Friday Penance(s)

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I’d just like to know what kind of penance(s) you do on Friday other than abstinence from meat. I know it’s permissable to substitute an “acceptable penance” in place of abstinence; however, when I don’t abstain I sometimes wonder if my penance…measures up? I’m looking for any good ideas.
 
Hi Sanctus -

You can do a number of things. You can enrich your prayer life on Fridays ( with a rosary, Chaplet of Divine Mercy) with something that you typically do not do. Maybe go to mass on Friday - or Eucharistic Adoration. There IS NOTHING more pleasing to God than join Him at His Eucharistic Celebration at Mass.

In addition to meat, you can give up something you favor - like a favorite food, snack, soda, beer, whatever it is. Just as you would do in Lent. Do you have a favorite TV show or watch Friday evening TV? What ever your passion is, that is always the very best thing to give up.
God Bless you in what ever you decide.
 
For a while I was saying all four sets of Rosary mysteries at work. I have since rearranged my dietary schedule to go meatless on Fridays, meaning all the way to when I get home from work at 0630 Saturday morning (see my query-thread on “When Is Friday not a Friday?”.

DaveBj
 
One other thing-is there anywhere where I can find out exactly what the Church says “meat” is? I think some Eastern Orthodox consider eggs meat, but we don’t? We can eat fish, but what about shrimp? Scallops? Lobster? If we have sauce on pasta does it matter whether it’s marinara or alfredo? I’m not saying we should all go out there and violate the spirit of abstinance (which I precieve as going out and having a huge meaty meal) by going out and having a huge seafood, vegetarian, etc. meal…however I would like to know exactly what the church says. Thanks.
 
I know this sounds really dumb, but what is penance all about? :confused: I am really new to all of this and I am just starting to attend mass and learn about the Catholic faith. What is penance and what do I have to do?
 
Welcome WG! Penance is the word used by some to refer to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and by others to refer to the acts performed at the direction of the priest; after confession the priest will give a penance, usually some prayers to say, possibly also some actions to perform (which may also be called restitution). More generally, penance is a means of expiating sin, motivated by “a duty of justice toward God,” by “our incorporation into Christ,” and by “charity to ourselves and to our neighbor.” “Sin is a real injustice, since it deprives God of a portion of that eternal glory which is His due.” The quotes are from Tanquerey, The Spiritual Life, section 736 and preamble, sold by www.tanbooks.com. Tanquerey quotes Bossuet: “Thus if we side with divine justice as against ourselves, we oblige divine mercy to take sides with us against divine justice. The more we regret the plight wherein we have fallen, the sooner we shall regain the good we have lost.” Isn’t that wonderful? As a last note, as wonderful as penance is, don’t undertake extraordinary measures without the help of a spiritual director. It is common to be reminded of this.
 
If you are not a baptized Catholic then you should NOT go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. If you are a Catholic, then you would receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation either once a year as is required or more frequentially if you are conscious of serious offenses against God. You would confess those offenses to the priest. After hearing your confession, the priest will give you some penance to perform to atone for those since and then give you absolution – wiping those sins away under the condition that you are truly sorry for them (i.e., the priest doesn’t know if you are truly sorry but God, who can see inside of your heart, does know and if you are really sorry, God removes your sins when the priest absolves you. If you are not really sorry, then your sins remain).
 
There’s a booklet called **Penitential Practices for Today’s Catholics from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.
 
I asked my pastor about this last time I went to Confession, as I had seen it in an examination of conscience. He explained that meatless Fridays in south Louisiana are not usually very penitential in nature. He went on to say your penance can be something very simple - such as holding the elevator door for someone. The key is in remembering that Jesus gave his all for us on a Friday, and the least we can do is to remember and offer something (however small) in return.

So now I try to remember.
 
acadian said:
I asked my pastor about this last time I went to Confession, as I had seen it in an examination of conscience. He explained that meatless Fridays in south Louisiana are not usually very penitential in nature. He went on to say your penance can be something very simple - such as holding the elevator door for someone. The key is in remembering that Jesus gave his all for us on a Friday, and the least we can do is to remember and offer something (however small) in return.

So now I try to remember.
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Soooo, the crawfish boil, fried catfish, stuffed butterfly shrimp complete with french fries and hush puppies wasn’t penitential? Well then, what about the shrimp and crab gumbo? Not even the Crawfish etouffe? Shrimp creole? Creamy seafood pizza at Sicily’s???
What the heck is a good Catholic sposed tuh eat on Friday? Tuna Helper???
 
