Lenten fasting is a renunciation that trains you to do good

Lent is a very important period for Christians, a time of purification, reflection and penance in preparation for Easter. This period lasts 40 days, symbolically related to the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert before beginning his public ministry. During this period, the faithful are called to practice the Lenten fasting and abstinence as a sign of renunciation and self-control.

How to practice Lenten fasting

Fasting during Lent involves just one meal complete per day, with the possibility of consuming small quantities of food per day morning and evening. The food must be vegetarian, or at least moderate and simple. L'abstinence, instead, concerns theexclusion of meat, which can be replaced with fish, always in moderate quantities. These rules apply to every Friday of Lent and Ash Wednesday.

Furthermore, during Lent Christians are encouraged to practice other forms of abstinence or penance, such as abstention from smoking, alcohol, excessive use of cell phones and so on. The goal of these practices is to prepare your body and soul for the party of Easter, learning to be less attached to comfort and more open to charity and prayer.

Fasting and abstinence are not practices reserved only for Lent, but should be part of the life of fedele all the year. Furthermore, the rules concerning fasting and abstinence may vary depending on the Christian tradition: for example, i Protestant they generally do not practice obligatory fasting during Lent.

You must always remember that fasting and abstinence are not simple food deprivation, but they are means to purify thesoul and the body, to focus on prayer and charity towards others. During Lent, the faithful are called to live this period in a conscious and responsible way, trying to grow spiritually and get closer to God in deeper way.