Friday Penance?

[Jabronie]

In another thread, people were talking about a USCCB change to Friday Penance. In order to avoid hijacking that thread, I’ll ask here.

What is “Friday Penance” and what did the USCCB change about it in the US?

 

[cathsem]

I saw the same thread. All Fridays (except those preempted by solemnities, as was last Friday (Immaculate Conception)) are days of penance in the universal Church (as are all non-solemnities and non-Sundays in the Season of Lent). Abstinence from meat is still a universal norm; however, in many countries, such as the U.S., we are permitted to perform some act of mercy or another act of self-denial instead of abstaining from meat on the Fridays outside of Lent (and Good Friday, of course).

 

[Tantum_ergo]

Due to the ambiguity of the actual text, and the varying responses of many Catholics who are acknowledged leaders and experts, some say that (In the U.S.) on non Lenten Fridays Catholics are <only encouraged> to practice some act of penance or good deed, not that (outside the U.S. currently, and before the USCCB decision) such practices are mandatory.

My own judgment is that, considering the universal norm calls for mandary penance on all Fridays, and that this has been the case historically for many centuries, and certainly is seen as being what the bishops would have **liked ** to have seen done voluntarily, that we U.S. Catholics should indeed be doing Friday penance on all Fridays.

But I guess there are some (and I’ll try to express this as charitably and nonjudgmentally as I can) who feel that for those who honestly and truly feel that there is no need for them to do such a practice, there is no ‘binding’ upon them. Or that, because of everything from poor catechesis to mental/emotional/sociological/ecomical issues, that some people simply cannot do a “Friday penance” and thus should not be ‘forced’. And of course there really are people who do exactly what those bishops wanted, and who freely ‘give’ to God their penances etc., and sometimes even ‘beyond’ Fridays.

Again, I would like to see greater educational effort made to help people clarify the difference between doing the ‘minimum’ possible in the spirit of, “what is the least that I to do in order to be comfortable with myself that I’m with God”, and doing “what God wants of me, even if it’s than I would have if left to myself.” Especially if we are expecting a more ‘voluntary’ faith from people, they really need to know much more about that Faith itself.

I am also stating here that this does not necessarily mean that I think that those who do not do a voluntary Friday penance outside of Lent are “doing the minimum possible”.

 

[scylla]

So is there any suggestions on these sort of penances that we should to be faithful instead of just leaving it up to our imagination?

If it is very ambiguous then no-one understands and ignores this, if there are clear suggestions promoted universally then it would be done as people would not be confused.

My RCIA class leaders say we don’t have to do anything, that all changed with Vatican II, (of course they promote women priests also, so I don’t listen to them) I don’t attend anymore as the woman I was sponsoring dropped out, she got tired of hearing them complain about the Church and how it needs to change more.

In Christ
Scylla

 

[decn2b]

My RCIA class leaders say we don’t have to do anything, that all changed with Vatican II, (of course they promote women priests also, so I don’t listen to them) I don’t attend anymore as the woman I was sponsoring dropped out, she got tired of hearing them complain about the Church and how it needs to change more.

In Christ
Scylla

I seriously hope that you STRONGLY encourage the person you sponsored to find an acceptable RCIA class AND that this person or someone tells the priest WHY she dropped out of RCIA.

Can you imagine the DAMAGE that the RCIA director has done??? Think about it…SPreading LIES about the faith and driving people away from the One True Faith!! YIKES!!

 

[jmcrae]

So is there any suggestions on these sort of penances that we should to be faithful instead of just leaving it up to our imagination?

The Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is very appropriate for Fridays. So are the Stations of the Cross, the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, and making a Holy Hour at Adoration for the intentions of the souls in Purgatory. A lot of people also make a devotional Confession on Fridays. (Being already in a state of grace, they confess their venial sins for the purpose of gaining an Indulgence for the suffering souls in Purgatory.)

Of course, abstaining from warm-blooded meat is the normative penance for Fridays; the above are for those Fridays outside of Lent when you want to substitute something else, for whatever reason.

 

[Jaypeeto3]

Is it acceptable to make The Stations of The Cross at home, using just a Stations booklet with pictures of the stations, or do you HAVE to go to a Church to do them?

The reason I ask is that I have NO access to a church on Fridays to perform the Stations.

Can’t we just meditate on them instead, with a booklet of the Stations?

Love,
Jaypeeto3 (aka Jaypeeto4)

 

[Andruschak]

I saw the same thread. All Fridays (except those preempted by solemnities, as was last Friday (Immaculate Conception)) are days of penance in the universal Church (as are all non-solemnities and non-Sundays in the Season of Lent). Abstinence from meat is still a universal norm; however, in many countries, such as the U.S., we are permitted to perform some act of mercy or another act of self-denial instead of abstaining from meat on the Fridays outside of Lent (and Good Friday, of course).

I prefer to keep it simple and just abstain from meat on all Fridays.

 

[jmcrae]

Is it acceptable to make The Stations of The Cross at home, using just a Stations booklet with pictures of the stations, or do you HAVE to go to a Church to do them?

I don’t have any idea, although I suspect that the Stations are intended to be done while standing and walking from station to station - doing them in a book seems to miss the point of the “walking with Jesus to Calvary” experience.

You could pick a different devotion to do at home, such as the Litany of the Sacred Heart.

 

[Damascus]

You can always give something else up guys. Its not that complex really. Like a good suggestion here would be you could have the decency to invite the person to the thread you start about them in order not to be either mocking them or accused of gossip or backstabbing. Its pretty simple. I smoke so I give up cigs on fridays. And I get pretty cranky on fridays as a result, but I do it.

