Do you eat meat on Friday?

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I’m just wondering…this was a totally new concept to me until friends introduced it about two years ago. I have since learned that the Church still teaches that we should either be abstaining from meat on Friday or offering something else up instead, so that’s what we usually do (though I’m more lenient when I’m preggo). Now, almost all of our friends abstain from meat on Friday. I’m just curious what you all think about this. 😃
 
I admit that I eat meat on ‘regular’ Fridays. However, I do abstain during Lent.

I read that more and more people are abstaining on a regular basis, but I haven’t given it much thought, until now.
 
Bud Stewart:
I admit that I eat meat on ‘regular’ Fridays. However, I do abstain during Lent.

I read that more and more people are abstaining on a regular basis, but I haven’t given it much thought, until now.
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I second this. My plan is do some other form of penance on Fridays. Meat is really no longer a luxury. I could eat a lobster feast but not a baloney sandwich, according to the letter of the law. So in Lent I will abstain, but other Fridays of the year I’m doing something more pious. Yesterday I said an extra Rosary instead as a form of penance and also went to Mass.
 
I abstain meat on ALL Fridays except during Solemities and Easter Week and Christmas Week.
In the Eastern Catholic Church, we actually abstain from meat on Wednesdays as well.

Also, try to do Eastern Catholic fasting which is much for strenous but rewarding…Four different fasts a year! 👍
  1. Phillips Fast-40 days before Christmas.
  2. The Great Fast (Lent)
  3. The Apostles Fast-20 days before the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul (just ended that one this week-Monday).
  4. and the Dormition/Assumption Fast. 15 days before the Feast of Our Blessed Mother.
All the of these fasts are not to eat Meat OR Dairy on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays.
Sometimes during the Great Fast, this abstaintion is carried out the entire week except for the weekends.

Try it out sometime!

Go with God!
Edwin
 
The irony is that there are often a lot of social occasions on Friday evenings where the menu is based on meat dishes. I abstain most Fridays. Abstaining is still a valid expression of asceticism I think, especially with all these high protein diets so popular, but what I miss is the sense of unity, that ALL Catholics participated in THIS ascetical practice on THIS day.
 
We do abstain–and usually try to make Friday’s a night of quiet family time–with soup and bread, or a salad with tuna and bread. It was a big change for us–Friday’s had become a party party–weekend is here night. But I think it helps with building the Catholic culture in our family to focus more of the death of our Lord.

I agree that it is nicer when we are ALL doing it–I admire the Eastern fast!
 
My wife is not Catholic, and always gets so worried during Lent about coming up with meatless meals on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays, that the rest of the year I eat meat on Fridays and give up eating between meals instead. I keep trying to tell her it’s not that hard to come up with meatless choices (fish, meatless spaghetti or pizza, etc.), and I’m not that picky, but she still worries, so I save her from that the rest of the year. Now when we’re on vacation and are eating out every meal, then I choose again not to eat meat on Friday, since I can order whatever.
 
Bud Stewart:
I admit that I eat meat on ‘regular’ Fridays. However, I do abstain during Lent.

I read that more and more people are abstaining on a regular basis, but I haven’t given it much thought, until now.
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Go for it, Bud! Hope the comments here have given you some food for thought (no pun intended LOL). 👍
 
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ktm:
My plan is do some other form of penance on Fridays. Meat is really no longer a luxury. …
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A very good point. Maybe this is why the Church altered the fast in the first place? Just a thought. But then why is it still “no meat” during Lent?

Also, I wonder why Catholics in so many foreign countries still abstain from meat on Friday year-round? I have had roomates and friends from Portugal, Scotland, and Slovakia – all of them fasted from meat, no exception. Any thoughts?

By the way, I realize I should’ve offered a vote for “only during Lent.” sorry folks! I tried to change it, but alas, too late!
 
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Edwin1961:
I abstain meat on ALL Fridays except during Solemities and Easter Week and Christmas Week.
In the Eastern Catholic Church, we actually abstain from meat on Wednesdays as well.

