17/02/2026
THE SEASON OF LENT: A GUIDE FOR FILIPINO CATHOLICS
Lent is a 40-day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It is a time for penance—a moment for spiritual growth, detachment from worldly distractions, and conversion. During this season, we are called to deepen our relationship with God through prayer and to extend our hands to the needy.
Beyond these spiritual practices, the Catholic Church has defined specific norms for fasting and abstinence to guide our physical expressions of penance.
We do not fast because food defiles us (cf. Matthew 15:11). Rather, we fast to align our hearts with the liturgical atmosphere of mourning and repentance. We commemorate our Lord’s fasting in the desert and the events leading to His passion.
This practice is rooted in Scripture. In Luke 5:34–35, Jesus compares Himself to a bridegroom; while He is present, there is no need to fast. However, when the bridegroom is taken away—a time the Church likens to the season of Lent and the Passion of Christ—then we fast.
In the current Church practice, fasting refers to consuming only one full meal, accompanied by two smaller meals that, combined, do not equal a full meal. Fasting is observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
Meanwhile, abstinence refers to avoiding meat from warm-blooded animals (pork, beef, chicken, etc.). Fish, seafood, other cold-blooded animals, eggs, dairy products, grains, fruits, and vegetables can be consumed. Abstinence is observed on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all Fridays of Lent (as long as the Lenten Friday is not a solemnity).
Liturgically, the days in the Paschal Triduum (including Good Friday) are distinct from the season of Lent. However, the norms for fasting and abstinence on Good Friday remain the same as those on Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent). We abstain and fast on Good Friday to honor our Lord’s passion, connecting our self-discipline to Christ’s obedience and His ultimate sacrifice on the Cross.
Readers of the Code of Canon Law may notice that the universal law prescribes abstinence on "all Fridays throughout the year." However, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has granted a modification of the norm for us Filipinos.
In the Philippines, obligatory abstinence applies only to Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and the Fridays strictly within the season of Lent. It does not apply to every Friday of the year.
The Church provides exemptions for those unable to fast or abstain.
Those excused are the following: the ill and those outside the prescribed ages, pregnant and nursing mothers, those with physically demanding labor, and those without access to meat-free meals.
For those unable to follow the strict norms, works of charity and exercises of piety may serve as substitutions in whole or in part.
Ultimately, these rules are not just prohibitions; they are reminders to deny ourselves in humility and avoid sin.
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REFERENCES
Abrina, Dennis. “Lent 2025: Key Dates, Fasting and Abstinence Guidelines for Catholics.” Manila Standard, March 4, 2025. https://manilastandard.net/news/314564403/lent-2025-key-dates-fasting-and-abstinence-guidelines-for-catholics.html.
Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines. Catechism for Filipino Catholics. Manila: Episcopal Commission on Catechesis and Catholic Education, 1997.
Code of Canon Law. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1983.
Perez, Cynthia. “Fasting and Abstinence.” Arlington Catholic Herald, March 13, 2025. https://www.catholicherald.com/article/local/fasting-and-abstinence.
Pope Paul VI. Paenitemini: Apostolic Constitution on Fast and Abstinence. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1966.
