EMERGENCY question about Ash Wednesday!

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Whitacre_Girl

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Hey guys, this is a real first for me and I want to do what’s right by the church!

Tomorrow is ash wednesday, and I take that very seriously. I generally don’t eat at all save for a small meal just after church of rice and a veggie.

However, I am laid up with the worst flu/whatever of my ENTIRE life. I didn’t feel this cruddy when I had chicken pox! My whole body aches, I’m coughing and sneezing blood from a sore throat and probably highly irritated sinuses (though I am not experiencing congestion) my throat is sore, my voice is gone, and I am running a pretty high fever and felt crazy dizzy and almost fainted walking to my car after school. I don’t have much of an appetite, but I am suddenly very concerned about sticking to normal rice, especially since hubby is getting me orange juice by the gallons tomorrow to drink down so I can take my finals (yay for the end of a quarter!)

I want to follow the fast, but I also HAVE to get better as soon as possible and I don’t think serious restriction is going to aid that end.

The other problem is mass. I am just SOBBING thinking about missing mass, but this is the worst sick I’ve ever had and I don’t want to infect the young or elderly at my parish. Please guys, any advice is helpful to regain my health quickly but remain faithful to Christ!
 
Is tomorrow a day of obligation? I do not think it is. You do not have to attend mass especially if you cannot. However, I will pray you get over the flu but take care of yourself.

saint-mike.org/library/brojp/fasting.asp

Talk to your priest about your illness.
 
freckledlizzy said:
Is tomorrow a day of obligation? I do not think it is. However, I will pray you get over the flu but take care of yourself.

saint-mike.org/library/brojp/fasting.asp

Talk to your priest about your illness.
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Yes, I do believe tomorrow is a Holy Day of Obligation. Even more than that, my heart is just torn to shreds by the prospect of having to stay home. But I get the feeling it would hurt worse if I gave someone this flu or whatever it is, and they died from it. >.< I’m young and strong! I can handle it better than some others at my parish.
 
Our bulletin says *today is not a Holy Day of Obligation.

Posting this technically on Ash Wednesday. 😛

I’m going but anyone who is so ill they cannot move I’d think would be better off at home than out with others where things are communicable. It is sad that you cannot go. 😦
 
Even if it was a day of obligation if you are sick enough that you wouldn’t go to work then it isn’t considered a sin to miss mass.
 
today is not a day of obligation. offer up your suffering to jesus and make a spritual communion regularly throughout the day google this on how to do it.
hope you get better soon
 
We are never obliged to do anything which would hurt our health or interfere with pir state in life, so pregnant and breastfeeding mothers are exempt from fasting, and even abstaing if they need the meat (like if someone experiences a high loss of blood, eating lots of liver is needed).

what you describe certainly sounds like you need to eat and drink what will make you better, and offer up the sickness and inability to fast. Sometimes God wants to teach us something, and sometimes that lesson is that we cannot be superCatholic–that we are human in this valley of tears.

Hth
 
It is a tough flu this year. I too had the worst flu in many years a few weeks ago. I remember on Ash Wednesday my wife was sick. I was given some ashes to bring home and bless her with. I do not know if this is common or not.
 
from ewtn:

"Those who are excused from fast or abstinence

Besides those outside the age limits, (under 18 yrs, over 60 yrs) those of unsound mind, the sick, the frail, pregnant or nursing women according to need for meat or nourishment, manual laborers according to need, guests at a meal who cannot excuse themselves without giving great offense or causing enmity and other situations of moral or physical impossibility to observe the penitential discipline."

ewtn.com/faith/lent/fast.htm

**Also at the age of 65 yrs, I have no memory of Ash Wednesday being a Holy Day of Obligation in any diocese in the USA, at any time in my life. ** Also, a bishop can life the fast/abstinence rule for his diocese at any special time he sees fit. Ususally, this total exemption would not be applied on Ash Wednesday, but back in the days of full Lenten fast and abstinence, that rule was lifted at times for diocese that really celebrated the Feasts of St. Patrick and/or St. Joseph.
 
catharina said:
Besides those outside the age limits, (under 18 yrs, over 60 yrs) those of unsound mind, the sick, the frail, pregnant or nursing women according to need for meat or nourishment, manual laborers according to need, guests at a meal who cannot excuse themselves without giving great offense or causing enmity and other situations of moral or physical impossibility to observe the penitential discipline."
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I am going to lobby for one more at the next election (:D): Bosses that get too gripey when their blood sugar drops and make life miserable for everyone else. On the bright side, I just ate my one meal so everyone is safe for another year. I am going to have to start taking off on Ash Wednesday.
 
pnewton said:
I am going to lobby for one more at the next election (:D): Bosses that get too gripey when their blood sugar drops and make life miserable for everyone else. On the bright side, I just ate my one meal so everyone is safe for another year. I am going to have to start taking off on Ash Wednesday.
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Go for it.

Researching the answer re fast/abstinence on EWTN, I just learned that I’m 5 yrs past the “requirements” of fast, etc… Had no clue!!! (Eating breakfast now.)
 
In addition to Sunday, the days to be observed as holy days of obligation in the Latin Rite dioceses of the United States of America, in conformity with canon 1246, are as follows:
January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God;
Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter, the solemnity of the Ascension;
August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary;
November 1, the solemnity of All Saints;
December 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception;
December 25, the solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Whenever January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, or August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption, or November 1, the solemnity of All Saints, falls on a Saturday or on a Monday, the precept to attend Mass is abrogated

While I am with you and I fully understand your desire to attend services, your health MUST come first. Wait it out and see how you feel. My parish has evening services at 5 and 7, so since you obviously were not up to a 9am service, maybe by tonight you will be feeling better. If not, no worries, I am sure God will understand
 
pnewton said:
It is a tough flu this year. I too had the worst flu in many years a few weeks ago. I remember on Ash Wednesday my wife was sick. I was given some ashes to bring home and bless her with. I do not know if this is common or not.
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Re this year’s flu and other illnesses -
hope the OP has mercy on her fellow parishoners
and stays at HOME, working on getting better.

Spreading one’s germs around is NOT a good thing!
 
Hey guys, thanks for all the information.

I feel much worse than I did even last night. I was tossing and turning all night, and I am so sore that any time I moved I woke up wincing. My throat is so sore I feel like it’s swollen or something, and I can’t really manage to get up and move around. I couldn’t go to mass if I wanted to.

This really stinks. And thatnks everyone for the info that today isn’t a day of obligation. I just went to some really wacky parish websites or something. Weird.

I’m going to try to use today to get caught up on homework or something. I think this sick is penance enough for today. I’ve never felt this miserable in all my life! haha
 
catharina said:
Also, a bishop can life the fast/abstinence rule for his diocese at any special time he sees fit. Ususally, this total exemption would not be applied on Ash Wednesday, but back in the days of full Lenten fast and abstinence, that rule was lifted at times for diocese that really celebrated the Feasts of St. Patrick and/or St. Joseph.
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In NY, abstinence from meat is routinely lifted when St. Patrick’s Day (our patron) falls on a Fri.

It is lifted everywhere when a solemnity falls on a Friday of Lent, like St. Joseph’s Day.

God Bless
 
bilop said:
In NY, abstinence from meat is routinely lifted when St. Patrick’s Day (our patron) falls on a Fri.

It is lifted everywhere when a solemnity falls on a Friday of Lent, like St. Joseph’s Day.

God Bless
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well, thank you …

here i’d thought it was at the request of the
multitude of Catholic Italians and Irish in Chicago.

live and learn.
 
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