We might pray especially for the grace to live out our baptismal promises more fully. We might pray for the elect who will be baptized at Easter and support their conversion journey by our prayer. We might pray for all those who will celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation with us during Lent that they will be truly renewed in their baptismal commitment.

Fasting: Fasting is one of the most ancient practices linked to Lent. In fact, the paschal fast predates Lent as we know it. The early Church fasted intensely for two days before the celebration of the Easter Vigil. This fast was later extended and became a 40-day period of fasting leading up to Easter. Vatican II called us to renew the observance of the ancient paschal fast: "...let the paschal fast be kept sacred. Let it be celebrated everywhere on Good Friday and, where possible, prolonged throughout Holy Saturday, so that the joys of the Sunday of the Resurrection may be attained with uplifted and clear mind" (Liturgy, # 110).

Fasting is more than a means of developing self-control. It is often an aid to prayer, as the pangs of hunger remind us of our hunger for God. The first reading on the Friday after Ash Wednesday points out another important dimension of fasting. The prophet Isaiah insists that fasting without changing our behavior is not pleasing to God. "This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own" (Is 58:6-7).

Fasting should be linked to our concern for those who are forced to fast by their poverty, those who suffer from the injustices of our economic and political structures, those who are in need for any reason. Thus fasting, too, is linked to living out our baptismal promises. By our Baptism, we are charged with the responsibility of showing Christ's love to the world, especially to those in need. Fasting can help us realize the suffering that so many people in our world experience every day, and it should lead us to greater efforts to alleviate that suffering.

Abstaining from meat traditionally also linked us to the poor, who could seldom afford meat for their meals. It can do the same today if we remember the purpose of abstinence and embrace it as a spiritual link to those whose diets are sparse and simple. That should be the goal we set for ourselves—a sparse and simple meal. Avoiding meat while eating lobster misses the whole point!

Almsgiving: It should be obvious at this point that almsgiving, the third traditional pillar, is linked to our baptismal commitment in the same way. It is a sign of our care for those in need and an expression of our gratitude for all that God has given to us. Works of charity and the promotion of justice are integral elements of the Christian way of life we began when we were baptized.

Stations of the Cross

Of the many pious practices that have developed in two-thousand years of Christianity, there are a certain number that are associated with the season of Lent, although they are not limited to this season of the liturgical year. For example, even though some representations of the Stations of the Cross hang in all Catholic Churches, it is during Lent when the praying of the Stations of the Cross enters the liturgical calendar of the parish church. This is not to say that the devotion is not practiced throughout the year in pri­vate but rather that during Lent it receives a prominent and public observance.

While this devotion certainly has a place in Lent, the overemphasis given to it in the past tended to distort the meaning of the season. Because the stations were prayed publicly throughout the whole season, the impression was given that Lent was primarily about commemorating the passion and death of Christ.

Vatican II strongly endorsed the use of devotions as part of Catholic spirituality, but it also called for their renewal, to harmonize them with the sacred liturgy (see Liturgy #13). The liturgy of Lent focuses on the passion and death of the Lord only near the end of the season, especially with the proclamation of the Passion on Palm (Passion) Sunday and again on Good Friday. The weekday readings between the Fifth Sunday of Lent and Palm Sunday also point toward the coming Passion, so that might also be an appropriate time to pray the Stations. The earlier weeks of Lent, however, focus much more on Baptism and covenant than on the Passion.

When we do pray the Stations of the Cross, we can also connect them with the baptismal character of Lent if we place the stations themselves in the context of the whole paschal mystery. In Baptism we are plunged into the mystery of Christ's death and resurrection, and our baptismal commitment includes a willingness to give our life for others as Jesus did. Recalling his passion and death can remind us that we, too, may be called to suffer in order to be faithful to the call of God.

One limitation with the traditional form of the Stations is the absence of the second half of the paschal mystery. The liturgy never focuses on the death of Christ without recalling his resurrection. Some forms of the Stations of the Cross include a 15th station to recall the resurrection as an integral part of the paschal mystery (though the addition of this 15th station is still debated among some theologians and liturgists).

