What is “pass farming”?HomeschoolDad:
As I understand it, in large part the difference between land long cleared and more pass farming in Europe and the Mediterranean, and wrestling stumps and rocks in barely cleared and uncleared north America, but I may have the details utterly off.
Visit a few exhibits on the stuff that Catholic immigrant workers were doing in USA at the time, such as coal mining, building railroads, and manufacturing, and it quickly becomes apparent that their work was indeed more strenuous than that of a subsistence farmer or merchant in some village in Europe somewhere.
Since I live with a non-Catholic who controls the menu, I chose the act of penance: Friday is the day I vacuum the house and clean the bathroom, both chores that I detest but are acts of charity towards my wife who still works (I’m retired).
From the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops:
The Archdiocese of Ottawa on the other hand has kept the traditional meat abstinence on Fridays. It is the archbishop’s prerogative (Most Reverend Terrence Prendergast S.J.). So it works both ways. Being a discipline, the bishop has the prerogative of either enforcing it, or relaxing it.
Fasting and abstinence are automatically dispensed if a solemnity falls on a Friday. During Lent that means the Solemnity of St. Joseph, the Annunciation, and any local solemnity for a local patronal saint (diocese, parish).
OK, I’ll buy that. My experience has been that, even to this very day, European life is very gentle and relaxed compared to American life. I was “stuck” in a small village in Poland one time for a couple of weeks, no car, nothing to do except set up my in-laws’ cable and VCR, shop, cook, visit, and take long walks, no Internet. It was very nice. Life even in mid-sized cities is very laid back as well. Even Paris wasn’t crazy insane the way it is here.HomeschoolDad:
Visit a few exhibits on the stuff that Catholic immigrant workers were doing in USA at the time, such as coal mining, building railroads, and manufacturing, and it quickly becomes apparent that their work was indeed more strenuous than that of a subsistence farmer or merchant in some village in Europe somewhere.
Basically, subsistence farming and/or other traditional ways people survived in Europe like fishing or gathering herbs or selling your crafts at a market, were not as strenuous and you had more freedom to be your own boss, like choose to do less work on Friday because you didn’t have as much to eat. It also wasn’t very economically rewarding, which is why all these people were moving to the USA and killing themselves with work done for bosses who drove them pretty hard and didn’t give them a lighter day on Friday.
“passive” after bad typing and spell checking
What you are seeing is the bishops exercising the authority they have had since the time of Christ. No one is forcing anyone to give up fasting. It is permission, about a discipline - not a doctrine. That comment is undignified of anyone who respects the office of bishop.
It hasn’t happened so far; the realization of the rule comes from the bishop conference, not a diocese by diocese decision.