INSIDE: Answers to all your burning questions about the Ember Days: what are they, how do we observe them, what’s the point?
When you are a convert to Catholicism, you find an amazing new world called the liturgical year.
Of course, you begin with feasting and you even prepare for major feasts by observing a Catholic flavored Advent and Lent.
You go along in the ageless rhythm of the liturgical year thinking you have it all figured out, and then WHAM! along come Ember Days.
Oh, there are Rogation Days too, but let’s not bite off more than we can chew!!!
Being a Catholic liturgical year loving mama, you begin researching how to bring this lost tradition into your home.
You ask around and realize most Catholics have never even heard of them and some even question your sanity (a Catholic college grad told me they never existed).
So you turn to Google which doesn’t turn up much either. What’s a liturgical lover like yourself to do?
Don’t worry I’ve got you covered in this complete guide, and, of course, a free printable too!).
What are Ember Days?
You find out all kinds of crazy things when you devote yourself to creating an amazing Catholic planner, which is how I personally learned about the Ember Days.
Here is my concise explanation of the Ember Days, which are a tradition that was established in the early Church:
Ember days consist of a Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday set aside for prayer and fasting at the beginning of every season (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall).
The intention of these days is “to thank God for the gifts of nature, to teach men to make use of them in moderation, and to assist the needy,” (Catholic Encyclopedia) and each set is associated with a particular harvest.
How were these days Traditionally Observed?
Traditionally, Ember Wednesdays and Saturdays are observed with abstinence while Ember Fridays are observed with fasting and abstinence.
Fasting is defined as the taking of one primary meal and two smaller meals (not equal a meal when combined). Abstinence being refraining from consuming meat.
Ember days were also a time for priestly or diaconate ordinations. The prayer and penance of these days was also an offering for the newly ordained men.
Are Ember Days still a part of the Catholic liturgical calendar?
Since 1966, ember days are no longer mandatory in the United States. Fortunately, the faithful are discovering the fullness of observing the liturgical rhythms of both feasting and fasting.
When removed the obligation to observe the Ember Days the bishops had this to say:
“Vigils and Ember Days, as most now know, no longer obliged to fast and abstinence. However, the liturgical renewal and the deeper appreciation of the joy of the holy days of the Christian year will, we hope, result in a renewed appreciation as to why our forefathers spoke of “a fast before a feast.” We impose no fast before any feast-day, but we suggest that the devout will find greater Christian joy in the feasts of the liturgical calendar if they freely bind themselves, for their own motives and in their own spirit of piety, to prepare for each Church festival by a day of particular self-denial, penitential prayer and fasting.“
The Ember days are still observed in the Extraordinary Form (Latin Mass).
When do the Ember days fall?
Ember days are observed Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday following:
St. Lucy’s Day (December 13th)
olive harvest which yields holy oils
Ash Wednesday
flower harvest which feeds bees and yields our altar candles
Pentecost
wheat harvest which yields eucharistic bread
Exaltation of the Cross -(September 14th)
grape harvest which yields wine
Here is the Latin verse that marks the fall of these days:
Sant Crux, Lucia, Cineres, Charismata Dia
Ut sit in angaria quarta sequens feria.
Holy Cross, Lucy, Ash Wednesday, Pentecost,
are when the quarter holidays follow.
Printable Cheat Sheet
And just because I love you, there is a FREE Ember Day Cheat Sheet in the Subscriber Printable Library.
How can we live them out in our modern Catholic home?
In all transparency, our family has yet to observe the Ember days.
It’s been on my Catholic liturgical life to-do list for the last few years, but they always seem to coincide with sickness, travel, or just plain ol’ busy life.
If we were to observe them (this time around, folks!), here is what I envision:
For adults:
- Fasting/abstinence
- Enhanced prayer
For children:
- Abstinence
As a family:
- possibly a time to declutter/donate
- works of charity (corporal and spiritual works of mercy)
- daily Mass attendance
- increased family prayer time
I like what Meghan on my Facebook page had to say (don’t forget to follow me there for lots of liturgical year reminders and helps):
We observe all four embertides. For my children, we slow and notice the beauty of gods creation as we transition to summer. Myself, I pray and fast.
-Meghan, Facebook
I’d love to include the ways your family observes the Ember days in this post. Leave a comment and I’ll get them in the list!!!
Some day, friend, we’ll get to the Rogation days too. Stay tuned!
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