Holy Days, Fasting & Abstinence, and Confession
It is important that Catholics from around the world understand that certain Church rules – such as Holy Days of Obligation and days of fasting and abstinence – are decided locally, by the Bishops’ Conference of a particular place. Some things are universal and no Bishops’ conference can change them, while other things can be changed by the Bishops’ conference in response to local conditions. For example, Christmas on December 25th is always a Holy Day of Obligation everywhere on earth, and can never be moved to another date in one country or another. However, some Holy Days, like the Epiphany, can be moved to the nearest Sunday at the discretion of the Bishops’ conference in one country, while it falls on the traditional calendar day in other countries. Since this can be confusing to Catholics living or travelling in other countries, here are some guidelines for Catholics in Poland.
Catholics living in Poland must observe the Holy Days of Obligation in Poland, even if they are different in their own country. The Holy Days of Obligation in Poland are:
- January 1: Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
- January 6: Epiphany
- The Body and Blood of Christ (Thursday; depends on the date of Easter)
- August 15: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- November 1: All Saints’ Day
- December 25: Christmas
This means that every Catholic living in Poland or visiting in Poland on the date of a Holy Day of Obligation, is obliged, under the penalty of mortal sin, to make every effort to attend Mass on these dates. Failure to attend Mass on a Holy Day of Obligation is like failure to attend Mass on a Sunday: you need to reconcile with God and the Church by making a sacramental confession of this sin before you can receive Holy Communion again.
In some countries, abstinence from eating meat on Fridays had become an empty routine, so the Bishops decided to draw people’s attention to the sacrificial meaning of abstinence by suggesting that instead of simply eating fish or a vegetarian meal once a week, people plan and make some other important sacrifice on Fridays. This is not the case in Poland. Abstaining from eating meat on Fridays is the requirement of the Church in Poland. Willful failure to make this small sacrifice means that you need to go to confession and be reconciled to God and the Church before receiving Holy Communion again.
During Lent, fasting and abstinence regulations are observed. Abstinence from meat is observed on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all the Fridays of Lent by Catholics 14 years and older, just like on every Friday during the year.
Fasting is observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday by all Catholics who are 18 years of age, but not yet 59 (exceptions may be made for medical reasons; ask a priest). Those bound by this rule may take only one full meal. Two smaller meals are permitted as necessary to maintain strength according to one’s needs (for example, dividing the day’s one full meal into three small meals taken at intervals during the day), but eating solid foods between meals is not permitted.
These are the rules in Poland. So if you are living in Poland, or travelling in Poland during one of the days of fasting and abstinence, you must follow the rules as outlined here. Even if you are just travelling through Poland on any Friday during the year, you must abstain from eating meat, no matter what the rule is in your home country. If you break the rules of fasting and abstinence, you need to confess that sin in the Sacrament of Reconciliation before receiving Holy Communion again.
From its earliest days, the Church has urged the baptized and catechumens to observe the threefold discipline of fasting, almsgiving and prayer as preparation for the celebration of Easter. Through fasting and abstinence, we gain self-control over our bodily urges. Through almsgiving, we curb the tendency to make money a higher goal than our family and our poorer neighbors. Through prayer, we remind ourselves that God is God, and we are His beloved adopted children; by prayer, we increase our trust in Him.
Failure to observe individual days of penance through ignorance or forgetfulness is not considered serious, but failure to observe any penitential days at all or a substantial number of such days must be considered serious, because it represents a fundamental unwillingness to put God and our neighbor ahead of self-indulgence, money and self-centered pride.
Finally, all Catholics are required to make their confession at least once a year. Usually, Catholic minimalists make their yearly confession during Lent, in preparation for the highest of Holy Days: Easter. If you have not been to confession at least once in the past year or since last Lent, you need to go to confession before receiving Holy Communion.