Eating meat on Friday a mortal sin?

[thistle]

At least not in the US. The change in the teaching left the specifics of the Friday (outside of Lent) pennance to the local congregations of Bishops. The traditional penance of abstaining from meat was one of the options. It is entirely possible that some Bishops’ Conference retained that.

I live in the Philippines and although my choice of Friday penance is not eating meat it is not mandatory here. You can choose your penance.
Actually I travel extensively and none of the countries I’ve been to are required to abstain from meat. I would be curious to know if abstaining from meat on Fridays is actually in force anywhere.

 

[bobzills]

If you don’t abstain from meat on Fridays and you don;t do a penance or a charitable work, is it a mortal sin or not?

 

[thistle]

If you don’t abstain from meat on Fridays and you don;t do a penance or a charitable work, is it a mortal sin or not?

If you don’t do a penance on appointed days (e.g. Fridays) you are committing a grave sin. If you know this is a grave sin and you deliberately do not do any penance then yes you commit a mortal sin.

 

[kentuckyliz]

Prove to me exactly who has gone to Hell for eating meat on a Friday. Name names. And how you know they’re there for that reason.

(Heck, they might have used artificial contraception, or committed adultery, or stolen money, or oppressed the poor, and never repented before death…)

 

[CradleCath]

[SIGN]

Come on now, lets deal with the issue here. The fact is there was once a requirement that one must not eat meat on Fridays. And those who were “disobedient” to this requirement was commiting a mortal sin. Right?

Now today this isn’t required except during the Lenten season. For the rest of the year, a person doesn’t have to worry about being “disobedient” over this requirement, even if they wanted to.

So how is it fair to those back then that might of died and gone to hell over eating meat on any given Friday?

[/SIGN]

These questions have been answered, but I’ll try to add my view to these answers.

1. Meatless Fridays were a discipline required by the Catholic Church for a time. A discipline (celibacy for priests, the fast before Communion) can be changed as it is not a part of either dogma or doctrine. Myself, I believe that the Meatless Friday was a good thing. It fostered a greater reverence for Christ’s death on the cross, it enhanced the Catholic identity & was a good part of the Catholic culture. I can remember, as a teenager sitting in a restaurant asking the waiter to hold the bacon when ordering a “breakfast combo”. I was the only one at the table who made this request, as I was eating with my Methodist aunt & her family. Such disciplines served to remind me that Catholics are called to be IN the world, but not OF the world.
2. As has been explained, the sin in eating meat on Friday was in defying the authority given to the Church by Christ, Himself.
   [SIGN]Matthew 16:17-19 NKJV) Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. {18 } “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. {19 } "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
   [/SIGN]
3. The result, those Catholics who ate meat on Friday, during the years that meatless Friday was a discipline of the Church…in DIRECT DEFIANCE of the authority of the one, true, holy Catholic Church…sinned mortally (as far as any human can know, as only God can read the heart of a person.) The intent is crucial here.

 

[bobzills]

1. The result, those Catholics who ate meat on Friday, during the years that meatless Friday was a discipline of the Church…in DIRECT DEFIANCE of the authority of the one, true, holy Catholic Church…sinned mortally (as far as any human can know, as only God can read the heart of a person.) The intent is crucial here.

Suppose for example, that you were at a football game and forgot that it was Friday and ordered a hot dog. You then took one bite of the hot dog and someone next to you reminded you that it was Friday. Then if you continue to eat the hot dog, are you committing a mortal sin? If you throw it away, isn’t it a sin to waste food?

 

[thistle]

Prove to me exactly who has gone to Hell for eating meat on a Friday. Name names. And how you know they’re there for that reason.

(Heck, they might have used artificial contraception, or committed adultery, or stolen money, or oppressed the poor, and never repented before death…)

It would be helpful if we knew which poster your comments were directed at so we would know who should be responding.

 

[fix]

Them the breaks-no way. :nope:

Lily M and Fix, were not talking about no slap on the wrist. We’re talking about death, the second death!! It was mortal sin for some who ate meat on a Friday some time ago and nothing for todays people who eat meat on a non-Lenten Friday.

Come, on, we all know God is no Grandfather whose justice gets softer to his grandchildren as the years go by, but he is a Father to every person. His love, mercy, kindness, and justice does not change.

