Friday penances

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angell1

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Hi lovely CAF people,

I just want to confirm something.

outside of Lent, I understand he are still supposed to perform some sort of penance on Fridays.

Traditionally, it was abstinence from meat, but we may now choose to substitute something else of our own choosing instead of not eating meat. is this correct?

I normally choose to do something else instead of not eating meat, since I am not a huge meat eater anyways, so it doesn’t realy feel like a huge difference if I eat it or not, but I noticed that at catholic events that happen on Fridays, usually they don’t serve meat, so I was wondering if I had misunderstood something. Or maybe they just make it easier for those who choose the traditional practice.

if the above is accurate, do you normally abstain from meat typically or do something else? I guess I am looking for some more ideas, I feel like I want to change things up a bit
 
No, you are right!

I think at these events it’s just a nice way to remind people about the penance and to offer an easy way to meet if someone had forgotten.

Good topic.
 
Maybe offer up extra prayers or do something for the needy, sick, neighbors and co-workers without them knowing
 
To be clear, this is one of those things that depends on what country you’re in. In England and Wales, for example, you must abstain from meat on Fridays. In the US, outside of Lent, you have the option of substituting another penance. The US bishops have recommended corporal works of mercy as a substitute. See #27 in this document: Pastoral Statement on Penance and Abstinence | USCCB
 
I am in Canada, we don’t even have to abstain during Lent, just Ash Wednesday and Good friday
 
what about the practice of giving up something for lent? is that just an encouraged practice or is it something we must do as prescribed by the law? just curious. That was something that was never really explained to me when I did my prep classes as a child
 
angell1 said:
Traditionally, it was abstinence from meat, but we may now choose to substitute something else of our own choosing instead of not eating meat. is this correct?
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You are correct, except that in the USA in Lent and on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, we are supposed to do the abstinence, not substitute something else. Edited because you are in Canada, as you stated, so this does not apply to you, but as I explained to Don Ruggero below, when I wrote this post all I could see was your intiial post, as it appears several of us posted at the same time. I didn’t want the post sitting there with misinformation.

Those who have Catholic events on Fridays in Lent will not serve meat because Catholics generally aren’t supposed to be eating it on those days (unless the Bishop specially lifts the prohibition, for example if some holiday during that time falls on a Friday - they’ve done it occasionally for St. Patrick’s Day in the USA).

Those who have Catholic events on Fridays at other times of the year may or may not serve meat, in my experience. If they do offer a meatless option or don’t serve meat at all, it is to make it easier for those Catholics who choose to follow the traditional practice.

I didn’t bother with the traditional practice, except for the required Fridays in Lent and on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, for many years. I recently went back to the practice as a symbolic gesture. It is not much of a sacrifice for me to eat something other than meat, and food “sacrifices” are not my first choice, but as far as “substituting” something I am not in a good position to pick another substitution at this time, so I just go with the traditional. (The Church suggests things like teaching others about the faith…is that what I do on CAF? not sure about that and my schedule doesn’t permit me to go be a CCD teacher, nor do I have kids to instruct…and I’m not sure if extra prayers are a “sacrifice” either because praying isn’t a huge hardship for me and I’m already doing a lot of it…)

I would add that for the first 90 days of this year I’m actually doing the Nineveh 90 which requires us to fast on Fridays so for that 90 days I am going way beyond the not eating meat. I do an egg and grapefruit fast. which is supposed to be 2 eggs and a grapefruit and maybe a small dinner. What happens is I don’t get around to eating the dinner half the time so it ends up being just 2 eggs and a grapefruit and some coffee all day, so I’d say that checks the box.
 