 

[JimG]

Trying to read the U.S. Bishops regulations about this matter are somewhat like trying to decipher the regulations enacted pursuant to various Titles of the United States Code.

It seems to me that nobody knows what we are supposed to do on regular Fridays, and whether or not it–whatever it is–is mandatory.

Most people have apparently decided that nothing is required.

And I haven’t heard any homilies in a long while that would dispute that.

Jimmy Akin’s interpretation, (itself not an easy read) seems to say that the U.S. bishops took away the prior obligation, and put nothing mandatory in its place–only suggestions.

I think he is probably right.

So–it would be good to follow the “old” rules of no meat on Fridays. Or even to substitute something else penitential–like stations of the cross? But does it now obligate under pain of mortal sin? I don’t think so.

 

[Damascus]

Think again. Penance is still required. Yet the Catholic Church overestimated its members and hoped they would understand they still had an obligation and would be responsible enough without a hammer on the head to fufilll the obligation. Guess they need to dumb it down a bit more so people get it.

Trying to read the U.S. Bishops regulations about this matter are somewhat like trying to decipher the regulations enacted pursuant to various Titles of the United States Code.

It seems to me that nobody knows what we are supposed to do on regular Fridays, and whether or not it–whatever it is–is mandatory.

Most people have apparently decided that nothing is required.

And I haven’t heard any homilies in a long while that would dispute that.

Jimmy Akin’s interpretation, (itself not an easy read) seems to say that the U.S. bishops took away the prior obligation, and put nothing mandatory in its place–only suggestions.

I think he is probably right.

So–it would be good to follow the “old” rules of no meat on Fridays. Or even to substitute something else penitential–like stations of the cross? But does it now obligate under pain of mortal sin? I don’t think so.

 

[puzzleannie]

Is it acceptable to make The Stations of The Cross at home, using just a Stations booklet with pictures of the stations, or do you HAVE to go to a Church to do them?

The reason I ask is that I have NO access to a church on Fridays to perform the Stations.

Can’t we just meditate on them instead, with a booklet of the Stations?

Love,
Jaypeeto3 (aka Jaypeeto4)

it is always permissible to pray any type of private devotion alone at home or any other place. There are certain indulgences attached to certain devotions prayed with the community, prayed in Church at actual stations etc., but that does not preclude or forbid praying alone. A very worthy practice. A Catholic publisher sells little keyring cards in Lent with the stations printed on them, a reminder to meditate frequently on the Passion during Lent. also, we are getting off topic. There is a fasting thread going on now as well.

 

[mommyof4]

Think again. Penance is still required. Yet the Catholic Church overestimated its members and hoped they would understand they still had an obligation and would be responsible enough without a hammer on the head to fufilll the obligation. Guess they need to dumb it down a bit more so people get it.

Yep! for people like me!!! I’m more confused than ever!!!

 

[JimG]

Think again. Penance is still required. Yet the Catholic Church overestimated its members and hoped they would understand they still had an obligation and would be responsible enough without a hammer on the head to fufilll the obligation. Guess they need to dumb it down a bit more so people get it.

Well, it’s required by God, yes. But where and when, and what? People are confused because nobody has ever told them just what is expected.

I could be wrong, but it seems the message we are getting is this:

You should do penance on every Friday, such as abstaining from meat. But if you don’t, it’s not a mortal sin.

Or perhaps the message is: you are obligated to do penance, but you are obligated to do it voluntarily!

No wonder people are confused.

 

[jmcrae]

It’s “voluntary” in the sense that the Penance Police are not going to show up at your door every Friday evening to interrogate you about whether you did it or not. It is “voluntary” in the same sense that priestly celibacy is “voluntary” in that they are not made eunuchs at the time of ordination.

But it’s still an obligation.

When I wrote to my Bishop about this, he was refreshingly clear on the matter, and made it plain that we are supposed to be doing penance every Friday - the only thing “optional” about it is the type of penance that we choose to do. This is binding on every Catholic who has reached the age of 14 years, and, unlike the law of fasting, there are no exemptions for illness, old age, or pregnancy.

 

[Damascus]

Fantastic post! and sorry Mommy of 4, I did not know either until just last year. So dont feel bad. It is not made abundantly clear, and that is sad.
You are in no way shape or form a dummy BTW.

It’s “voluntary” in the sense that the Penance Police are not going to show up at your door every Friday evening to interrogate you about whether you did it or not. It is “voluntary” in the same sense that priestly celibacy is “voluntary” in that they are not made eunuchs at the time of ordination.

But it’s still an obligation.

When I wrote to my Bishop about this, he was refreshingly clear on the matter, and made it plain that we are supposed to be doing penance every Friday - the only thing “optional” about it is the type of penance that we choose to do. This is binding on every Catholic who has reached the age of 14 years, and, unlike the law of fasting, there are no exemptions for illness, old age, or pregnancy.

 

[JimG]

I went back and read Michelle Arnold’s reply to this question on the Ask an Apologist forum. Here is the link.

And it is STILL not clear to me. Probably because the USCCB regulation itself is unclear.

The reply seems to make it clear that the USCCB terminated the law of Friday abstinence; and that law of abstinence is thus no longer binding under pain of mortal sin. What is unclear is whether failing to do something else IS binding under pain of sin. The statement simply does not say. It terminates one obligation, (while urging us to keep it anyway), but does not clearly bind us to an alternate obligation.