Some contemporary forms of the Stations also make clear the link between the sufferings of Christ in the first century and the sufferings of Christ's body in the world today. Such an approach can help us to recognize and admit the ways that we have failed to live up to our baptismal mission to spread the gospel and manifest the love of Christ to those in need.

Blessed palms

As we near the end of Lent, we celebrate Passion (Palm) Sunday. At the beginning of the liturgy, we receive palms in memory of Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. As a symbol of triumph, the palms point us toward Christ's resurrection and might remind us of the saints in heaven "wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands" (Rev 7:9). The white robes remind us of baptismal garments, and the palms suggest their triumph over sin and death through the waters of Baptism.

Triduum rituals

Lent comes to an end before the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday. That liturgy begins the Triduum, the great Three Days that celebrate the central mystery of our faith. Triduum rituals invite us all to baptismal renewal, par excellence. Here are some examples.

Washing of Feet: After the homily on Holy Thursday, we imitate our master in the washing of feet. This ritual reminds us that our baptismal commitment means we are to be servants of one another. In the time of St. Ambrose in Milan, those who were baptized also had their feet washed, because of Jesus' words to Peter: "Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed" (Jn 13:10). Many scholars have seen a baptismal reference in those words.

Veneration of the Cross: As part of our observance of Good Friday, we venerate the cross on which Christ died. The veneration challenges us to be willing to accept the cross, too, for it is the only way to resurrection. Through Baptism, we shared in Christ's death that we might come to new life. Every year we are called to deepen our identification with his cross and resurrection.

Waters of Baptism: The core of our celebration of the Easter Vigil is the Baptism of the elect. As we share in their joy on this holy night, we are all called to renew our own baptismal promises, to live in the joy of life in the Risen One. Lent comes to its fulfillment around the waters of the font.

How are Lent and Baptism connected/Rediscovering Baptism

When I was a child, Lent was all about self-denial, suffering and the death of Christ in bloody agony on the cross. When the Second Vatican Council issued its Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy in 1963, the bishops called for the renewal of the season of Lent.

The season of Lent has a twofold character: primarily by recalling or preparing for Baptism and by penance, it disposes the faithful, who more diligently hear the word of God and devote themselves to prayer, to celebrate the paschal mystery. This twofold character is to be brought into greater prominence....Hence, more use is to be made of the baptismal features proper to the Lenten liturgy....The same is to apply to the penitential elements. It is important to impress on the minds of the faithful not only the social consequences of sin but also that essence of the virtue of penance which leads to the detestation of sin as an offense against God... (# 109).

The Council's reference to the baptismal character of Lent might seem strange to those of us who may not have been taught to link Baptism and Lent together in our minds- or in our devotional practices. Yet Lent is fundamentally baptismal in its origins and its meaning.

The key to understanding the meaning of Lent is simple: Baptism. Preparation for Baptism and for renewing baptismal commitment lies at the heart of the season. Since the Second Vatican Council, the Church has reemphasized the baptismal character of Lent, especially through the restoration of the Catechumenate and its Lenten rituals. Our challenge today is to renew our understanding of this important season of the Church year and to see how we can integrate our personal practices into this renewed perspective.

Why is Baptism so important in our Lenten understanding? Lent as a 40-day season developed in the fourth century from three merging sources. The first was the ancient paschal fast that began as a two-day observance before Easter but was gradually lengthened to 40 days. The second was the catechumenate as a process of preparation for Baptism, including an intense period of preparation for the Sacraments of Initiation to be celebrated at Easter. The third was the Order of Penitents, which was modeled on the catechumenate and sought a second conversion for those who had fallen back into serious sin after Baptism. As the catechumens (candidates for Baptism) entered their final period of preparation for Baptism, the penitents and the rest of the community accompanied them on their journey and prepared to renew their baptismal vows at Easter.

Why do Catholics have to eat fish on Fridays of Lent?

This is a very common (but quite understandable) misconception. Catholics do not "have to" eat fish on Fridays of Lent.  In fact, they may eat anything they like except meat.  In other words, Catholics are only required to abstain from eating meat; they are not, however, required to eat fish.

