Reinstating of Ember days by Pope Francis

Pope Francis has recently reinstated ember days.  So what are ember days and how can these days make a difference to our spiritual lives?

 

Ember days (corruption from Lat. Quatuor Tempora, four times) are the days at the beginning of the seasons ordered by the Church as days of fast and abstinence. They were definitely arranged and prescribed for the entire Church by Pope Gregory V11  (1073-1085) for

• the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after 13 December (S. Lucia),
• after Ash Wednesday,
• after Whitsunday, and after
• 14 September (Exaltation of the Cross).

 

The purpose of their introduction, besides the general one intended by all prayer and fasting, was to thank God for the gifts of nature, to teach people to make use of them in moderation, and to assist the needy.

 

I only heard about it at Mass last night.  The celebrant mentioned that Pope Francis has reinstated them.  He did not say why the Pope has chosen to do this but I can only assume that the Pope can see the benefit for us to refocus our attention at the beginning of each new season.  What I do understand is that  the Congregation for Divine Worship asked national Bishops' Conferences to institute a number of Ember Days for their people.  The Australian Bishops chose two: one for Lent ("Autumn Ember Day"), the other for Advent ("Spring/Summer Ember Day").