In preparation for the total victory over sin and death won for us by our Divine Savior, Lent is a particular season of repentance and penitence. In a Catholic sense, this means almsgiving (caring for the neighbor in need), fasting (releasing ourselves from pleasurable attachments and bad habits), and prayer (communicating with the Lord and allowing Him to speak into the depths of our soul).
We should also keep celebrations to a minimum during Lent. By tradition, Sundays are a free day, as I like to call it. But even here, the discipline of limiting certain types of food, sweets, or alcoholic beverages should be considered and practiced.
There are only two days in the year when Catholics are required to fast and abstain on the same day: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. That makes only seven Fridays out of 52 when we are required to abstain throughout the year, but all Fridays during the year should consider penitential in spirit since that is the day of our Lord's Passion and Death.
Below is an outline on how Catholics should fast, abstain, and approach this beautiful yet challenging Lent.