Already in the fourth century, there was a Church law about abstinence (not eating meat on certain days). Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays were once days of abstinence in the Western Church. By the 12th century, this was required only on Ash Wednesday and on Fridays—to remind Christians that Jesus died on this day. (Later, abstinence was added in connection with a few feasts.)

The U.S. bishops decided in 1966 to require fasting and abstinence only on Ash Wednesday, the Fridays of Lent and on Good Friday. Earlier that year, Pope Paul VI allowed conferences of bishops to select days of fast and abstinence.

Why abstain from meat? People like it and notice its absence. Christian fasting regulations once included milk and eggs. Fasting and abstaining show respect for God’s creation by using it more sparingly at times.

What, exactly,  is the point of abstaining from meat on Friday anyway?

Primarily as an act of repentance or penance.

Friday penitential practices began back in the First Century, with the earliest clear writing on the matter coming from Tertullian. Already in the fourth century, there was a Church law about abstinence (i.e. not eating meat on certain days) with Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays being days of abstinence in the Western Church. By the 12th century, this was required only on Ash Wednesday and on Fridays- especially on Fridays because that was the day of Our Savior's crucifixion, the day Jesus died for our sins, making it an especially appropriate day of mourning our sins (just as Sunday, the day on which he rose for our salvation, is an especially appropriate day to rejoice) by denying ourselves something we enjoy. We offer up our small sacrifice in union with His sacrifice on the cross.

Because it is the time leading up to the commemoration of Our Lord's death for our sins and the commemoration of his resurrection for our salvation. It is thus especially appropriate to mourn the sins for which he died. Human have an innate psychological need to mourn tragedies, and our sins are tragedies of the greatest sort. Just as it is important to have set times in which to engage in rest and worship (e.g. Sunday), it is equally important to have set times of repentance- the season of Lent being one of those set times.

The answer is "Yes". The book of Daniel states:  "In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia . . . 'I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over'" (Daniel 10:1-3).

Fasting has always been part of the Christian life- and, more importantly, it is something that Jesus expects us to do in one form or another.  In the Gospel of Matthew for example, we read:

"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full" (Matt 6:16).

Notice here that Jesus does not say "If you fast"- rather He says "When you fast"!

Although we celebrate them liturgically as part of the Lenten season, the Sundays of Lent are not days of fast or abstinence, therefore they are not counted as part of the 40 day fast period.  (Six weeks of Monday through Saturday gives you 36 days, and if you add to them Ash Wednesday and the three days after it- Thursday, Friday, and Saturday -you get the 40 days of Lent.)

Some people may find it easier to "give up" something for the entire time between Ash Wednesday and Easter, but you are correct in saying that Sundays are not part of the 40 day, so technically you could break your fast and eat sweets on Lenten Sundays.

Remember as well that this "penitential practice" (apart from the obligatory Lenten days of fast and abstinence) is a voluntary act on your part, meaning that you are basically free to observe it as you will.

Chicken yes, fish no. The Catholic Church's abstinence laws consider that meat comes only from animals such as chickens, cattle or pigs-all of which live on land. Birds are also considered meat. Fish are a different category of animal.

Why are eggs permissible to eat during Lent (and more on why fish is not considered Meat)?

As to your question for why eggs are permissible while chicken is not, the simple answer is that the egg of a chicken has not yet taken the form of flesh- and "flesh" is the key to our understanding here (I'll address why fish is not considered meat in just a moment). That is the reason why milk products or condiments made of animal fat are allowed. Additionally the rules regarding abstinence also do not include meat juices and liquid foods made from meat. Meaning that such foods as chicken broth, consommé, soups cooked or flavored with meat, meat gravies or sauces, as well as seasonings or condiments made from animal fat are not forbidden. It is also permissible to use margarine and lard.

So what determines or constitutes "meat" and why is eating the flesh (or meat) of fish allowed?

To put it simply, the Catholic Church's abstinence laws have traditionally and historically considered that meat comes only from animals such as chickens, cattle or pigs- all of which live on land. Birds are also considered meat. Fish (as stated above in answer to the previous question), because they live in water, are considered a different category of animal.

Now the reasons for this distinction are both historical and linguistic.

