+ By the law of God and the custom of the Church, all Christians are required to do penance.
+ The Season of Lent retains its penitential character. The days of penance to be observed under obligation are Ash Wednesday and all Fridays of the Lenten season.
+ Abstinence from meat is to be observed on all Fridays of Lent. The law of abstinence and fast is to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
+ The law of abstinence forbids the consumption of meat. The law of fasting permits only one full meal a day.
+ The law of abstinence binds those who have celebrated their 14th birthday. The law of fasting binds those who have celebrated their 18th birthday and continues until they have celebrated their 59th birthday.
+ Pastors and parents should take particular care to educate the young to a true sense of penance and self-discipline. More frequent use of the Sacrament of Penance and attendance at daily Mass should be encouraged during lent, as well as other practices of penance and self-sacrifice.
+ The Fridays of the year outside lent remain days of penance, but each individual may substitute traditional abstinence from meat with some other practice of voluntary self-denial or personal penance. These works should be considered a minimal response to the Lord’s call to penance and conversion of life.
+ All priests and deacons are delegated to grant dispensations to individuals, families, or groups from their parish and visiting their parish.
An effective means of obtaining special graces through the intercession of St. Joseph is to honor his seven sorrows and seven joys by practicing the Seven Sundays devotion.
The Seven Sundays in honor of St. Joseph are observed by receiving Holy Communion in his honor on seven consecutive Sundays, and on each Sunday the prayers in honor of the Seven Sorrows and the Seven Joys of St. Joseph are recited. This devotion may be practiced at any time of the year, but especially on the Seven Sundays proceeding his solemnity on March 19th.
ST. JOSEPH’S SEVEN JOYS