This rule with eating meat on Friday with the penalty of second death if not confessed, has changed.

I’m not being facetious, so please explain again if you think I’m mistaken.

Thanks

Maybe this will help some?
ewtn.com/library/DOCTRINE/DISCHUR.TXT

 

[jemfinch]

If you don’t do a penance on appointed days (e.g. Fridays) you are committing a grave sin.

I’ve already linked to a page that seems very clearly to emphasize that penance on Fridays outside of Lent is voluntary. Instead of just restating your claims without substantiation and adding to the confusion, perhaps you can argue against the claims made to the contrary.

EDIT: Pardon, that was in a different thread.

Jeremy

 

[TMC]

If you don’t abstain from meat on Fridays and you don;t do a penance or a charitable work, is it a mortal sin or not?

No, or at least only in rare circumstances. Although Mortal and Venial are the best handles we have come up with for classifying sins, they are still poor handles, because they define sin based on its ex post effect. They also fail to capture the true nature of sin by creating an artificial division of sin into two camps, each with its own effect, which is a gross over-simplification. That said, Mortal sin is a sin that destroys charity and displaces sanctifying grace. It is a sin that results in a turning away from God, a rejection of his offer of grace. Venial sin is a sin that, while seriously damaging, can co-exist with charity and does not, alone and of itself, result in a turning from God. Repeated and continual venial sins can destroy charity and deny grace, however.

I think it would be rare that not abstaining from meat would result is such a turning from God, although it is possible. Repeated and continuous refusal to follow Church teaching can eventually have that effect.

As for any disobedience to the Church being a mortal sin, I don’t see how that is possible. All sin is disobedience to the Church’s teachings. All sins are not mortal. Disobedience simply cannot, alone, be enough to make a sin mortal (unless all sin is mortal).

 

[drafdog]

At one time the pope decreed excommunication for anyone who performed a particular piece of music that had been performed in the papal chapel. It was so beautiful that he wanted to keep it for his own personal enjoyment. However, we have access to the performance of this music today because a young musician from Austria went home and wrote out the instrumental and vocal parts as well as the text of the hymns… from memory.
Sometimes the hierarchy gets overzealous in its efforts to exhort the faithful to good works and religious devotion. It is not so much a question of whether or not you have the power but whether or not it is good management practice to use it in this fashion.

Matthew

 

[CradleCath]

[SIGN]

Suppose for example, that you were at a football game and forgot that it was Friday and ordered a hot dog. You then took one bite of the hot dog and someone next to you reminded you that it was Friday. Then if you continue to eat the hot dog, are you committing a mortal sin? If you throw it away, isn’t it a sin to waste food?

[/SIGN]
I am new here & am not sure whether you are genuinely interested in the practices of our
Church & how I feel about them or not.
Either way.if my original explanation:
[SIGN]3. The result, those Catholics who ate meat on Friday, during the years that meatless Friday was a discipline of the Church…in DIRECT DEFIANCE of the authority of the one, true, holy Catholic Church…sinned mortally (as far as any human can know, as only God can read the heart of a person.) The intent is crucial here.[/SIGN]
didn’t satisfy you, I don’t think that there is any point to going on with more discussion. Perhaps another poster can help you more.

 

[Apryl]

You folks are funny. I posted the direct articles from the US Conference of Bishops web site and everyone keeps on askin’…uch:

I realize it’s frustrating for you, but for we who are reading it, sometimes, the words… they aren’t so clear.

So, we keep asking one another… ‘izzat right?’… so that it may be clearer.

Not to mention: there are Religious folx, even clergy, who don’t get it, and they are telling people things that are not exactly correct.

(Thank God for the Internet, and Thank God for CA!)

 

[kentuckyliz]

It would be helpful if we knew which poster your comments were directed at so we would know who should be responding.

Anyone who claims to know there are lots of people in Hell for eating meat on Fridays.

 

[Apryl]

“Originally Posted by thistle
It would be helpful if we knew which poster your comments were directed at so we would know who should be responding.”

Anyone who claims to know there are lots of people in Hell for eating meat on Fridays.

I think that’s the point: who do you believe has made such a claim?

I don’t think that any one would try to list names of any one that has gone to hell (or heaven, for that matter) in print. It’s one thing to say it at a water cooler.