Biologically, yes- fish is also meat in that it is- technically speaking -the flesh of an animal. However, one must be sensitive to the different senses in which one can use a term. Many people (Catholic and non-Catholic) do not use the term "meat" to refer to all animal flesh but only to the flesh of mammals and fowls. Most people, for example would not refer to the flesh of insects as "meat," thus we have an instance where "meat" does not denote everything which is the flesh of an animal (and lest one object to this last, remember that insects are classified as belonging to the animal kingdom). Many people similarly exclude fish from the definition of the term.

Regardless of how broadly or narrowly the term "meat" is used, however, there are reasons why fish is not included in the Latin Rite's abstinence. The reason meat was picked as the thing to abstain from is that in prior decades and centuries, meat (as opposed to fish) was a special sign of feasting and rejoicing since it couldn't be had every day. Thus it was appropriate to deny oneself this sign of rejoicing as a gesture of sorrow for having offended God by one's sins. However, fish (as opposed to meat) did not have this connotation. Fish was not a special sign of rejoicing the same way that meat was, as it was less expensive and did not require slaughtering one of the animals of the flock or herd.

A second reason, which is perhaps more relevant to those of us in the developed world today, for whom meat and fish are both equally available (and for whom fish may be even more expensive in the supermarket) is that fish is a symbol of Christ and by eating fish on Friday we are symbolically nourished by Christ while denying ourselves other forms of animal sustenance.

But again, the most fundamental reason is that in Latin-- and in the major European languages (French, Spanish, etc.) --the word for "meat" never includes fish. Since the custom, for the Latin Rite of the Church, arose in Latin and Romance-language areas it simply reflects this linguistic fact.

We find something similar in English, where the word "meat" signified any and all food. To denote what we today call meat, the word "flesh" was used, and it too excluded fish. The system of classification that was used in English divided "meat" into "flesh, fish, and fowl."

Since that time, the term "meat" has become restricted to what you find attached to the bones of mammals (flesh) and the bones of birds (fowl), and sometimes to what you find attached to the bones of fish, but that use is not universal even today.

In any event, the custom of eating fish but not flesh on Friday stems from this word usage in Western languages, in which there was a division between fish and what we today call "meat."

All of the above is fine to know, but we must not overlook the more important point and purpose of why Catholics abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent in the first place- primarily as a act of repentance.

What feasts are celebrated during Lent?

Though Lenten liturgies take precedence on most weekdays, the Church celebrates the feasts of St. Patrick on Mar. 17, St. Joseph on Mar. 19, and the Annunciation of the Lord on Mar. 25.

What determines the date Easter Sunday falls on or when Lent begins?

The Council of Nicaea, in 325 A.D., determined that Easter should be celebrated the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring. To determine the beginning of Lent, count back six Sundays before Easter. The Wednesday before the first of these Sundays is Ash Wednesday.

What does the word Lent mean?

It is from the Anglo-Saxon word lengten, which means spring. [From Modern Catholic Dictionary by John Hardon, S.J.]

"Lent" has the same roots as the word "lengthen," as in the lengthening of the time of sunshine in the spring. Easter is determined as the first Sunday that follows the first full moon of spring, which begins with the vernal equinox. The vernal equinox is March 21, and the first full moon of spring is March 25.

Why is Lent 40 days long?

Why 40 days (of fasting- and "fasting" is the key word here in understanding the number of days that determine the fasting portion of the Lenten Season)?

Well, throughout the Bible there are references to events taking place over 40 days or years, such as: the 40 days it took for the flood of Noah’s time to drown sinfulness; the Israelites' 40 years in the desert; the 40 days Moses and Elijah fasted and prayed before beginning their work; or Jesus' 40 days of fasting and prayer in the desert.  For people in ancient times, 40 was deeply symbolic.  In the biblical sense, "Forty days" is another way of saying 'long enough' or 'enough time' to bring something to completion or fulfillment.

We begin those 40 days on Ash Wednesday when we receive ashes on our foreheads as a sign of mourning and penitence, and to remind us that we are entering a period of prayer and spiritual renewal, fasting and almsgiving.

