According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, all Fridays through the year and the time of Lent are penitential times and days throughout the entire Church.
Catholics are required to abstain from meat during Fridays of Lent. Fish, however, does not count as meat and has resulted in the beloved tradition of the fish fry.
Giving up meat on Fridays may seem simple, or even non-consequential but it has a deeper meaning, Fr. David Paternostro, S.J., a Jesuit priest based in St. Louis, said.
This week's Bible verse is from the Gospel of John, one of the four gospels in the New Testament. Jesus tells people that he is the way, the truth and the life.