DESPERATE HELP - holy days of obligation

[Tommy999]

As a Protestant who shares some of the same concerns you expressed, I think you make a logical argument to a certain degree.

However, it might be helpful to factor in the hierarchical structure of the Catholic Church in your analysis. In my view, it is like the military. You have a supreme commander (pope) and a number of high-level commanders (bishops). The supreme commander gives his second-level commanders certain latitude on some matters, and you are logically pointing out how some of the commanders differ in their decision-making, i.e. rules are different in different places, for instance.

But as with the military, you need to respect and obey the commanders placed over you and their authority. For example, if one unit commander requires the soldiers to take a 15-mile hike and you have a friend in another unit somewhere else whose unit only has to run 5 miles, you still have to run the 15-mile hike because your commander told you to do so. You may point out the discrepancy with the other unit all you want, but at the end of the day you need to run the 15-mile hike or you will get in trouble and face disciplinary measures. If all soldiers got to hike just the amount of miles that they thought was fair, it would lead to chaos and an undisciplined fighting unit that would not be as well-prepared for battle.

I hope this analogy helps. If not, carry on and pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

 

[DeniseNY]

You have a supreme commander (pope)

I get where your going with this, but in using your vernacular, our “supreme commander” is ultimately Jesus Christ.

 

[paperwight]

paperwight:

Abstaining from meat is required every Friday in England .

Actually, no. The Bishops have requested it, as being a means of strengthening our identity as Catholics and also as an act of solidarity with the poor. But it is not required in the sense of it being a sin if another act of self-denial is substituted, and certainly not a mortal sin if ignored altogether.

Actually, yes. See this text from the statement of the Bishops’ Conference, as quoted in the Catholic Herald, re-establishing abstinence as the form of Friday penance:

in accordance with the mind of the whole Church, the Bishops’ Conference wishes to remind all Catholics in England and Wales of the obligation of Friday Penance. The Bishops have decided to re-establish the practice that this should be fulfilled by abstaining from meat. Those who cannot or choose not to eat meat as part of their normal diet should abstain from some other food of which they regularly partake.

So… Friday penance is obligatory, and the bishops have re-established that abstinence is the normative way to fulfill that obligation in their local churches.

Indeed. But in the Briefing Notes for the Press provided at the time, it was made clear that failure to abstain ‘did not rise to the level of mortal sin’.

And in fact, our parish had a fundraiser the other year on a Friday at which the food was – a hotpot. I have to admit to being shocked, to tell the truth. It was because of what day the hall was free.

 

[Tommy999]

Understood.

 

[TheLittleLady]

And in fact, our parish had a fundraiser the other year on a Friday at which the food was – a hotpot. I have to admit to being shocked, to tell the truth. It was because of what day the hall was free.

Seafood, veg and tofu are typical hot pot ingredients. Next time suggest these!