Ash Wednesday...

[Paris_Blues]

Is it necessary for me to go to an Ash Wednesday Mass and recieve ashes or do I have to be confirmed first.

Heck, I’m just waiting to convert…though I am TRYING to fast and abstain!

 

[Faustina]

You can receive ashes on Ash Wednesday, without having to be Catholic. Several non-Catholic Christians also have an Ash Wednesday service. So yes, you can go to Mass and receive ashes.

 

[gladtobe]

When it comes to the final salvation of our soul, is God really that concerned whether we eat fish on Ash Wednesday or Good Friday? Does this score points for us in God’s sight? I was really thinking about this. I believe God is more concerned about us just being faithful to him in our everyday life and that we worship him in spirit and in truth.
I was reading in our church bulletin that parishioners are asked to fast at least one meal EVERYDAY for the entire season of Lent, and then on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday we are also just suppose to eat one dinner and that is a fish dinner. I wonder just how many fellow Catholics follow this abstinence? What do you say about all this?

 

[Paris_Blues]

gladtobe:

When it comes to the final salvation of our soul, is God really that concerned whether we eat fish on Ash Wednesday or Good Friday? Does this score points for us in God’s sight? I was really thinking about this. I believe God is more concerned about us just being faithful to him in our everyday life and that we worship him in spirit and in truth.

                   I was reading in our church bulletin that parishioners are asked to fast at least one meal EVERYDAY for the entire season of Lent,  and then on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday we are also just suppose to eat one dinner and that is a fish dinner. I wonder just how many fellow Catholics follow this abstinence? What do you say about all this?

Whoa…now I’m confused
So I thought we were to eat one full meal and maybe two snacks or something today on A.W. and abstain from meat too and on all Fridays during Lent. So are you saying that Catholics should eat one full meal for 40 days!?!?

 

[Scott_Lafrance]

Paris Blues:

Whoa…now I’m confused
So I thought we were to eat one full meal and maybe two snacks or something today on A.W. and abstain from meat too and on all Fridays during Lent. So are you saying that Catholics should eat one full meal for 40 days!?!?

No. On Ash Wednesday and all of the Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence, meaning no meat. Additionally, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of Fasting, meaning only one full meal all day, with the consumtion of liquids acceptable outside of that.

So, in summation, today and Good Friday are days of abstinence and fasting. The other Fridays are days of abstinence.

 

[Scott_Lafrance]

gladtobe:

When it comes to the final salvation of our soul, is God really that concerned whether we eat fish on Ash Wednesday or Good Friday? Does this score points for us in God’s sight? I was really thinking about this. I believe God is more concerned about us just being faithful to him in our everyday life and that we worship him in spirit and in truth.

I was reading in our church bulletin that parishioners are asked to fast at least one meal EVERYDAY for the entire season of Lent, and then on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday we are also just suppose to eat one dinner and that is a fish dinner. I wonder just how many fellow Catholics follow this abstinence? What do you say about all this?

I say God established a Church which is the guardian of His will on earth and that Church has defined that there are days that we should sacrifice as a symbolic gesture of our obedience to Christ.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Scott_Lafrance:

No. On Ash Wednesday and all of the Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence, meaning no meat. Additionally, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of Fasting, meaning only one full meal all day, with the consumtion of liquids acceptable outside of that.

So, in summation, today and Good Friday are days of abstinence and fasting. The other Fridays are days of abstinence.

I know some people get tired of me when I do this but here goes…

In the Byzantine tradition, if one is not holding to the strict fast, then Wednesdays and Fridays are days of abstience. Also the Frist Day of the Great Fast is a day of abstience, that day this year was Monday 2/7. Good Friday Solemn Holy Day but we are still to abstain from meat.

 

[gnome]

gladtobe:

I was reading in our church bulletin that parishioners are asked to fast at least one meal EVERYDAY for the entire season of Lent, and then on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday we are also just suppose to eat one dinner and that is a fish dinner. I wonder just how many fellow Catholics follow this abstinence? What do you say about all this?

it’s better to fast 1 day and no one knows about it than fasting for 40 days and let everyone knows about it.

 

[mercygate]

ByzCath:

I know some people get tired of me when I do this but here goes…

In the Byzantine tradition, if one is not holding to the strict fast, then Wednesdays and Fridays are days of abstience. Also the Frist Day of the Great Fast is a day of abstience, that day this year was Monday 2/7. Good Friday Solemn Holy Day but we are still to abstain from meat.

Hey, Byz –
Is the no-meat-eggs-fish-dairy rule now optional for ordinary, healthy people in the Byzantine Churches?

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

mercygate:

Hey, Byz –
Is the no-meat-eggs-fish-dairy rule now optional for ordinary, healthy people in the Byzantine Churches?

Mercygate,
I will give you my understanding that I have gotten from my (limited) study and from my spiritual father and pastor.

In the Byzantine tradition the “worst case scenario” is given where as in the Western tradition the minimum is given.

We will use the Fast for Great Lent as an example.

As has been spelt out here by Scott, the minimum is…

Scott_Lafrance:

On Ash Wednesday and all of the Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence, meaning no meat. Additionally, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of Fasting, meaning only one full meal all day, with the consumtion of liquids acceptable outside of that.

For us Byzantines the strict fast is layed out. That is the maximum one could do. Which is no meat, no dairy, no eggs, no “blood” fish (shellfish do not fit this category and are acceptable), no olive oil, no wine, and no salt.

During Great Lent, I believe that there are a couple of days where olive oil and wine are allowed.

Now if one is to keep the minimum, that would be no meat on the First day of the Great Fast, all Wednesdays, and all Fridays.

So there is much one can do in between those. The best is to work something out with your spiritual father and/or pastor as I have done.

I hope this sheds some light on things.

 

[mercygate]

ByzCath:

In the Byzantine tradition the “worst case scenario” is given where as in the Western tradition the minimum is given.
. . . Now if one is to keep the minimum, that would be no meat on the First day of the Great Fast, all Wednesdays, and all Fridays.

So there is much one can do in between those. The best is to work something out with your spiritual father and/or pastor as I have done.

Very interesting! My Byz buddies go the whole hog. Maybe we in the west should adopt a both-ends-of-the-spectrum approach to announcing these fasts. Give guidelines of the direction one can take.