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The three pillars of Lent are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It’s laudable but not mandatory to participate in those activities.
 
angell1 said:
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Enlightening to read PAENITEMINI or Pope Paul VI, 1966:
C — The precept of penitence must be satisfied in a more perfect way by priests, who are more closely linked to Christ through sacred character, as well as by those who in order to follow more closely the abnegation of the lord and to find an easier and more efficacious path to the perfection of charity practice the evangelical counsels.(58)

The Church, however, invites all Christians without distinction to respond to the divine precept of penitence by some voluntary act, apart from the renunciation imposed by the burdens of everyday life.(59)

To recall and urge all the faithful to the observance of the divine precept of penitence, the Apostolic See intends to reorganize penitential discipline with practices more suited to our times. It is up to the bishops—gathered in their episcopal conferences—to establish the norms which, in their pastoral solicitude and prudence, and with the direct knowledge they have of local conditions, they consider the most opportune and efficacious. The following, however is established:

In the first place, Holy Mother Church, although it has always observed in a special way abstinence from meat and fasting, nevertheless wants to indicate in the traditional triad of “prayer—fasting—charity” the fundamental means of complying with the divine precepts of penitence. These means were the same throughout the centuries, but in our time there are special reasons whereby, according to the demands of various localities, it is necessary to inculcate some special form of penitence in preference to others.(60)
  • Therefore, where economic well-being is greater, so much more will the witness of asceticism have to be given in order that the sons of the Church may not be involved in the spirit of the “world,”(61) and at the same time the witness of charity will have to be given to the brethren who suffer poverty and hunger beyond any barrier of nation or continent.(62)
  • On the other hand, in countries where the standard of living is lower, it will be more pleasing to God the Father and more useful to the members of the Body of Christ if Christians—while they seek in every way to promote better social justice—offer their suffering in prayer to the Lord in close union with the Cross of Christ.
Therefore, the Church, while preserving—where it can be more readily observed—the custom (observed for many centuries with canonical norms) of practicing penitence also through abstinence from meat and fasting, intends to ratify with its prescriptions other forms of penitence as well, provided that it seems opportune to episcopal conferences to replace the observance of fast and abstinence with exercises of prayer and works of charity.
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http://w2.vatican.va/content/paul-v...cuments/hf_p-vi_apc_19660217_paenitemini.html
 
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Only the occasion of a Solemnity (not a feast) excuses Friday abstinence.
 
agreed, about the meat sacrifice anyways, I usually try to give up sometning else that I enjoy more, like sweets, or Netflix/social media
 
ultimately, we have the option of choosing whatever we want to though, right? for example, I usually choose to give up something else instead of meet, things that I might enjoy more
 
There are certain days when the Church mandates fasting and/or abstinence. On other days you can do whatever you like.
 
You can also pick a day other than Friday to do a regular fast (except you’re not supposed to be fasting on Sunday).
I prefer to do regular fasting on a Monday because that is the day promoted by the Flame of Love devotion for helping to save souls in Purgatory.

I have to be honest also and say that Monday works better with my schedule, although I am currently fasting on both Monday and Friday until Lent begins, at which time I will be abstaining on Friday but fasting on Monday and Wednesday (except for Good Friday). The reason for this is that if I fast on Friday, I will not be able to attend any of the church benefit meals that many parishes (especially the ones more in need of funds) traditionally hold as fundraisers on all Fridays in Lent except for Good Friday, and I don’t see any point in doing a fast on a day when it will deprive the Church of a good benefit as I usually spend quite a bit at the fundraiser. I can just as easily fast on some other day.
 
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In England and Wales it is now the norm to abstain from meat. It would not necessarily be a sin if one were to substitute abstinence from meat with another form of penance, particularly as it is realised that there are many who do not eat meat or rarely eat it anyway. It is however a recognised act of common witness to refrain from meat on a Friday.

"The obligation on Catholics in England and Wales to do penance on a Friday will be the same after Friday 16 September 2011 as it was before that date. The only change is that the Bishops have determined that the requirement by all the faithful to do penance on a Friday will be fulfilled by abstaining from meat.

