Do you practice Friday penance?

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As a vegetarian I abstain from meat every day. I also abstain from two out of three meals every day. After doing this for a while you realize that eating is just a bad habit. Then you can start doing some REAL penance.
 
I try to abstain from meat on Fridays. Sometimes the hardest thing is being open about doing this as an actual, volunatry penitential practice–the harder penance is sometimes enduring the snide questions that follow!
 
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romano:
As a vegetarian I abstain from meat every day. I also abstain from two out of three meals every day. After doing this for a while you realize that eating is just a bad habit. Then you can start doing some REAL penance.
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:amen:

Sounds “very familiar”… I’m curious about your ideas of “REAL penance”?

quaysman
 
Sounds “very familiar”… I’m curious about your ideas of “REAL penance”?

quaysman
[/quote]

Real penance? Going without any food at all, just water, for a week - or more. . . .
 
Yes and no… I try to, but my disabled husband (also a convert) can be difficult when I try to explain about why we should obey what he sees as ‘man’s rules’. I am sure that about as many know about Friday penance as know that Latin was not ‘banished’…or that the Tridentine rite mass was not ‘outlawed’…or that the requirement of women wearing hats in church was not ‘rescinded’ …or that there is still a modesty standard in dress…etc, etc, etc. There is a lot of misinformation out there, folks. Fortunately, the love of God transcends all. As for Friday penance, I have some butt-kicking fish recipes that I just happen to save for Fridays, and if things get intense, I just switch gears to another form of abstinence.
 
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romano:
Real penance? Going without any food at all, just water, for a week - or more. . . .
Click to expand...
:eek:

Is this your “idea” or actual “practice”???

:tiphat:

Grace & Peace
 
My liberal priest told me that since Vatican II there is no need for an every-Friday-penance program. Ha! I now know he can’t back it up…

Being a mother of three small children, I barely know when Friday comes. Every day runs into every other day…so often I eat meat before I know it’s Friday. I offer the Lord another penance, like…

…abstaining from Internet, (my only true “out” for the day!)…
…if I think I can squeeze in Rosary or Bible reading, I do that…
…abstaining from sweets…
…whatever few minutes I would have to myself, giving those to my children…
…doing chores the long way, like washing dishes by hand, or cooking something from scratch…
…going overboard to do something nice for my husband…

Just my 2cents.

These seem awful puny to me, but they are all I have to offer Him who has given me so much.
 
One should read Canons 1249 - 1253 for the actual information on Days of Penance, see: vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P4O.HTM

Code of Canon Law: vatican.va/archive/cdc/index.htm

Rules for Fasting and Abstinence
  1. All persons who have completed their 14th year are bound by the law of abstinence; all adults are bound by the law of fast from the completion of their 18th year of age up to the beginning of their 60th year (inclusive).
  2. Complete Abstinence are days which forbid the eating of meat as well as soup and gravy made from meat.
  3. Complete Fast are days where only one full meal is allowed with two other meatless meals. The two other meatless meals should be sufficient for to maintain strength but both together should not be equal to another full meal.
  4. Days of Fast and Abstinence
Complete Fast and Abstinence is to be observed under pain of mortal sin only on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

Abstinence is to be observed on all Fridays of Lent and on all Fridays during the year (but without fault or sin if one fails to do so).

All Fridays throughout the year and the time of Lent are penitential days and times throughout the Universal Church (Can. 1250).

First place is given to abstinence from flesh meat on all Fridays. However, if abstinence is not observed, then some other works of self-denial or personal penance is to be observed. Examples would be doing voluntary work in hospitals, visiting the sick, serving the needs of the aged and the lonely, instructing youth in the Faith, etc. Examples of Lenten devotions would be sermons, Stations of the Cross, the Rosary, etc.

On other Fridays (non-Lenten) during the year, one is allowed to commute abstinence into another form of penance (e.g., Way of the Cross).

On the weekdays of Lent, daily Mass is strongly recommeded as well as a self-imposed observance of fasting
Whenever a solemnity (First Class Feast) falls on Friday, abstinence is dispensed (Can. 1251).
 
Yes, my husband & I abstained from meat all of our married life. One Friday we went to a small town about 100 miles from where we live & went to a restaurant at lunch time. As we walked in, my husband told me that he was going to have a burger. I replied “It is Friday & it is Lent.” We both had fish and chips and noticed that people at the next table were eating tuna fish sandwiches. After the meal we started to talk to the people next to us–they were an older couple with their daughter & her two children. I was telling the mother how cute her infant was, when the grandfather said “she looks just like me” & I said “Oh, yes, she is a clone”. His answer “You have to go to confession tonite”—I said “How did you know that I am a Catholic” his answer "When we had walked into the restaurant, his 2 year old granddaughter had pointed to my Husband’s St. Benedict’s cross & said “Amen” My husband was very happy that we had fish & not meat on that Friday years ago.
 
Water is my only beverage on Fridays. It’s harder than I thought it would be. Somehow, I always manage to drive past a Starbucks on Fridays . . . and I always want a Diet Coke on Fridays . . .

—KCT
 
Yes, I do. I first learned about two years ago, just about this time of year. I immediately acted on it, but also checked around to see if it was binding, voluntary, or what. I have heard less than a handful of people say it wasn’t necessary. I have heard from the pulpit a few times penance on Friday as being good and necessary. I have slipped a couple times, both on eating out. Once I stopped myself mid-meal, and once at an anniversary when the meal was planned ahead, and I couldn’t order for myself. My 8-year old daughter is also participating in this, as much as she is able.

SFX
 
I just found out this Lent that it’s still required throughout the rest of the Fridays of the year. I’ve decided to go meatless…so far, so good! (1 down, 45 to go!) 😃

AND, to the person who made a reference about pizza being holy. :cool:
 
We started abstaining from meat on all Fridays in January. At first, I thought it was no big deal, but now it’s April, and if I every see another piece of fish again, it will be too soon!!! We had cheese pizza with veggies this Friday.
 
Is this your “idea” or actual “practice”???

:tiphat:

Grace & Peace
[/quote]

Actual practice. Though I haven’t done it often. It’s tough!
 
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