Friday Penance while Traveling

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hawksnest23 said:
Cool, thanks for that. So conclusion: I should probably do some penance (like in the U.S.) but am not bound by whatever these foreign countries rules are? And possibly not bound to do anything at all? Is that right?
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In light of Dan’s confirmation, the most reasonable conclusion is that you are free to keep to the practice of your local diocese, but that you are not obligated or required to. On this particular occasion, you have no requirement to perform any particular form of penance, but it remains praiseworthy to do so.
 
hawksnest23 said:
Thanks for all the responses! Glad I could spark some discussion haha. Could someone explain to me universal law?

Could it be argued that the universal law is to not eat meat, and its just that some countries have like a substitute to that–a sort of exemption–but outside those countries (e.g., the U.S.) you are also outside that exception, and thus bound to the universal law (which is not eating meat)?

In other words, is it that every country has a particular law, or that there is a universal law that some countries just have like a substitute to?

Someone tell me if I’m way off.
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Again, @acanonlawyer Dan can vet this, but if a law is particular-ized, then the universal law no longer meets the “for whom they are issued” clause of the canon. The residents of the territory is then subject to the particular law, and when the person leaves that territory temporarily, that particular law does not follow, but universal law won’t apply because it was not issued for the traveller (who is normally under particular law).

And since neither the particular law of the home territory, nor the particular law of the visited territory bind the traveler, and universal law is not a fallback, there is no obligation binding on such a person at that time.
 
Hey @acanonlawyer thanks for helping out with this question. I have a related one now that has come up. Turns out corpus Christi is a holy day here in Croatia while in America it gets moved to Sunday. I’ll be back in America on Saturday so I’ll be celebrating it this weekend back home, but should I still go to mass here in Croatia on Thursday? Going to be a bit tough to do as I don’t have full control over my schedule but may be possible.

Thanks!
 
hawksnest23 said:
Hey @acanonlawyer thanks for helping out with this question. I have a related one now that has come up. Turns out corpus Christi is a holy day here in Croatia while in America it gets moved to Sunday. I’ll be back in America on Saturday so I’ll be celebrating it this weekend back home, but should I still go to mass here in Croatia on Thursday? Going to be a bit tough to do as I don’t have full control over my schedule but may be possible.

Thanks!
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You are not bound by the laws of the country in which you’re traveling, so no you have no obligation on Thursday.
 
I personally don’t do the Friday sacrifice stuff outside of Lent, I would speak with a Priest and do what cultivates faith and mercy in your life.

It is meant to be a remembrance of the Cross, not a grueling suffering for the sake of pain
 
hawksnest23 said:
should I still go to mass here in Croatia on Thursday
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I’ll pile on and say you don’t have a legal obligation to go. Should you? That’s up to you. If it’s possible to go, I would try because it should be a wonderful event. That’s just me. I remember the time I was in Rome at this time of the liturgical year and was staying at a place on the Corpus Christi procession route. I didn’t realize they’d be celebrating it on Thursday. I, along with my group, was at a restaurant at the time the papal procession passed by the hotel. I was not happy about that. Embarrassed, really.

Dan
 
Thanks! I appreciate the replies, am glad I can ask these questions here!
 
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