- God expects every Christian to engage in private works of penance, each in our own way. In addition to these private works of penance, the Church prescribes some public occasions when we all do penance together.
- There are public days of penance, and there is also a public time of penance. The public time of penance is the season of Lent, when we prepare to celebrate the annual Solemnity of the Lord’s Resurrection. The public days of penance are every Friday of the whole year, when we prepare to celebrate the weekly feast of the Lord’s Resurrection on Sundays. Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the conference of bishops, is prescribed on all Fridays.
- However, if a solemnity (a first class feast) falls on a Friday, then the Church does not prescribe a penance on that day. Every day of the Octave of Easter is a solemnity, so, no prescribed penance tomorrow!
