Learn God’s Light
Lent 2027 · February 10 – March 25

A Catholic Guide to Lent

Forty days of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to prepare for Easter: what Lent means, the 2027 calendar, the rules for fasting and abstinence, and practical ways to keep a good Lent.

What is Lent?

Lent is the season in which the Church prepares for Easter. It recalls the forty days Jesus spent fasting in the desert:

“Then Jesus was led by the spirit into the desert, to be tempted by the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards he was hungry.”Matthew 4:1–2 (Douay-Rheims)

“By the solemn forty days of Lent the Church unites herself each year to the mystery of Jesus in the desert” (CCC 540). Lent is a time of conversion: turning away from sin and back to God with our whole heart. The seasons and days of penance in the liturgical year, and Lent above all, are “intense moments of the Church’s penitential practice” (CCC 1438).

“Be converted to me with all your heart, in fasting, and in weeping, and in mourning. And rend your hearts, and not your garments, and turn to the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful.”Joel 2:12–13 (Douay-Rheims), read on Ash Wednesday

Lent runs from Ash Wednesday until just before the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday (Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, 28). The Sundays are part of Lent but are never fast days, because every Sunday celebrates the Resurrection. The “forty days” are a traditional, biblical number rather than an exact count. During Lent the Alleluia and (except on feasts) the Gloria are omitted, and the vestments are violet.

Common questions: Why ashes? · Why do Catholics fast and give things up?

Mark your calendar

Lent 2027 calendar

Dates for the dioceses of the United States, from the USCCB liturgical calendar for 2027. Sunday Gospels are from Year B.

  • Feb 10WednesdayAsh Wednesday Violet Fast & abstinenceLent begins. Ashes are marked on the forehead with the words “Repent, and believe in the Gospel” (cf. Mk 1:15) or “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (cf. Gen 3:19). It is not a holy day of obligation, but it is a day of fasting and abstinence. Gospel: Mt 6:1–6, 16–18.
  • Feb 12FridayFridays of Lent Violet AbstinenceEvery Friday in Lent (Feb 12, 19, 26; Mar 5, 12; and Good Friday) is a day of abstinence from meat. Exception: Mar 19 (see below).
  • Feb 14SundayFirst Sunday of Lent VioletGospel: Mk 1:12–15, Jesus in the desert. Many dioceses celebrate the Rite of Election for catechumens this weekend.
  • Feb 21SundaySecond Sunday of Lent VioletGospel: Mk 9:2–10, the Transfiguration.
  • Feb 28SundayThird Sunday of Lent VioletGospel: Jn 2:13–25, Jesus cleanses the Temple. (At Masses where the scrutinies are celebrated, the Year A readings are used on the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sundays, and they may be used at other Masses too; RCIA 146.)
  • Mar 7SundayFourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday) Rose or Violet“Rejoice”: a glimpse of Easter joy at the midpoint. Gospel: Jn 3:14–21, “God so loved the world.”
  • Mar 14SundayFifth Sunday of Lent VioletGospel: Jn 12:20–33, the grain of wheat.
  • Mar 19FridaySt. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Solemnity) WhiteBecause it is a solemnity, the Friday abstinence does not apply on this day (can. 1251). St. Joseph novena: Mar 10–18.
  • Mar 21SundayPalm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord RedHoly Week begins. The Passion is read from St. Mark (Mk 14:1–15:47).
  • Mar 25ThursdayHoly Thursday: Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper WhiteLent ends and the Paschal Triduum begins with this evening Mass. Gospel: Jn 13:1–15, the washing of the feet. (The Annunciation, normally Mar 25, moves to Monday, Apr 5, this year.)
  • Mar 26FridayGood Friday of the Lord’s Passion Red Fast & abstinenceNo Mass is celebrated. The Celebration of the Lord’s Passion includes the Passion according to St. John (Jn 18:1–19:42), the Solemn Intercessions, the Adoration of the Cross, and Holy Communion. Divine Mercy novena begins.
  • Mar 27SaturdayHoly Saturday and the Easter Vigil WhiteThe Church waits at the Lord’s tomb. After nightfall, the Easter Vigil, “the mother of all holy vigils,” begins the celebration of Easter.
  • Mar 28SundayEaster Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord WhiteSee the Easter 2027 guide.