A Short History Lesson

Christians of the second century engaged in a two-day fast; in the third century, the fast was extended to all of Holy Week; by the time of the Council of Nicea, the Quadragesima Paschae as a 40 day period of fasting and penance was known to all, but it originally began on the sixth Sunday before Easter and lasted until Holy Thursday, when the solemn restoration of the penitents took place in the Roman Church.  Because there was no fasting on Sundays, an effort was made in the fifth century to increase the actual number of fast days to 40.

This was done in two stages:

a. Good Friday and Holy Saturday were separated from the Paschal Triduum and added to preparatory fast, thus raising the number to 36; then the four weekdays before the first Sunday were added, thus bringing the total number to 40.

b. In the sixth century the three Sundays before Ash Wednesday were included as a preparation for the Lenten season, but using round numbers to speak of 70, 60, 50 days before Easter.

We see from the above that the Lenten season has a somewhat spotty and complicated history.  While the Church has always desired to link it to Christ's desert experience, it has not done so in an absolute manner- and, as we saw at the beginning of this answer, the biblical use of the number 40 isn't an exact interpretation.

To Conclude

Although we celebrate them liturgically as part of the Lenten season, the Sundays of Lent are not days of fast or abstinence, therefore they are not counted as part of the 40 day fast period.  Six weeks of Monday through Saturday gives you 36 days, and if you add to them Ash Wednesday and the three days after it- Thursday, Friday, and Saturday -you get the 40 days of Lent.

Is there any truth to the story about how eating Fish on Fridays was meant to help out the failing fishing industry during the Middle Ages?

Short answer: No.

I wish I had the proverbial nickel for every time I've heard this- or some other version -of this mythical story.

One of the more popular versions has this event taking place sometime during the middle ages. Another version adds to it that the pope did it- not to help the [Italian] fishing industry -but to help out a relative who was in the fishing business. And there are a few other- less repeated -versions as well.

That fact that there are so many versions of this tale ought to tell us right away that something smells very "fishy" about these stories. (Sorry, I just couldn't pass that one up!)

In the first place, Catholics should be made aware that there was NEVER an injunction or obligation placed upon Catholics by the pope- or anyone else -to eat fish on Fridays; rather, the rule was to abstain from meat (at times "meat" was extended to include meat-related foods such as eggs, milk, and cheese).

In short, Catholics are not now- nor have they ever been -required to eat fish on Fridays. In fact, Catholics may eat anything they like on Friday except meat.

Secondly, as far as not eating meat to help out a suffering fishing industry it must be understood that meat-eating for most people was a rarity; only the wealthy generally could afford to eat meat on a constant basis.

The poor, on the other hand, only ate meat (if ever) during feasts. So we must ask ourselves how, then, could NOT eating meat on Fridays have affected the profits of the fishing industry one way or the other?

Thirdly, if you will notice, no one ever seems to be able to provide the exact name or date of the "guilty" pope! Nor can they ever come up with the primary source documents to back up such a claim. Again, we have to ask ourselves, "Why is that?" The only answer possible is because such documents don't exist- and never did. And they don't exist because the story is simply pure myth.

So, unless someone can produce a original, verifiable, and legitimate source document proving this story to be true, it really isn't worth giving any credence to. Unfortunately that never seems to stop this story from being retold every Lenten season.

Fourthly, abstinence- that is the foregoing or abstaining of meat -was a practice that has been known since the earliest days of the Church. The Didache (one of the earliest Christian documents of the Church), Tertullian

(c.162 - c.224) and Clement of Alexandria (c.150 - c.215) all speak of the practice of abstaining from meat.

This very fact alone should be enough to derail this story and expose it for the myth it is.

Another fact is that it was was Pope Nicholas I (c.858 - c.867) who made fasting from meat obligatory for the Catholic faithful- however, again there was is no mention of Catholics being required to eat fish.

In case you're wondering how this story might have originated in the first place, one theory proposed is as follows, and it goes like this...

1. Church law is written in Latin.

2. In Latin the thing we are forbidden to eat on (today, certain) Fridays is "carnis".

3. In Latin, carnis means the flesh of warm-blooded, land-dwelling animals.

Since people couldn't eat carnis, they looked for things similar to carnis to eat on Fridays. Tofu burgers having not yet been invented, people started eating fish.

