Fasting on Sundays in Lent?

Do Sundays Count in Lent?

I sometimes get asked, as I was asked again this week, whether you have to continue ‘giving things up’ on Sundays as well as weekdays in Lent. In general I would answer, “Yes, Sundays are a part of Lent”. Like the other days of Lent, Sundays of Lent have purple vestments, no Gloria, and no Alleluias.

That said, if you’re spending Lent fasting on just bread and water (as many did in the early Church) then you might relax this on Sunday to nourish yourself for the coming week. But if you’re spending Lent doing something much less significant (like no alcohol or no dessert) then you probably need to ‘give it up’ on Sundays too in order to bring it to something a little more substantial.

Either way, whether you choose to count Sundays in or count Sundays out, I’d suggest that you decide this at the start of Lent not half-way through so that you pick a resolution and stick to it.