Catholics reminded: Give, fast, pray during Lent

CEBU, Philippines - Members of the Catholic Church are reminded to observe almsgiving, fasting, and prayer as the season of Lent officially starts today with the observance of Ash Wednesday.

 Archdiocesan priest Charles Louis Jayme said these Lenten practices help make one’s faith to God grow stronger. He encouraged everyone to practice it even outside the season of lent. He said it should be practiced by every Catholic every day.

 Jayme said Ash Wednesday reminds every faithful of the virtue of humility and the sinfulness of human beings. The 40-day Lenten season is the time when many Christians observe a period of fasting, repentance, moderation, self-denial and spiritual discipline.

He said that every Catholic should not only abstain from eating meat during the duration of Lent but should also abstain from temporal pleasures such as browsing the social media all day and night.

He said, as practiced, Catholics aged 14 and older should abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday and all the Fridays during the 40-day season, especially during the Holy Week. Jayme said the faithful should follow the sacrifices of Jesus Christ.

"Dili pa lang ta maglipaylipay tungod kay ari na ta sa Easter Sunday maglipay kay nabuntog na sa Diyos ang kamatayon," he said. (FREEMAN)