Ate meat by mistake

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rms1959

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Completely forgetting about it being friday, I ate meat today by mistake. It was not done maliciously or intentionally. I’ve been to confession in the past two months…am I obligated to go again for this one transgression?
 
You forgot…honest mistake. No need to go to confession for that alone…but if you are going anyway you may want to mention it…also mention you did not do it on purpose.
 
It’s just a mistake. I think it’s good to make up for it by abstaining from meat tomorrow.
 
You didn’t do wrong by making a mistake, don’t worry too much about it, just mention it next confession.
Now what we should do is make everyday more focused on our walk in Christ and that is something frequent confession and keeping things like this in mind help to do.

Why not abstain tomorrow? Some people do it much more often than just Friday and one extra day can help.

God is not just looking for an opportunity to whammy you, He understands that we are human, yet surrender to Him will enable us to do more, enjoy being Catholic, it is quite fun.

God Bless
Scylla
 
Basically, I only became fully aware of this idea a few days ago. I always thought you had to abstain on Good Friday and that was that. (how ignorant am I) Is the rest of the year optional? Is the lenten season an optional time to abstain? Or must I always abstain?

Is meat-eating on fridays a sin? Or just at lent? Or ever? Now im aware of it, must i confess it? I wouldnt think so, since I was unaware of the concequences of my actions previously. (thats if it is a sin)
However, since discovering you can abstain on lenten and/or all fridays, should I? is it a sin if i dont? since i read up on it, i have cooked and eaten meat on friday (today actually, but its not as if i cooked it, and contemplated not eating it before putting it in the oven, it never crossed my mind that i sholdnt be eating meat. Its not as if i thoght ‘its lent, i shouldnt be eating this, oh well’. Even though i am aware of the idea, it never crossed my mind when i ate or prepared the meal. Is it a sin, or not? Do i have to do it? Or is another friday penance acceptable, like a full fast, or giving something else up for the day, or increasing my prayer etc. And are any of these actions required by church law on a friday/lenten friday, and if i dont do anything is it a sin that needs confessing?

I dont know where i stand on this!

Confused,
Matt
 
Matt, ***it’s only a sin if you do it on purpose. *** That’s anything at all, not just eating meat on Friday in Lent. If you were completely unaware of what you were doing, as you described, how could you possibly sin?

Now that you know about it, you should find a way to remind yourself, but if you genuinely forget again, there is no sin. Can you mark a calendar or leave a sticky note on the fridge or in your car or something? Perhaps if you continue to make no effort at all to remember, you might consider confessing it, but I think you’re more careful than that.

Betsy
 
rms1959 said:
Completely forgetting about it being friday, I ate meat today by mistake. It was not done maliciously or intentionally. I’ve been to confession in the past two months…am I obligated to go again for this one transgression?
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I think you should just go and mention it and let your confessor decide the extent mitigation of culpability. Even if it was a mistake, if you were aware that generally Fridays in Lent are abstinence then you were a bit negligent (I know this sounds harsh…not trying to be :o ).
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baltobetsy:
Matt, it’s only a sin if you do it on purpose. That’s anything at all, not just eating meat on Friday in Lent. If you were completely unaware of what you were doing, as you described, how could you possibly sin?
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Only my opinion, that’s why I think he should go to a priest, but while the fact that he was not consciously disobeying may mitigate it, really a priest should decide, since Matt said he was aware of it (though maybe not fully consciously) having read posts on the issue. Deciding culpability for oneself is, IMHO, never a good idea. As I said with the other poster, sometimes there *may *be a certain amount of negligence or another fault - and therefore it would be upto the priest to decide based on what is said in the Confession.
 
Mattjolley said:
…to eat meat on a general friday/lenten friday to be more specific? I mean if you are aware that the church teaches that you should abstain. Today I did so, after reading several posts regarding this issue the day before. But the thought didnt cross my mind as i prepared the meal.

