Hey Jimmy, just found your site, love it! I would encourage your readers to check out our take on Lent. Instead of doing something mindless like giving up chocolate, we encourage our readers to do a daily FastPrayGive activity that will help participants understand the true meaning of Lent.
http://www.bustedhalo.com/features/fast-pray-give/
Also, our editor-in-chief wrote something for NPR regarding Lent as well.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?story...

Oops...
That should be: "...Easter Triduum only ends on Easter Sunday...", because Lent officially ends with the beginning of the Triduum, isn't it?

Thanks for replying, Mary Kay.
The Easter triduum...reaches its high point in the Easter Vigil...

I understand that Lent itself only ends on Easter Sunday, but I was thinking that perhaps, on the same way that going to the Easter Vigil on Saturday anticipates the fulfilling of our Sunday obligation, it would also allow us to consider ourselves to be in Easter, for fasting and penance effects at least.
Or is an Easter Vigil supposed to end only after midnight?

Jimmy;
Has no one ever queried Rome about the Friday penance (all year long) question? I would have thought in all of the years SOMEONE should have asked and received a response.

okay, so I don't have when and when not to italicize down completely yet.

Matheus, yes. The Easter triduum begins with the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper (my note: Holy Thursday), reaches its high point in the Easter Vigil, and closes with evening prayer on Easter Sunday.
That's from the General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar

Don't forget: is it okay to empty out the holy water fonts during Lent? (Answer: NO.)

Don't forget: is it okay to empty out the holy water fonts during Lent? (Answer: NO.)

Do pork rinds count as meat?

...spiritually fruitful Lent.

Glad to see you again, Jimmy. I hope you're better.
I'm happy to see the Lent post again. Let me start the fight by asking a question: If the Easter Vigil mass ends before midnight (something that seems to be quite common here), may I consider myself to be already in Easter and therefore abandon the fasting and penance, or must I wait for the "official" beginning of Easter Sunday on midnight?
May you and Tim J. and SDG (or SGD?!), as well as everyone else here have a happy and spiritually fruitful Easter.

Jimmy, good to see you back. Your posting of the Annual Lent Fight is becoming a tradition itself.

Welcome back, Jimmy. Been waiting for your return to hear your take on (among other things) the new mythology/theology references in BSG, as revealed by the 5th cyclon.
Hope you are feeling better and know that we are all praying for the repose of your father.
May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.