Isn't this cool??

Today, March 25th, is the Feast of the Annunciation.  It is, appropriately, placed exactly 9 months before Christmas since it was at the Annunciation that Christ was conceived in the womb of Mary.  The incarnation of Christ is such an important event in human history that this feast day is a solemnity in the Church calendar - the highest kind of feast day there is.  This year, it happens to fall on a Friday during Lent.  And guess what that means!

"Can.  1251 Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday." -Code of Canon Law

Yep, you heard right - we don't have to abstain from meat today!!  Hooray!!  :)