The following contains edited copy from the bulletins of February 27, 2022 and March 6, 2022. The edit includes an edited excerpt from the Diocese of Buffalo website.
Abstinence:
All Catholics who have reached their 14th birthday are bound to abstain totally from meat on the following days: Ash Wednesday, all Fridays of Lent, and Good Friday.
Fasting:
All Catholics between their 18th and 59th birthdays are also bound to observe the Law of Fast on the following days: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. This practice involves limiting oneself to a single full meal and avoiding food between meals. Light sustenance may be taken on two other occasions in the course of the day.
Easter Duty:
“After they have been initiated into the Most Holy Eucharist, all the faithful are bound by the obligation of receiving Communion at least once a year. This precept must be fulfilled during the Easter season, unless for a good reason it is fulfilled at another time during the year. This obligation may be fulfilled between [March 5] (First Sunday in Lent) and [June 12] (Trinity Sunday).”
— Source: Diocese of Buffalo, https://www.buffalodiocese.org/lent/ (Accessed: 3-1-2022. Edited to correct dates.)
Lenten Procedures
- Confessions will be heard 1/2 hour before every Mass during Lent.
- Stations of the Cross will be private this year. Please pray the Stations of the Cross during Adoration on Thursday and Fridays, or before Mass.
How to Make a Good Confession
1. Examination of Conscience
Use the 10 Commandments as your guide for Examination of Conscience:
- I am the Lord your God: you shall not have strange Gods before me.
- You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
- Remember to keep holy the Lord’s day.
- Honor your father and your mother.
- You shall not kill.
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not bear false witness against you neighbor.
- You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
- You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.
2. After Examination of Conscience, go in to see the priest, either face to face or behind the screen, and proceed as follows:
“Bless me Father for I have sinned. This is my 1st Confession (or my last Confession was……). These are my sins.”
3. Proceed to tell the priest the sins you are sorry for and would like Jesus to forgive.
4. The priest will give you spiritual advice and penance which may be a prayer (such as a Hail Mary or Our Father) or possibly something to do.
5. The priest will ask you to pray the Act of Contrition aloud at this time.
Act of Contrition
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you.
I detest all my sins because of your just punishment, but most of all because they offend you, my God, who are all-good and deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin.
Amen
6. The priest will give you absolution and God’s blessing.