Whilst failure to abstain from meat on a particular Friday would not constitute a ‘sin’ as such, the Vatican has previously made it clear that it is our duty as Catholics to undertake penance on a Friday. It is more a question of intending to ‘carry a small cross for Christ’ than about abstaining from meat. The person who knowingly decides not to undertake any Friday penance at all is probably ‘sinning’; the person who accidentally eats a ham sandwich for lunch is probably not."
http://www.rcdow.org.uk/diocese/default.asp?library_ref=4&content_ref=3473
 
When I grew up, fish on Friday was a penance; not because it was fish, but because my mother was, in general, not particularly a good cook; and in addition I still have a suspicion that she thought the fish were not properly cleaned, so she fried the *&%% out of them. What she did to fish would have given Saints Peter and Andrew hissy fits. And that was before Vatican 2… things didn’t necessarily improve after that. Sunny side eggs came out with hard yolks and the bottom vulcanized…

I live on the West Coast, where fish is readily available. Eating a piece of well-prepared fish is absolutely not a penance. And paying anywhere from $20 to $45 for a fish dish… should speak for itself.

Last year I went hunting out of Ruidoso, New Mexico and we all went over to the Indian casino for their buffet. I made the mistake of getting some of the fish and crab. Big mistake. I don’t know what happened to those items between the boat and the kitchen, but it was unforgivable. Another meal of penance, and it wasn’t even Friday.

Fish sticks from the frozen section of the grocery store are not exactly a delicacy to begin with; but my mother could over-bake them to near the point of cremation. Yeah, it was a penance. Even a load of tartar sauce could not mask the disaster.
 
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Tis_Bearself said:
You are correct, except in Lent and on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, when we are supposed to do the abstinence, not substitute something else.
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Not in Canada, except in the Archdiocese of Canada where the archbishop decided to impose the traditional abstinence. I am not in that archdiocese. Even in Lent now in Canada it’s only fast + abstinence on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. And as I’m 59 almost 60 (and diabetic on top of it), I’m not obligated to fast. I knew there had to be an advantage somewhere to all the aches and pains!

That said, my Friday penance, ever since I retired in 2014, has been to vacuum the house and clean the bathrooms. It’s a job I hate, made worse by the fact that for the last couple of months I’ve been struggling with a bad bout of sciatica. As my wife is still working I am sure (or I hope!) she appreciates it.

At the abbey, they also abstain on Wednesdays, and they fast an abstain on Wednesdays of Lent. I volunteer at the abbey library on Wednesdays, so that’s typically when I eat fish; my salary is a free lunch! It is a penance because fish is far from my favourite dish, although I really love salmon and trout and do like cod (especially as fish & chips) for some reason. But I eat what’s served in the abbey cafeteria regardless of what it is.
 
angell1 said:
I normally choose to do something else instead of not eating meat, since I am not a huge meat eater anyways, so it doesn’t realy feel like a huge difference if I eat it or not
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I certainly understand this but I find when you make a commitment to not do something it can actually make it more of a challenge. For instance I mostly take cold showers with an occasional hot one. By cold I mean no amount of hot water for the whole shower. That would be a good penance. Right now it is easy to do as something I choose. But if I made it a Friday penance I can promise you I’d feel less inclined to do it. I’d have much more desire for that warm shower I now take occasionally.
 
otjm said:
When I grew up, fish on Friday was a penance; not because it was fish, but because my mother was, in general, not particularly a good cook; and in addition I still have a suspicion that she thought the fish were not properly cleaned, so she fried the *&%% out of them. What she did to fish would have given Saints Peter and Andrew hissy fits.
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LOL! This is my favorite post of the day! 🤣
 
otjm said:
I live on the West Coast, where fish is readily available. Eating a piece of well-prepared fish is absolutely not a penance. And paying anywhere from $20 to $45 for a fish dish… should speak for itself.
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It is not the presence of fish which is to be penance, but the absence of flesh meat. If there is no flesh meat in your $20 to $40 fish entree, then of course it is a penance – The very penance prescribed by Canon 1251.
 
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