AS the Catholic faithful prepare to enter the Lenten Season, an official of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) yesterday reminded the public that fasting and abstinence is more than just limiting oneself from their food intake.
In an interview, CBCP Assistant Secretary General Fr. Bryand Restituto said there is more to fasting and abstinence than the traditional view of skipping meals and avoiding meat, respectively.
“There are small things that we can do actually, like lessening watching movies or playing with gadgets. Fasting and abstaining may be in the many things that we do, and is not only limited to food,” said Restituto.
The priest explained that the act done during the Lenten Season, which begins with the observance of Ash Wednesday, is all about making sacrifices.
“By the imposition of the ashes on our foreheads or our heads, it’s always a call for us for self-denial,” said Restituto as he stressed that “self-denial also goes with works of charity.”
Lent is a 40-day season wherein the Catholic faithful commemorate Christ’s passion, suffering, death, and resurrection.
During the Lenten Season, the faithful are expected to practice fasting and abstinence as a form of penance.