Whilst today i cooked the meal without the thought of fasting from meat crossing my mind, (so it wasnt intentional, is this right, do i still need to confess this) i have eaten meat since becoming aware of the idea of abstainance a few days ago, so im unsure. its always unwittingly, i dont think ‘i shouldnt really put this meal in the oven, but oh well’, it never crosses my mind.

Is it a sin in general? I almost always eat meat on any normal friday, and have done unwittingly through lent. Now i’m aware you can fast from meat on a friday, will this become a sin that needs to be confessed in future?

really confused, as you can probably see from my post! just need to know do i need to confess this tomorrow!
Matt
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All you will receive on this forum is the opinion of those who respond. Talk with your Priest or Spiritual Director, only they can tell you specifically once they know all of the details. That said…here is my opinion: Knowing about the general abstinence and fasting during Fridays of Lent is one thing, most Catholics should be aware of the requirement. That knowledge doesn’t always translate into action. Sometimes even though at the beginning of the day you remember “Oh, its Friday…no meat.” Later in the day you might forget. This happened to me the first Friday in Lent. I was good in the morning and then during an all day meeting they brought lunch in (chicken or beef fajitas) I was talking with my colleagues, eating and about an hour after lunch…D’OH! So did I sin? My SD says “no…just do something to make up for it and don’t forget next Friday.” As I said, that’s just my opinion…and that of my SD.
 
rms1959 said:
Completely forgetting about it being friday, I ate meat today by mistake. It was not done maliciously or intentionally. I’ve been to confession in the past two months…am I obligated to go again for this one transgression?
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Well I think your good! If you forgot it wasn’t your fault (if it is I need a three hour confession! 😃 ) and if you are truly sorry God knows. I see no need to go. 👍
 
rms1959 said:
Completely forgetting about it being friday, I ate meat today by mistake. It was not done maliciously or intentionally. I’ve been to confession in the past two months…am I obligated to go again for this one transgression?
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Hopefully you stopped eating at the moment you remembered, if you were still eating. If you had already finished, don’t eat any more meat today. You might consider not eating any meat tomorrow as an offering for the lapse.
 
rms1959 said:
Completely forgetting about it being friday, I ate meat today by mistake. It was not done maliciously or intentionally. I’ve been to confession in the past two months…am I obligated to go again for this one transgression?
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How dare you!:mad: jk 😉 We’re obliged to confess once a year, and whenever a mortal sin is committed (God forbid!). However, the Saints recommned weekly confession, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea, but I don’t think accidently eating meat on Friday qualifies as a sin (?), certainly not a mortal sin.
 
Mattjolley said:
Basically, I only became fully aware of this idea a few days ago. I always thought you had to abstain on Good Friday and that was that. (how ignorant am I) Is the rest of the year optional? Is the lenten season an optional time to abstain? Or must I always abstain?

Is meat-eating on fridays a sin? Or just at lent? Or ever? Now im aware of it, must i confess it? I wouldnt think so, since I was unaware of the concequences of my actions previously. (thats if it is a sin)
However, since discovering you can abstain on lenten and/or all fridays, should I? is it a sin if i dont? since i read up on it, i have cooked and eaten meat on friday (today actually, but its not as if i cooked it, and contemplated not eating it before putting it in the oven, it never crossed my mind that i sholdnt be eating meat. Its not as if i thoght ‘its lent, i shouldnt be eating this, oh well’. Even though i am aware of the idea, it never crossed my mind when i ate or prepared the meal. Is it a sin, or not? Do i have to do it? Or is another friday penance acceptable, like a full fast, or giving something else up for the day, or increasing my prayer etc. And are any of these actions required by church law on a friday/lenten friday, and if i dont do anything is it a sin that needs confessing?

I dont know where i stand on this!

Confused,
Matt
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Matt,

I notice that you are in the UK; I have read that in the UK, you are required to fast and abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, but abstaining from meat on the other Fridays of Lent is optional, though that or another penance is recommended. It is rather hard to find this info on the internet, I discovered!
I’m sure your parish priest will answer for you. God bless!
 
