The Church does not tell us specifics of fasting other than we should consume less food-- one full meal and two smaller meals sufficient to maintain strength-- and no snacking between meals.
Purely from a nutritional standpoint (and not a religious one),you might not feel quite so dizzy nor have “the shakes” if, instead of starchy carbs (cereal, scone, pastry) you had some protein and a little fat. The symptoms you describe are often caused by too much starchy foods and not enough of protein.
It’s not simply the eating of meat that is sinful, but the willful disobedience of what the Church wisely says is good for us.
In your original posting, I thought when you stated if the OP found it hard to abstain from meat to substitute something else you were giving that as advice on what to do all during Lent. I see now that is not what you were saying. I see what you were saying was, roughly, “since you already ate meat today, do another penance.”Sorry, 1ke, my last post was a bit cranky; it’s early and I’ve got a bug…
In any case, please allow me to revise:
- OP, don’t worry about “weakness”. Start over.
- Best to consult a priest on the matter of if something is sinful or not; as you’ll see on this forum there is a variety of potentially confusing positions.
- While fasting is important, we should remember that good works are a part of Lent as well.
- And we should continue to pray for one another, and those who have not yet received the Gospel message, always but especially during Lent.
but that is just my point, it is the church saying it, please don’t misread this as defiance of the church – i love the church and being Catholic – it is meant to draw a distinction between God’s law and some church law. breaking any of God’s laws is sinful, breaking the church’s law may not be if a law’s intent is to provide a means to holiness. as to where to “draw the line” each instance needs to be viewed on its own merits; Jesus called us to confess our sins when he gave the apostles the power to bind and loose sin, so the church’s law follows, reinforces God’s law (not that God’s law needs any reinforcing), ignoring Mass breaks the 3rd commandment as i posted before, and Jesus told us to receive the Eucharist, “do this in memory of Me”, so we can’t ignore doing that. in so far as receiving the Eucharast in a state of mortal sin. this only compounds the offense, which is between the sinner and God
Correction: DO worry about it. Willful disobedience to Church law is a serious matter. Bring it to the confessional as soon as possible.
There is no opinion. It is a fact: willfull disobidence to Church law IS a sin. The seriousness of it is determined by other factors which have not been shared. Depending on those other factors, it could be mortal or only veniel.
When it comes to spiritual growth, the statement is true. However, doing “other things” on our own does NOT free of the specific Church obligation to fast.
We should also warns others of their failings instead of trying to sugarcoat them and say that everything is alight when it might not be ESPECIALLY when they come to us seeking an honest accessment of their situation.
Correction: DO worry about it. Willful disobedience to Church law is a serious matter. Bring it to the confessional as soon as possible.
Sure is…but when one is “weak”, is it truly “willful”. That is the $64K question. And do worry about it?..Yes, confess it, and then don’t worry about it. Better, SK?
There is no opinion. It is a fact: willfull disobidence to Church law IS a sin. The seriousness of it is determined by other factors which have not been shared. Depending on those other factors, it could be mortal or only veniel.
Based on what we know, it’s my opinion. Sorry if you didn’t get that.
When it comes to spiritual growth, the statement is true. However, doing “other things” on our own does NOT free of the specific Church obligation to fast.
Very true, I agree. In the OP’s case, that ship had already sailed, no?
We should also warns others of their failings instead of trying to sugarcoat them and say that everything is alight when it might not be ESPECIALLY when they come to us seeking an honest accessment of their situation.
Depends on how it’s done. In this case, if it’s done in a “You sinned, You need to go to confession or You’re going to hell” manner it is not, IMHO, particularly helpful…but that’s for the OP to decide, whether they found it helpful.
I’d prefer the softer approach i.e. don’t sweat it, consult a priest and ask for the strength to resist in the future.
What if you already eat very modestly like that all the time due to serious financial constraints? I know all too well what it’s like to feel hunger on a regular basis, and sometimes meat-containing dishes are all I have for the entire week. I’m 5’ and barely 90 pounds with the metabolism of a cheetah; there’s no way I could eat any less than I already do.