Fasting and abstinence: the rules (United States)

  • Ash Wednesday (Feb 10) and Good Friday (Mar 26): fasting and abstinence.
  • All Fridays of Lent: abstinence from meat.
  • Abstinence binds Catholics from age 14 onward. Meat means the flesh of warm-blooded animals; fish, eggs, and dairy are allowed.
  • Fasting binds Catholics from age 18 until age 59 (canonically, from the completion of the 18th year to the beginning of the 60th; can. 1252). On a fast day, one may eat one full meal, plus two smaller meals that together do not equal a full meal. Eating solid food between meals is not permitted, but liquids are.
  • Who is excused: people whose health or ability to work would be seriously affected, such as the sick and pregnant or nursing mothers. Traditional moral theology also excuses those who do heavy manual labor (this is not on the USCCB list). If in doubt, ask your pastor.
  • Eastern Catholics follow the particular law of their own Church.
  • Solemnities: when a solemnity falls on a Friday, abstinence does not apply (can. 1251). In 2027 this happens on Friday, March 19 (St. Joseph).

These are the Church’s minimum requirements (Code of Canon Law, cann. 1250–1253, as applied by the U.S. bishops). Parents and pastors are asked to help children who are not yet bound by these rules learn a genuine sense of penance (can. 1252). Many Catholics choose to do more.

The paschal fast. The Church also encourages us to keep the Good Friday fast, where possible, through Holy Saturday until the Easter Vigil, so that we arrive at Easter “with uplifted and clear mind” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 110).

The three pillars

Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving

On Ash Wednesday, Jesus speaks about all three (Mt 6:1–18). The Catechism calls them the three forms of penance that express conversion in relation to oneself, to God, and to others (CCC 1434).

Prayer

  • Go to Mass on a weekday as well as Sunday.
  • Pray the Stations of the Cross, especially on Fridays.
  • Read one of the Gospels from beginning to end, or follow the daily Mass readings (USCCB).
  • Pray Morning or Evening Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours, or the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary.

Fasting

  • Give up something you enjoy, and offer it with a specific intention.
  • Take time away from screens and use it for prayer or family.
  • Fast from a habitual sin, such as gossip, complaining, or harsh words.

Almsgiving

  • Give what you save by fasting to the poor (for example, through a parish or Catholic Relief Services’ Lenten program).
  • Practice the works of mercy (CCC 2447): visit someone who is sick or alone, volunteer, forgive someone.
  • Give time as well as money.
“But thou, when thou fastest anoint thy head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not to men to fast, but to thy Father who is in secret: and thy Father who seeth in secret, will repay thee.”Matthew 6:17–18 (Douay-Rheims)

Holy Week and the Paschal Triduum

Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday (March 21), when we hear the account of the Lord’s Passion. The Paschal Triduum, the high point of the whole liturgical year, begins with the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday (March 25). It reaches its summit in the Easter Vigil and closes with Evening Prayer on Easter Sunday (March 28) (Universal Norms, 18–19; CCC 1168–1169).

  • Holy Thursday: the institution of the Eucharist and the priesthood, the washing of feet, and the stripping of the altar. Afterward, many parishes keep watch at the altar of repose.
  • Good Friday: the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion, usually in the afternoon. It is a day of fasting and abstinence. Many pray the Stations of the Cross or the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 PM, the hour of Jesus’ death.
  • Holy Saturday: a day of quiet waiting at the tomb. There is no Mass during the day. The Easter Vigil begins after nightfall, and many adults are baptized or received into the Church at it.

Confession and the “Easter duty”

Lent is the ideal time to go to Confession. The precepts of the Church ask every Catholic to confess serious sins at least once a year, and to receive Holy Communion at least once during the Easter season (CCC 2042; can. 989). In the United States, the time for fulfilling the Easter duty “extends from the First Sunday of Lent to Trinity Sunday” (United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, p. 334). In 2027 that is February 14 to May 23.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all iniquity.”1 John 1:9 (Douay-Rheims)

Many parishes offer extra confession times and penance services during Lent. Prepare with our Examination of Conscience and Confession guide, and learn the Act of Contrition.

Prepare for Confession Pray the Stations

Sources

  • Catechism of the Catholic Church 540, 1168–1169, 1434, 1438, 2042–2043, 2447.
  • Code of Canon Law, cann. 989, 1250–1253; USCCB, Fast & Abstinence (with links to its Questions and Answers about Lent).
  • Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year and the Calendar (1969), 18–19, 28; Vatican II, Sacrosanctum Concilium 110.
  • USCCB, United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, p. 334; Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults 146; Liturgical Calendar for the Dioceses of the United States of America, 2027.
  • Scripture: Douay-Rheims Bible, Challoner revision (public domain). For the Mass readings of each day, see the USCCB daily readings.