Also, try to do Eastern Catholic fasting which is much for strenous but rewarding…Four different fasts a year! 👍
Click to expand...
Wow! I am familiar with the Byzantine liturgy, but had no idea that fasts differed in the Eastern Catholic Church. What a great idea!
 
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jc413:
Wow! I am familiar with the Byzantine liturgy, but had no idea that fasts differed in the Eastern Catholic Church. What a great idea!
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The Byzantine Liturgy is just PART of the whole Eastern Catholic Faith. The fasts are very important and followed year round.
And yes to your post above, in the Eastern Catholic Church, no meat on Friday IS year round except for solemities and during Christmas week and Bright Week (Easter Week).
Also there is to be a morning fast before the Divine Liturgy (Mass), when ever you attend in the morning. and at least one hour before otherwise.

Go with God!
Edwin
 
I try my best but sometimes I am halfway through that wopper when I realize that it is friday. Then I feel bad because I cant waste food. What to do what to do…
 
I always skip the meat on Fridays. Always, always, always. And I’ve been doing it for a solid two months now!! Trying to get into the swing of things. Just now able to remember to remind the wife while she’s preparing my work lunch on Friday mornings.
 
We would give up meat and something else during lent on fridays. We were under the immpression that meatless fridays was only for Lent. Now we understand that it is for all year, I think we for the most part will either give something else up or add more prayers. Being in a richer country we all called to do more penace. I am not a big meat eater to begin with so I would feel better giving something else up on fridays, it will mean more to me.
 
I must admit, I have been slacking. But this thread certainly brings it into the light again. God Bless and thanks for the reminder!
 
I only recently learned (within the last 2 years or so) of the Church’s prescription for meatless Fridays all year long. I found this difficult to accept, having believed all my life that this only applied during Lent. Thankfully, my wife does the cooking at our house, so she has kept me and the family in line. 😃 Actually, now that we’ve been doing this for a while, I’ve grown to appreciate it! I guess it helps that I’m a seafood-lover, as well.
 
I think it’s supposed to be “no” but I occasionally give up something else instead.
My job takes me to some pretty remote manufacturing plants where lunch is limited to the one thing in the cafeteria. In that case, I say an extra roseary.
I also am afraid to say no to meat at my very Catholic and yet not meat on Fridays abstaining inlaws. As a convert, I just can’t bring myself to have a conversation with them on the topic. Am I a whimp or what?
 
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cholderby:
I think it’s supposed to be “no” but I occasionally give up something else instead. …

I also am afraid to say no to meat at my very Catholic and yet not meat on Fridays abstaining inlaws. As a convert, I just can’t bring myself to have a conversation with them on the topic. Am I a whimp or what?
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Yes, you are right about the survey – it is a flawed one! Should’ve been “no” for option #3. That’s what I get for multi-tasking. :o

As far as talking to your in-laws about it…I have been in the same situation and hesitated in broaching the subject b/c I did not want to seem “holier than thou.” Know what I mean? We just decide what is most prudent whatever the situation is (for example, we do not abstain and don’t even mention it to our Baptist and rather anti-Catholic side of the family. Just isn’t worth the battle.) But I finally said to my Catholic MIL “We don’t usually eat meat on Friday.” She said, “oh!” kind of surprised, but now just accepts it as part of our overall weirdness:rolleyes: .

You can mention in conversation that it is becoming a more popular thing to do, or something like that…the funny thing is, every time we “mentioned it” to other Catholics we know, who did not abstain, more often than not they ended up looking into it and followed suit! It’s contagious. 😃
 
Someone is reading my mind…

I just learned a few weeks ago that we are supposed to abstain all year and wondered if anyone was actually doing this. We are now, starting this Friday, abstaining at my house. Glad to know there are others!

🙂 Lilder
 
We don’t eat meat during Lent but if its not Lent and its Friday then we don’t even think about it.
 
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