How do you remember not to eat meat on a Friday?

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how do you remember to abstain from meat on Fridays outside of Lent?(or whatever your sacrafice is for Friday) I always forget! And then a while after I’ve eaten I remember(usually)

And am I sinning by doing this?(I know it wouldn’t be mortal because it doesn’t have full knowledge or consent but is it a venial sin?)
 
I use Google Calendar to keep all my class assignments, work hours, organization obligations and personal appointments organized and I made a meal time with a note to avoid meat that repeats on Fridays. You can set an alert for it, so for me it shows up on my phone and reminds me!
If you use any kind of calendar or organizer, that might help.
 
I have a wife and three children that never let me forget 🙂

And if they do, there’s always my mother-in-law 🙂
 
I plan ahead. On Thursday, I know I have to cook pasta or cream of potato or cellary soup or something for the next day. On Thursday, I look ahead.

There is no sin involved (in the United States, anyway) unless you eat meat on a Friday in Lent. Even if you eat meat every other Friday, no matter how Traditionalist your parish is, there is no sin.
 
For me it is just instilled by force of habit, that should be the goal so that it becomes something you just won’t forget.

As for establishing it as a habit, peanut’s suggestions are good. Additionally, if you combine this discipline with another, like praying “Christian Prayer” or the divine office, or a daily rosary, those type of daily devotions can also help remind you when it’s a Friday. Even if you don’t have a discipline like that, maybe adding some prayers just on Friday mornings will help set the tone of the day, which in turn should help you remember.

I believe that private vows are not binding under sin, so if where you live it is not a requirement to abstain from meat (NB in England at least, it is being restored as a year-round requirement), then it is not a sin. But it is a failure in your spiritual discipline, that you should try to correct. Even if it’s not a sin, you can still bring it up to your confessor, who may have more relevant advice.
 
adstrinity said:
I plan ahead. On Thursday, I know I have to cook pasta or cream of potato or cellary soup or something for the next day. On Thursday, I look ahead.

There is no sin involved (in the United States, anyway) unless you eat meat on a Friday in Lent. Even if you eat meat every other Friday, no matter how Traditionalist your parish is, there is no sin.
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how can the Church define it as a sin? when it aint in the Bible?
 
TeenageConvert said:
how do you remember to abstain from meat on Fridays outside of Lent?(or whatever your sacrafice is for Friday) I always forget! And then a while after I’ve eaten I remember(usually)

And am I sinning by doing this?(I know it wouldn’t be mortal because it doesn’t have full knowledge or consent but is it a venial sin?)
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I would write it down on a piece of paper and tape that to your bedroom door. That way every time you walk through it you’ll see it. And after a while you won’t need it anymore. But, if you’re not willing to go that route, pray. Ask the Saints to help you remember things. I started doing that and I’ve found my memory is a lot better.

As for whether it would be a sin or not, the short answer is no. Venial sins and Mortal sins alike do not count if you do not have full consent and if you forget. Now, let’s just say that after taking a vow to do this every Friday of your life, you say “You know what, I don’t care, I want meat today”, that would be a sin. Whether it would be Mortal I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter anyway. It is good and necessary to confess sins of both degrees.

Dominus Vobiscum.

:knight1:
 
Being not too electronically rich 😃 I have a red handkerchief that I hang down from the top the refrigerator. I flip it down on Tuesdays and Thursdays after I do the final dish washing of the day, before bed. I need that reminder, specially on the refrigerator, to remind me what day it is. 🙂
 
CountrySteve said:
can you explain how its a sin please?
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The Church gets to make the rules as per Christ.

Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:19)

The Bible also tells us that not everythin Christian is in the Bible.

-Tim-
 
There have been martyrs who were crucified for refusing to eat meat. That was their witness to the Lord.

Helps a fellow to remember.
 
JM3 said:
Catechism of the Catholic Church

vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P75.HTM

II. The Precepts of the Church
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I think Steve’s not debating the authority of the church, but asking where specifically does it say it’s a sin if you eat meat on Friday.

My knowledge is that it is a sin if you do it during Lent, but not at other times during the year.

My mother-in-law begs to differ, but the evidence presented is always anecdotal.
 
TeenageConvert said:
And am I sinning by doing this?(
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Catholics are not obliged to abstain from meat on Fridays outside of Lent, and the recommendation to do penance on Friday is not binding on pain of sin. No sin.

Even if it were a binding practice, deliberate intent is still required for sin, so forgetting does not count. If you want to do penance choose something that is easier to remember, and do it intentionally so it is more beneficial spiritually. For instance it is easier to remember to fast or abstain if you prepare your own food, when you eat out or have to rely on someone else, it is harder. Why not choose something you can control, like saying a certain prayer.
 
Rahn said:
I think Steve’s not debating the authority of the church, but asking where specifically does it say it’s a sin if you eat meat on Friday.

My knowledge is that it is a sin if you do it during Lent, but not at other times during the year.

My mother-in-law begs to differ, but the evidence presented is always anecdotal.
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you hit it right on the nail mate :cool: i accept Church authority this just puzzled me that its a sin
 
CountrySteve said:
you hit it right on the nail mate :cool: i accept Church authority this just puzzled me that its a sin
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Are you saying that you accept the Catholic Church’s authority to INVENT sin? If so, how would such a sin apply to non-Catholics such as yourself?🤷
 
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