Last year, Father Hewko explained Lent something like this:
At Vatican II, they changed everything. They decided the rules were too hard for simple Catholics. They threw them out the window, even when the people didn't want that! Catholics all over the world embraced the Lenten fast! But what did the Pope and the Bishops do? They said "It's too hard! We will be different from the Protestants! Let's not do that anymore!"
But we, dear faithful Catholics, we don't believe that. We don't consider that. We embrace our Lenten fast, just like Our Lord in the desert! We fast, we do our penances, we offer works of charity. We prepare ourselves for that Great Feast Day of the Resurrection.
This is why our family remained in our SSPX chapel. I miss Fr. Hewko!
This: the minimum requirement is fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. That is what we must do: is Novus Ordo hogwash.
In this day and age of gastric bypass surgery and stomach bands, one would think Catholics would embrace the Lenten fast, if nothing other than to lose the 10 or 15 pounds they gained over the Holidays.