It's interesting to note that during the early days of the Church especially, the observance of fast was very strict: Only one meal was allowed per day and, even in that meal, meat and fish both were forbidden.

By the fifteenth century, this one meal was taken at noon. Gradually an extra collation (a light informal meal) was allowed in the evening. Soon eating fish was allowed, and later eating meat was also allowed through the week except on Ash Wednesday and Friday. Eventually even this rule was relaxed totally. After the Second Vatican Council, fasting regulations became even less strict, putting more responsibility on the individual.

4. Soon the practice of eating fish as a substitute for meat products became widespread. (It became, if you will, a "tradition" among Catholics.)

5. Later, people who didn't know Latin- or who had forgotten or weren't taught the reasons for this practice -started looking for an explanation of why fish is eaten but not the flesh of land animals.

6. Nature abhors a vacuum. Human nature being what it is, some people found it easier (or convenient)- for whatever reason -to attribute some kind of self-interested motive to the Church in allowing fish to be eaten on Fridays. (But once again, Catholics have never been required to eat only fish on Fridays. They may eat anything *except* meat.)

7. Somebody theorized (incorrectly) that forbidding meat on Fridays would have the effect of economically benefiting the fishing industry- and who better to blame for this than some unnamed pope.

8. Rumors and stories being what they are- with more than a little anti-Catholicism thrown in -it wasn't long before this myth (and its various versions) began to spread far and wide.

It's one possible explanation.

You've essentially answered your own question when you stated that "3 o'clock" was "when Jesus died on the Cross." It really is as simple as that. In observing the hour that Jesus is said to have died on the cross, your mother was simply upholding and practicing a long-held Good Friday devotion.

This belief is based on the following Scripture verses: "At three o'clock, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?' which is translated, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'" (Mark 15:34; Matthew 27:46).

Thus it has long been a Good Friday tradition among many Christians (and not only Catholics by the way) to mark the hour of Jesus' death by observing a period of silent prayer and meditation. While it can certainly be less, traditionally this period lasts up to an hour- and sometimes even longer. In fact, some Catholics include in their observance the three hours leading up to Jesus' death as well (i.e., noon to 3 p.m.).

In fact, many will follow this "3 O'clock" period of prayer and meditation by refraining from loud conversation or activities throughout the remainder of the day- consciously avoiding anything that could distract one from the spirit of the day-which is one of sadness. It is a day that all Christians should spend in prayer, fasting and abstinence.

Why don't we sing or say the "Alleluia" during Lent?

The reason why we do not sing or say the "Alleluia" during Lent is because Lent is a penitential and somber season, while the "Alleluia" is an expression of joy and exultation, therefore the "Alleluia" is not used during the season of Lent. (Traditionally, the "Alleluia" was omitted at Mass beginning at "Septuagesima"- meaning the "Third Sunday before Lent," but since the Second Vatican Council, it has become customary to retain it until Ash Wednesday.)

However, the "Alleluia" will return during the Easter vigil.

Additionally, the "Gloria" (or "Gloria in Excelsis Deo") is also not said or sung during Lent. The Gloria is sung only at the Mass on Holy Thursday, usually with great ceremony, organ and sometimes trumpets- and often with the ringing of bells. After the singing of the "Gloria," musical instruments are to be silent until the "Alleluia" at the Easter Vigil.

The suppression of the "Alleluia" and the "Gloria" during the Lenten Season serves as physical actions reminding us of the liturgical season that the Church is celebrating. It is the "fast" before the "feast," if you will. The "fast" is the Lenten Season, and the "feast" the Easter Season. Beginning with the Easter Vigil we will use lots of water (i.e., the Blessing of Water during the Easter Vigil and the Sprinkling Rite during the Easter season) to remind us of our Baptism, and we will once again sing the "Gloria" and the "Alleluia" with a renewed vigor and vitality that expresses our profound belief in God’s providence- even as we face trials and difficulties in our daily lives.

Why are baptisms not allowed during lent?  Is this true, and does the location of the diocese make a difference?

I will answer this question in two parts.

