When does Lent end?
The short answer
Lent ends when the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper begins on Holy Thursday, which opens the Easter Triduum. Personal Lenten penances are voluntary and may be set aside on Sundays, though the Sundays of Lent are part of the season.
The end of the season
Lent ends as the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday begins. That Mass ushers in the Triduum, a liturgical season of its own and the shortest of the year.
Personal penances
The penances people take on for Lent are voluntary devotions, in addition to the penances the Church requires on the Fridays of Lent. Because they are voluntary, setting them aside on Sundays in honor of the Lord's Day is perfectly fine.
Sundays
That said, the Sundays of Lent are still part of the Lenten season.
Continue exploring
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- How should elderly Catholics observe fasting and abstinence during Lent?Q&A
- Isn't it wrong for a Catholic hospital cafeteria to serve meat on Lenten Fridays?Q&A
- What are holy days of obligation?Q&A