The question was: was eating meat on Friday a mortal sin? And the answer was that it is, but only if one is in defiance (they KNOW that they aren’t supposed to, and KNOW that it’s wrong to disobey such a rule)

Was there a point that you were making?

 

[CradleCath]

[SIGN]

At one time the pope decreed excommunication for anyone who performed a particular piece of music that had been performed in the papal chapel. It was so beautiful that he wanted to keep it for his own personal enjoyment. However, we have access to the performance of this music today because a young musician from Austria went home and wrote out the instrumental and vocal parts as well as the text of the hymns… from memory.[/SIGN]

Sometimes we get overzealous & pass on a story that is not completely factual. You must be speaking of ** Allegri’s** “Miserere” Mass. Allegri was commissioned by then Pope Urban VIII to write this piece to be sung exclusively in the Sistine Chapel during Holy Week. That was the purpose of this music from the beginning. Every year since it was written (sometime in the 17th century), on Wednesday & Friday of Holy Week the Miserere Mass is sung, following the extinguishing of 26 candles, with one candle left buring. This tradition has continued to this day. This Mass was to be performed ***only ***in the Sistine Chapel, and up until Mozart’s famous visit to the Chapel in 1770, only 3 written copies of the Mass were known to exist. Anyone else who copied it was excommunicated, which does seem rather stingy.

Mozart heard the Mass on Wednesday, would write the Mass from momory that evening, then he heard it again on Good Friday to correct a few errors. He was done at that point, and the piece was returned to Vienna, where it could be shared with the world.

Though I love both Mozart, the man, & his music, that definitely was not his finest moment, for he took it by deception. I agree that the Miserere Mass is pure genius & should be shared by the world, but Mozart should have spoken with the Pope before he “copied” it.

 

[Mayo]

Yes eating Meat on Fridays was a Mortal sin and you had to tell it in Confesion.

It was one of the laws of the Church and I think it was changed at the Second Vatican Council.

We must still abstain from Meat on Fridays during Lent.

Mayo

 

[rwoehmke]

Suppose for example, that you were at a football game and forgot that it was Friday and ordered a hot dog. You then took one bite of the hot dog and someone next to you reminded you that it was Friday. Then if you continue to eat the hot dog, are you committing a mortal sin? If you throw it away, isn’t it a sin to waste food?

I was taught in Catholic High school long before Vatican II that if ond mistakenly bought a hamburger or hot dog for example then one could consume it with a clean conscience. Back then gravy, broth, pork and beans, anything with a smigen of meat was forbidden. Lard could be used in cooking. The new Friday abstinence is no where near as restrictive. You got it good people. What is so difficult?

 

[ElizabethPH]

Suppose for example, that you were at a football game and forgot that it was Friday and ordered a hot dog. You then took one bite of the hot dog and someone next to you reminded you that it was Friday. Then if you continue to eat the hot dog, are you committing a mortal sin? If you throw it away, isn’t it a sin to waste food?

After not being in communion with the Church for many years…I got out of the habit of not eating meat on Friday’s; something I did growing up. Upon coming back nearly 2 years ago I still forget. And somehow I completely missed the part about having to do another penance if I do eat meat. So most Fridays even now I pretty much am well lets just say in deep water for it. Do I need to go to confession? I think so. I have been trying to commit to not eating meat; but I fall short. Not that I do it because I want too, I just forget!! It’s awful! And that I don’t do another penance is awful…and something I just learned about. Oh brother!

 

[Wings]

After not being in communion with the Church for many years…I got out of the habit of not eating meat on Friday’s; something I did growing up. Upon coming back nearly 2 years ago I still forget. And somehow I completely missed the part about having to do another penance if I do eat meat. So most Fridays even now I pretty much am well lets just say in deep water for it. Do I need to go to confession? I think so. I have been trying to commit to not eating meat; but I fall short. Not that I do it because I want too, I just forget!! It’s awful! And that I don’t do another penance is awful…and something I just learned about. Oh brother!

I’m with ya, Elizabeth. As a convert only 18 months young, this concept wasn’t stressed a great deal to me, and so I didn’t obey the rule of abstinence on Friday for the entire first year. I have since started, and intend to continue. But yes, I forget sometimes!