Abstinence from meat on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent (for those 14 and older) is required by Church law. Also, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fasting: those between the ages of 18 and 59 should eat less, meaning, take no solid food between meals and only one full meal that day. Serious health conditions excuse a person from these precepts. Pastors and parents are encouraged by the law of the Church to ensure that minors who are not bound by the law of fast and abstinence are educated nonetheless in an authentic sense of penance.