During Lent, the Catholic Church encourages fasting in the form of 2 small snacks and 1 small meal on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
What is fasting and abstinence during Lent?
Abstinence means not eating meat (except Fish) on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday AND all Fridays during Lent.
This is a way to help us engage in spiritual discipline and embody Christ who spent 40 days in the desert fasting.
Lent isn’t a countdown or something to “get through,” but rather a chance to set aside distractions and focus on your relationship with Jesus. It is a small suffering that shouldn’t be met with misery, but instead great joy as we have a better understanding of the giant sacrifice Jesus made for us!
Here are two really simple ways that you can explain fasting and abstinence during Lent to children.
Bigger Kids: Lent is the time where we give things up to focus on Jesus’ sacrifice of dying on the cross. He fasted for 40 days in the desert, avoiding Satans temptations. Not only does fasting help us learn better self-control, but our hunger pains remind us of our hunger for God.
Little Kids: We don’t eat a lot of food to show Jesus that we’re thankful for him. Even without food, when we’re feeling tired and hungry, we still love him just as much.
Of course, children under 18 do NOT follow fasting and abstinence rules. But they may ask why you’re not eating, and it’s a good idea to introduce them to the concept.
The Church guidelines are as follows:
“The law of abstinence obliges those 14 years of age and older not to eat meat on Fridays throughout the season of Lent as well as on Ash Wednesday. The law of fast obliges all those from ages 18 through 59 to refrain from eating between meals and to limit their eating to one full meal and two lighter meals on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.”
When it comes to teaching children about Lent, keep it simple.
Honestly I think we get so caught up trying to teach them ALL the things that they don’t really learn anything. Too many words are going to confuse them. Create a base level of knowledge now, then build onto it each year as they get older.
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