Fast and Abstinence

All persons who have reached their 14th birthday are bound by the law of
abstinence. All adults are bound by the law of fast up to their 60th year.
The current canonical discipline of penance for the United States, in addition to
the general character of the Lenten season, may thus be summed up:

A. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of abstinence from meat and
also days of fast; that is, limited to a single full meal.

B. The other Fridays of Lent remain days of abstinence from meat. However, this Lent, Friday March 25 is the Solemnity of the Annunciation. Solemnitys are our highest form of Celebration, similar to Sundays, and as such are never days of Penance. As a result, Friday March 25 is NOT a day of abstinence from meat this year.

C. The Fridays of the year outside Lent remain days of penance, but each
individual may substitute for the traditional abstinence from meat some
other practice of voluntary self-denial or personal penance; this may be
physical mortification or temperance or acts of religion, charity, or
Christian witness.