I’ve been trying to give something up, well, do something less for now which is use the internet…

We were never really raised to participate in penitential Fridays, but I’m trying to incorporate it now. I think abstaining from the internet rather than meat is WAY harder for me and is more of a sacrifice (trust me it’s HARD for me!) so that’s why I choose that instead.
 
dranzal said:
Soooo, the crawfish boil, fried catfish, stuffed butterfly shrimp complete with french fries and hush puppies wasn’t penitential? Well then, what about the shrimp and crab gumbo? Not even the Crawfish etouffe? Shrimp creole? Creamy seafood pizza at Sicily’s???
What the heck is a good Catholic sposed tuh eat on Friday? Tuna Helper???
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Yeah, doesn’t leave much to choose from, does it? LOL!

Red beans and rice, maybe? It’s really tough! 😉
 
Mmmm. Red beans and rice. I suppose leaving out the sausage makes it penitential. 👍

I have also been known to make cheese quesadillas on Friday.
The Papa Johns spinach alfredo and tomato pizza had no meat, but wasn’t very sacrificial.:rolleyes:
 
S_V7 said:
is one required to abstain from meat on *all *fridays?:confused:
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No, and that is what this thread is about. Abstaining is required on all Fridays in Lent. Outside Lent, you have the option of substituting some other penance. I abstain all Fridays as part opf my BSP/CFP committment.
 
Sir_Knight said:
If you are not a baptized Catholic then you should NOT go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. If you are a Catholic, then you would receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation either once a year as is required or more frequentially if you are conscious of serious offenses against God. You would confess those offenses to the priest. After hearing your confession, the priest will give you some penance to perform to atone for those since and then give you absolution – wiping those sins away under the condition that you are truly sorry for them (i.e., the priest doesn’t know if you are truly sorry but God, who can see inside of your heart, does know and if you are really sorry, God removes your sins when the priest absolves you. If you are not really sorry, then your sins remain).
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Unless you tell him that you are not Catholic, he may not know. That does not however mean that a non-Catholic cannot speak to the priest in the confessional. A non-Catholic may be just as repentant as a Catholic. While the priest may not give absolution to the non-Catholic, he may provide guidance to help that person on his individual walk with Christ–opening the door to reception into the Church.
 
Sir_Knight said:
If you are not a baptized Catholic then you should NOT go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

oops I didn’t know that! My boyfriend is interested in the Catholic Church and is considering becoming Catholic. He is already a practicing Christian man. Although I don’t pressure him, I gently suggested that he could go to Confession if he wants to, just to speak with a priest, and to ask the priest what confession is all about, as a way for my boyfriend to hear the truth from a priest, and as a way for my boyfriend to become drawn by the idea of receiving healing and peace in this way.

Was I mistaken to suggest this to him? I hope that it was not inappropriate. Please let me know if there are any rules against this. My boyfriend says he actually did this and confessed some of his sins, but I don’t know if he received absolution. I was just glad because he said it brought him a lot of peace and happiness. Thanks for your advice in advance.
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I am very happy about all these great ideas. I used to see this penance as drudgery, but now I am very excited about it. I like variety, so I’m going to do something different each Friday, so that it doesn’t get boring. The first thing I’m going to do is to visit a sick neighbor. I never thought of doing special favors as a penance! That is such a great idea, and it doesn’t even take that long! It pulls you out of your routine, and is very meaningful. For those who already attend Mass every day, attending Mass would not be a good penance. Also, some people eat delicious non-meat foods on Fridays. I tried that a few times and felt so guilty that it did not help me at all. For some, just being without the heaviness and extra protein from meat, is actually a penance, because they feel weaker. However, for me, unless I eat foods I don’t like, it does not seem to help me spiritually. I see penance should not only be an obligation to fulfill in obedience to the Church, but as a spiritual exercise to help the penitent. That must be why the Church stopped making it mandatory to avoid eating meat - so that the faithful could re-evaluate their choice of penance to find what has the best affect on their spiritual life! I used to complain because the Church didn’t chose for me - it is much easier to obey a rule without thinking, but that is the problem - thoughtless going through the motions! Now I understand. Thank you so much for this enlightening thread, my brothers and sisters in Christ! I’m going to give it a highest rating.
 
Year ago I knew a Protestant minster who would occasionally go to Confession (I’m guessing it was not a Sacrament - but a time for him to ‘come clean’). I think if a serious person wanted to talk and ‘confess’ with a priest, most priests could be willing to talk with them, even if not officially a Sacrament.
 
I have a St. Joseph’s Sunday Missal that has the Stations of the Cross in it. I enjoy looking at the pictures and meditating on them on Fridays.
 
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