Before we get to the word of the day, I wanted to highlight something from the entry on Abel: “As the first of martyrs, he also sometimes stands for the persecuted Christians, belonging to the city which is in heaven,” (3).

Abstinence:

• Penitential practice
• Abstaining from the use of certain kinds of food
• In the East, this traditionally includes not only meat, but fish, eggs, milk, cheese, oil and wine.

The additional requirement of the Eastern tradition sound intriguing.  And more of a penance, especially for me, as I do not eat a lot of meat to begin with.  Perhaps I’ll try this out this upcoming Lent.  🙂