| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
2 (+) (St Quintus the Thaumaturge) |
3 (+) (St Kathrine Drexel) (St Cunegund) |
4 (+) (St. Casimir) |
5 (+) (St Adian of Caesarea) |
6 (+) ><> No Meat (St. Rose of Viterbo) First Friday |
7 (+) (Sts. Perpetua and Felicity) First Saturday |
8 |
9 (+) (St Frances of Rome) |
10 (+) (St John Ogilvie) |
11 (+) (St. Rosine of Wenglingen) |
12 (+) (St. Fina of San Gimignano) |
13 (+) ><> No Meat (St. Roderigo of Cordoba) |
14 (+) (St. Matilda) |
15 |
16 (+) (St Agapitus of Ravenna) |
17 (+) (St. Patrick) |
18 (+) (St. Cyril of Jerusalem) |
19 |
20 (+) ><> No Meat (St John Nepomucene) |
21 (+) (St. Giustiniano of Vercelli) |
22 |
23 (+) (St Turibius of Mogrovejo) |
24 (+) (Blessed Diego Joseph of Cadiz) |
25 (+) THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD (S) |
26 (+) (St Lucia Filippini) |
27 (+) ><> No Meat (St Rupert) |
28 (+) (St Conon) |
29 |
30 (+) Monday of Holy Week (St John Climacus) |
31 (+) Tuesday of Holy Week (St Amos) |
The Universal Church observes a fast on Ash Wednesday and
Good Friday and abstains from meat on the Fridays of Lent.
"The Forty Days of Lent begin on the Sunday after Ash
Wednesday. The 40th and final day will be Holy Thursday."
(Companion to the Calendar, Copyright © 1993,
Archdiocese of Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications).
"The forty-day fast of Lent draws its authority from the Old Testament, from the fasts of Moses and Elijah, and from the Gospel, because the Lord fasted that many days, showing that the Gospel is not at variance with the Law and the Prophets. The Law is personified by Moses, the Prophets by Elijah, between whom the Lord appeared transfigured on the mountain" (St. Augustine, Letters 55).
Lent in the Liturgical Calendar: During the forty days of Lent, we continue our disciplines of penance in prayer, almsgiving, and fasting. Scripture and the Church Fathers insist on all three forms that express conversion and sorrow for sin related to oneself, God, and others (Sir 3:30; Tob 12:8; Mt 6:1-18). Lent is the season of penance, in addition to each Friday in memory of the death of the Lord. Lent is a time for spiritual exercises, penitential liturgies, signs of penance, voluntary self-denial in fasting, and abstaining from certain foods for the forty-day Lenten journey. During the Lenten season, we follow the example of Jesus in fasting as He did immediately after His baptism. The Spirit drove Him into the Judean wilderness, where He remained without eating for forty days and nights (Mt 4:1-11; Mk 1:12-13; Lk 4:1-13). After completing His forty days of fasting, Satan tempted Jesus three times. It was a test in which Jesus was the victor, having passed without sinning. His victory over Satan is an example for all Christians to follow when, in the name of Jesus and strengthened by the Holy Spirit, we can also resist the temptation to sin and the influence of the Devil. In the solemn forty days of Lent, the Church unites herself each year to the mystery of Jesus's victory in the wilderness (see CCC 538-40, 1434-48, 2043). For more information, see the "The Lenten Journey" document.
The Solemnity of St. Joseph, Husband of the Virgin Mary: St. Joseph was a descendant of King David and Jesus' legal link to the Davidic line of kings (Mt 1:20; Lk 2:4). His hometown was Bethlehem, the city of King David in Judea. However, as an adult, he worked as a carpenter in Nazareth in Galilee. He became betrothed to Mary of Nazareth, but planned to end the betrothal when he discovered she was with child before their marriage. However, an angel revealed to Joseph that this was God's divine plan, and Mary was pregnant with the Son of God (Mt 1:20-25). Joseph married Mary of Nazareth, becoming the Holy Family's protector and the putative father of Jesus, whom He raised as his son. St. Joseph is only mentioned in the birth narratives of Jesus in the Gospels, and also when He was twelve years old and left behind in Jerusalem (Lk 2:41-52). Joseph probably died before Jesus began his public ministry. According to the Gospel of St. James (The Protoevangelium of St. James), St. Joseph was previously married for forty years and had sons and daughters before the death of his first wife. He married the Virgin Mary as an elderly widower. According to tradition, his son, St. James of Jerusalem, became the first Christian bishop of Jerusalem. St. Joseph is the patron saint of fathers, artisans, carpenters, and woodworkers. For all generations, Joseph has served as a model of a holy life, serving the Lord. See CCC 437, 497, 532, 1014, 1846, and 2177.
The Annunciation of the Lord: In the first chapter of St. Luke's Gospel, the angel Gabriel came to tell the Virgin Mary about God's plan of salvation. The angel announced that Mary was chosen to be the mother of Jesus, the Son of God. Mary freely answered, "Here I am, the servant (handmaiden) of the Lord." Despite her puzzlement over the angel's announcement, Mary trusted in God's goodness and divine plan. At Easter, we take joy in the willingness of Jesus to be our Redeemer-Messiah by His death, burial, and Resurrection on the third day. Today, God begins that work by becoming flesh in Mary's womb. This marvelous mystery is expressed in the Angelus prayer, which some of the faithful recite at the beginning, middle, and end of the day.
Michal Hunt, Copyright © 2026 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.