Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-03-10
THE LENT SEASON.
The First Sunday in Lent.
Explanation of the Fast.
obligations and ObserVanceS.

among Catholics. These regulations ar
= briefly, to fast on II full meal every
day during lent, except on Sundays
d on which days there is neither fas
nor abstinence required TO be observed
Besides the full meal it is customary t.
partake Of what is called a collation. il
e the evening. This collation. should moi
exceed in quantity the weight Of eight
e ounces Of solid food. The use of tea,
: coffee and other fluids which are moi
considered as food is allowed during lent
and this indulgence includes even the
moderate use of wines, beer and other
: liquors, bat does not include milk, soup,
etc. a small portion, not to exceed the
weight of two ounce Of bread is gener-
ally allowed to be partaken Of in the
morning instead Of the usual breakfast.
The obligation of fasting commences only
after having attained the age of twenty
one years, and ceases at the age of sixty.
On Catholics whose age is between
twenty-one and sixty years the obliga-
ton to fast is imperative, with the ex-
ceptionaI cases of those who are obliged
to perform hard labor and who would
not be able TO do so without partaking Of
a sufficient amount of food. The sick
are of course exempt from the obligation
Of feast, and SO are ehild-bearing women
and those giving suck. There are some
other exceptions to the obligation which
do not come within the general rule.
Under the head ~oflaborers and hardlabor,
women servants and their emplOyments
are Of course included as well as men,
and so are mechanics whose employment
is physically laborious. The full meal
referred to is usually eaten at aboutnoon,
but may be partsken Of at any time
during the afternoon, but not before
noon. The ancient custom Of christians
was to eat this meal late in the evening,
both to comply rigidly with the require
ments of the church and to be the better
able to keep the obligation strictly for
in ancient times only one meal a day
was allowed to be eaten. There was
neither collation. in the evening, MOI the
smallest morsel of food allowed to be
eaten in the morning, nor until the time
of the regular meal. Those whe prefer
to eat the lenten meal at a later hour
than noon are allowed to take the COLA
ton in the morning instead of the even
ing, providing they put off eating the
full meal till, say four o'clock or later.
With regard to the obligations Of absti-
nence the ancient discipline of the church
is very much modified and relaxed. mold
times there was scarcely an exception
during the whole lent to the rule of alb
staining from the use OF fresh meat on
every day in lent. The description of the
church on this obligation varies in differ
ent countries. In the United States the
general rule is to apply the obligation
only to Wednesdays and Fridays in
lent, and to the first Saturday after the
first Sunday, Holy Thursday and Easter
Saturday. On all the other days of
lent, as a general rule, meat is allowed
to be eaten, but only once a day, of
course, except in some peculiar cases.
In some diOceses, those who are not
bound to keep the fast are not restrained
from the use Of meat at all meals on days
on which meat is permitted to be eaten,
but even these persons are obliged to
abstain from the use of meat
on the days prohibited. Every
Catholic from the time Of attaining
the age of reason, which is generally as
sumed to be at the age Of seven years, is
subjected to the obligations of the law of
abstinence. To this rule, as to most 9TH
ers in the discipline OF the church, there
are rare exceptions. There is no rule of
discipline more rigidly enforced by the
Catholic church, nor more scrupulously
observed by her faithful children than
the obligation of abstinence from flesh
meat on gThibited days. Indeed there
is scarcek a better test of a Catholics
faith in his practical life, han whether
or not he complies with this OBJ
ligasion. Those whodisregard it without
d~ispensation, or being influenced by x
traOrdinary circumstances of necessity,
are looked upon as apoststes, whatever
else their professions might be. The
Episcopal as well as the Catholic church
preseribes the fast of lent, but it is not
much observed by E~piseopalisns. To
Catholics the obligation applies in q pos
tive, unequivocal manner, as a com
~mandment that must be obeyed, under
the pain and penalty of sin, and the vio-
lation of it must be confessed as
other sins. In the Episcopal church
the prescription is rather sugges-
tive than mandatory, and if it
were even otherwise, there being
no obligation to confess the fault,
there is means to punish the violation of
the law. In the Episcopal church, it is,
therefore, left to the personal feeling of
the christian, rather han imposed as an
imperative obligation whether the fast
be observed or not. 1t is needless to
enter into a discussion of the law of fast
as it relates to the physical man, as it is
not to this end that the obligation is
directed, but even in this respect high
medical authority favors the more mode
rate use Of food at this season of the year
than at other times, as conducive to
health and preventive of some diseases
incident TO peculiar constitutions and
certain climates. Under the relaxed
discipline which prevails in this country
and the c~onsiderate dispensations ac-
corded by the ecclesiastical authorities,
it is not difficult for Catholics to comply
with the obligation Of fasting. They are
not required to make much of a sacrifice
of their accustomed ailments to comply
with the lenten law.
CHARITABLE SoCIETIEs.-Whilst dis
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