Part I. Why are baptisms not allowed during Lent, and is this true?

Strictly speaking, not entirely.

The Canon 856 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law states that: "Although baptism can be celebrated on any day, it is nevertheless recommended that it be celebrated ordinarily on Sunday or, if possible, at the Easter Vigil."

The Code also encourages Baptism during the celebration of the Eucharist so that the relationship between Baptism and Eucharist will be clearly seen.

Because of the special character of the season of Lent (i.e., in its liturgies, its scriptures, its place in parish life, its history, and as a time of preparation for catechumens)- and Easter as the most important feast of the Church year -the Church has designated that the Easter Vigil or Easter Sunday be the ordinary (thus the most appropriate time) for baptism of adults.

Now while such specific norms do not exist for the baptism of infants and children, most U.S. Bishops have adopted the practice of deferring such baptisms to Easter Sunday [See Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), 1988, no. 8, 26]. However, in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), the Church says that, "for unusual circumstances and pastoral needs," adult baptismal preparation may take place outside of Lent and adult baptism at a time other than Lent or Easter [Ibid., no. 26; cf. nos. 27-30]. Diocesan bishops are to make such determinations, and they have similar authority regarding the baptism of children [Rite of Baptism for Children, 1969, nos. 8.1, 21; and RCIA, nos. 370-399]. In case of danger of death, though, the Church allows for baptism of anyone "without delay" [See, for example, Rite of Baptism for Children, no. 8.1. Such baptism of children “is permitted even when the parents are opposed and even when the infant is the child of non-Catholic parents.”].

To put it more simply, in an emergency (such as the possibility of serious illness or death) or "for unusual circumstances and pastoral needs" the celebration of baptism- whether it be infant, child or adult -can take place anytime, even during the season of Lent itself.

Part II. As to whether the location of the diocese itself makes a difference.

Since the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults became effective in 1988, most U.S. Bishops have designated that there be no baptisms during Lent. This has been true even of infants, who are normally baptized within the first weeks after birth [Rite of Baptism for Children, no. 8:3]. Outside of Lent, Sunday Mass is typically the occasion when infants and others are baptized. However, the Church has traditionally designated Lent to finalize baptismal preparation for adult catechumens. The preparation culminates at the Easter Vigil or on Easter Sunday, the Church’s most solemn feast in which we celebrate Christ’s victory over death [Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1169]. The water symbolizes the catechumen’s burial into Christ’s death, from which he rises up cleansed from sin as a “new creation” in Christ [2 Cor. 5:17; Catechism, no. 1214; cf. nos. 1213-16; 1229-33].

Again, a diocesan bishop has the authority- if he deemed it necessary for pastoral reasons -to allow Lenten baptisms [Ibid., no. 8:4; RCIA, nos. 8, 26-30] and could, for example, designate that the sacrament be celebrated after a particular Lenten Sunday Mass- or even another designated period -for the baptism of adults [RCIA, nos. 8, 26-30].

To sum: Because of Lent’s preparatory character, including specific catechumenal rituals at several Lenten Sunday Masses, the celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism is thought (liturgically and sacramentally speaking) to be incongruous if celebrated during the season of Lent itself, and therefore would be not only inconsistent, but inappropriate as well, to baptize adults, children, or infants during this period- that is, except in the case of a true emergency or for unusual circumstances and pastoral need.

While many people have little or no problem accepting this thinking and practice where adults and older children are concerned, some are admittedly a bit less enthusiastic about this practice where newborn infants are concerned. So long as the infant is stable and in good health, postponing the child's baptism until the Easter Vigil or Easter Sunday shouldn't normally pose any real problem. As for myself, I simply encourage the parents and godparents of the child awaiting baptism to make good use of this time by praying, meditating, and contemplating upon the awesome nature and mystery of this truly wondrous sacrament they are about to have bestowed upon their child in Christ's Church- as well as to ponder the equally awesome responsibility they will soon undertake on behalf of that child in raising and teaching him or her about God, the Catholic Faith, what it means to be a Christian, and how they are to help that child grow and live life as a true disciple of Jesus the Christ- not only by what they say to their child, but by what they do as well in living out their own daily lives as followers of Christ.