OK, Mattjolley,

I found a newsletter online from a Sacred Heart Catholic Parish in Fareham, Hampshire. Here is a direct quote from the pastor:

"Although the Church leaves the choice of particular penances up to the individual during Lent, it still insists on the universal regulation of fasting and abstinence on Ash Wednesday, (this coming Wednesday) and Good Friday to mark the beginning and end of Lent, but let us not lose sight of why we are keeping these fasts in the first place."

So, you Catholics over there have it a little easier than we do, but penance is still encouraged, even if you don’t have the same abstinence requirements. God Bless!
 
Failure to perform a discipline of this nature by accident is not sinful. But it shows a lack of focus on what is asked of you. Just pray for greater focus in the future, perform a corporal work of mercy or charity as an expression of love, and move on. Make lemonade out of the lemon.

One time I went to get a quick lunch during a hectic day at work. All I wanted to do was to get back to focus on my work. As I was getting up from the table to put my tray away, I recalled it was Friday. This lapse in memory with regard to eating meat caused me to also question my stress from work. As I gained peace from the stress, I walked by a young girl who had placed an order and realized she had no check blanks. I walked up and paid for her meal.

My point: The Lord will give you Peace and He provides opportunities for your work of mercy and charity. We just have to be open to Him. What a awesome God we have. Praise the Lord!
 
so I have no Mortal Sin to confess? I only went on thursday and was worrying id already lapsed back into sin! seems we in the UK have it easier too, hehe. thankyou very much, dixieagle, your research was appreciated, God Bless!

I’ll keep a lookout for an act of mercy whilst working my saturday supermarket job tomorrow:D although im sure options are limited in that environment! can i not perform some sort of penance, such as extra prayer, or abstain tomorrow to make up for it?

Matt
 
Mattjolley said:
so I have no Mortal Sin to confess? I only went on thursday and was worrying id already lapsed back into sin! seems we in the UK have it easier too, hehe. thankyou very much, dixieagle, your research was appreciated, God Bless!

I’ll keep a lookout for an act of mercy whilst working my saturday supermarket job tomorrow:D although im sure options are limited in that environment! can i not perform some sort of penance, such as extra prayer, or abstain tomorrow to make up for it?

Matt
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Nothing mortal about it!!! I’m sure that the Lord will bless you for an act of mercy, or extra day without meat, or additional prayer. I think you’re in pretty good shape there, Matt! 😉
 
I try not to eat meat on any Friday. For Lent, I gave up meat entirely (but can eat fish). That way I can keep from making that mistake, unless I forget it’s Friday when it isn’t Lent.
It’s funny how tempting chicken has become lately. 😉
 
From the official website of the Catholic Church in England and Wales:
In a statement by the Bishops of England and Wales (1985) we learn about the value of penance: “During his life on earth, not least at the beginning of his public ministry, Our Lord undertook voluntary penance. He invited his followers to do the same. The penance he invited would be a participation in his own suffering, an expression of interior conversion and a form of reparation for sin. It would be a personal sacrifice made out of love for God and our neighbour. It follows that if we are to be true, as Christians, to the spirit of Christ, we must practise some form of penance”. The Church sets aside certain penitential days and invites us to observe Ash Wednesday and Good Friday as days of fast and abstinence. ”Fasting means that the amount of food we eat is considerably reduced. Abstinence means that we give up a particular kind of food or drink or form of amusement”. Fridays throughout Lent, and during the rest of the year are also days when we are encouraged to do some form of penance.
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It appears that the penitential practices in the UK are different from those in the USA.
 
Mattjolley said:
Basically, I only became fully aware of this idea a few days ago. I always thought you had to abstain on Good Friday and that was that. (how ignorant am I) Is the rest of the year optional? Is the lenten season an optional time to abstain? Or must I always abstain?

Is meat-eating on fridays a sin? Or just at lent? Or ever? ,
Matt
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Note that most of the posters are from the US. You’re in England and you may not have to abstain from meat on all Fridays in Lent – it certainly isn’t the rule in Canada. We only have to abstain on Ash Wednesday & Good Friday.
 
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