Friday substitutions

[wkj_123]

Hello,

As I understand it Catholics in the U.S. are required to do some form of penance/give something up on Fridays throughout the entire year. I understand that abstaining from meat is not required, during most Fridays of the year or non Lenten Fridays etc, and that you can substitute another act. My question is if let’s say someone decided to drink only water, refrain from social media, and eat no meat on a particular Friday, but then something serious came up and it’s going to be very difficult to drink only water that day, would it be a sin to drop the water only in the middle of Friday and keep the other two? I don’t want to over think this I’m just not sure of the rules here. Thank you.

 

[phil19034]

Hello,

As I understand it Catholics in the U.S. are required to do some form of penance/give something up on Fridays throughout the entire year. I understand that abstaining from meat is not required, during most Fridays of the year or non Lenten Fridays etc, and that you can substitute another act. My question is if let’s say someone decided to drink only water, refrain from social media, and eat no meat on a particular Friday, but then something serious came up and it’s going to be very difficult to drink only water that day, would it be a sin to drop the water only in the middle of Friday and keep the other two? I don’t want to over think this I’m just not sure of the rules here. Thank you.

Perhaps it would be better to simply better to pick one as your Friday penance (i.e. the no meat) and the others simply as additional, non-required penances.

No one says you have to only have one penance for Friday. You can pick one as your “Friday penance” and then do additional ones as above and beyond.

I hope I’m making sense.

 

[wkj_123]

This sounds dangerously close to scrupulocity. I urge everyone who sees this post to not comment!!!

We must show the OP true love by ignoring these sorts of questions! It might set off their illness of it’s answered

I certainly appreciate your concern, but this is not a scrupulous issue, but one of not being fully aware of Church teaching on this issue. Again I appreciate your concern truly, but I feel as if “urging everyone not to comment” is a little less than charitable to just assume something of me and dismiss my question. Peace

 

[wkj_123]

Or maybe they’re just a convert who doesn’t know the details

Yes I am a convert. I apologize to everyone if my question was out of line, I’m just a little confused on the rule here. Thank you for your reply.

 

[BartholomewB]

would it be a sin to drop the water only in the middle of Friday and keep the other two?

No, it’s not a sin. You will still have kept two penances. That’s what counts.

 

[GiftofMercy]

With all penances please remember what Jesus said when asked about doing work on the Sabbath

If your ox gets stuck in a well , will you leave it ther, of course not, it will die a slow and painful death and you will have no ox, go get it out, enlist help if you need it.

And today Animal Welfare will be on your case for watching your ox suffer down the well , and doing nothing to save it.

Yes I have expanded the Gospel verse.

Jesus is saying, if there is an emergency, attend to it.

This is also part of the moral of the Good Samaritan story.

 

[wkj_123]

No, it’s not a sin. You will still have kept two penances. That’s what counts.

Thank you that makes sense

 

[wkj_123]

Perhaps it would be better to simply better to pick one as your Friday penance (i.e. the no meat) and the others simply as additional, non-required penances.

No one says you have to only have one penance for Friday. You can pick one as your “Friday penance” and then do additional ones as above and beyond.

I hope I’m making sense

Makes total sense thank you

 

[Vico]

As I understand it Catholics in the U.S. are required to do some form of penance/give something up on Fridays throughout the entire year.

If you read the original apostolic constitution PAENITEMINI of St. Pope Paul VI (February 17, 1966) you will see the logic (excerpt from Chapter III):

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.

http://w2.vatican.va/content/paul-v...cuments/hf_p-vi_apc_19660217_paenitemini.html

 

[phil19034]

n 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.

Thanks. However, this doesn’t explain why the Bishops of the United States decided it was a good idea for Americans to give up meat.

Especially, since they didn’t teach everyone that in place of meat, they should do some form of charity - based on the following quote:

I remember going to confession once to confess that I forgot my Friday penance and the priest had no idea what I was talking about. He honestly had NO IDEA that we were supposed do some form of penance on Fridays. He asked me where I heard read about it and I referred him to the USCCB’s website.

So to me… it would be FAR better to return to the Friday Meat Penance (giving people the free ability to replace it with something else) rather than completely leaving it up to each person on their own. Because this has not been working. My guess 95% - or more - have no idea that we still need to do penance on Fridays outside of Lent.