Is not performing a Friday or Lenten Penance Grave Matter?

[Paxvobis]

Hi,

It is my understanding that every Friday (excluding solemnities) we are to have some penance, which traditionally consists of abstaining from meat, although during Lent we must abstain from meat for our Friday penance.

It is also my understanding that during Lent and on particular days declared by the bishops (January 22 for the sin of abortion, for example) we must have a penance.

There is a section on this in the 1983 Code of Canon Law:

Can. 1249 The divine law binds all the Christian faithful to do penance each in his or her own way. In order for all to be united among themselves by some common observance of penance, however, penitential days are prescribed on which the Christian faithful devote themselves in a special way to prayer, perform works of piety and charity, and deny themselves by fulfilling their own obligations more faithfully and especially by observing fast and abstinence, according to the norm of the following canons.

Can. 1250 The penitential days and times in the universal Church are every Friday of the whole year and the season of Lent.

Can. 1251 Abstinence from eating meat or some other food according to the prescripts of the conference of bishops is to be observed on every Friday of the year unless a Friday occurs on a day listed as a solemnity. Abstinence and fasting, however, are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

Can. 1252 The law of abstinence binds those who have completed their fourteenth year of age. The law of fasting, however, binds all those who have attained their majority until the beginning of their sixtieth year. Nevertheless, pastors of souls and parents are to take care that minors not bound by the law of fast and abstinence are also educated in a genuine sense of penance.

Can. 1253 The conference of bishops can determine more precisely the observance of fast and abstinence as well as substitute other forms of penance, especially works of charity and exercises of piety, in whole or in part, for abstinence and fast.

So here’s my question: is it grave matter to not perform penance on Fridays and during Lent, or is it a venial sin? Or is it sometimes grave matter and sometimes venial?

Not that I plan on eating meat on Friday, I’m just curious.

Thanks.

 

[JimG]

Hi,

It is my understanding that every Friday (excluding solemnities) we are to have some penance, which traditionally consists of abstaining from meat, although during Lent we must abstain from meat for our Friday penance.

It is also my understanding that during Lent and on particular days declared by the bishops (January 22 for the sin of abortion, for example) we must have a penance.

There is a section on this in the 1983 Code of Canon Law:

So here’s my question: is it grave matter to not perform penance on Fridays and during Lent, or is it a venial sin? Or is it sometimes grave matter and sometimes venial?

Not that I plan on eating meat on Friday, I’m just curious.

Thanks.

I’m going to get in trouble for saying this, but it’s probably not a mortal sin to forgo penance on non-Lenten Fridays.

I’m going with Jimmy Akin’s analysis on this one.

“Thus I don’t see how–however strong one’s desire may be to find an obligation in the law–one can responsibly conclude that on the matter of obligatory Friday penance the law is not at least doubtful, in which case the doubt of law canon kicks in and tells us that the faithful are not obliged.”
jimmyakin.org/2004/07/more_on_friday_.html

For myself, I continue to observe the old Friday abstinence rules for all Fridays of the year.

Edit: Here is Akin’s original analysis.
The gist of it seems to be that the U.S. bishops’ conference removed the obligatory nature of the non-Lenten Friday abstinence, even while recommending it as a practice; and they did not substitute any other obligatory penance.

 

[Paxvobis]

I’m going to get in trouble for saying this, but it’s probably not a mortal sin to forgo penance on non-Lenten Fridays.

I’m going with Jimmy Akin’s analysis on this one.

“Thus I don’t see how–however strong one’s desire may be to find an obligation in the law–one can responsibly conclude that on the matter of obligatory Friday penance the law is not at least doubtful, in which case the doubt of law canon kicks in and tells us that the faithful are not obliged.”
jimmyakin.org/2004/07/more_on_friday_.html

For myself, I continue to observe the old Friday abstinence rules for all Fridays of the year.

I have to disagree with that one. The Code of Canon Law I just quoted shows that there is an obligation to perform a penance on Fridays. I don’t see how that’s doubtful.

My question is this: is violating that obligation venially or gravely sinful?

 

[Paxvobis]

Edit: Here is Akin’s original analysis.
The gist of it seems to be that the U.S. bishops’ conference removed the obligatory nature of the non-Lenten Friday abstinence, even while recommending it as a practice; and they did not substitute any other obligatory penance.

Thanks for the imput , but I respectfully have to disagree.

I was aware that in 1966 the U.S. Bishops said “we hereby terminate the traditional law of abstinence [on Fridays] as binding under pain of sin.” However, the bishops have no authority to do this.

I’m not sure if they did at the time, as although the 1917 Code of Canon Law was still in effect there had been some reforms by Pope Paul VI earlier that year. I’m too lazy to look up whether these reforms allowed the bishops to do away with Friday penance, but the language of the 1983 Code of Canon Law is very clear:

Canon 1253 The conference of bishops can determine more precisely the observance of fast and abstinence as well as substitute other forms of penance, especially works of charity and exercises of piety, in whole or in part, for abstinence and fast.

In other words, the conference of bishops can edit (for lack of a better term) the obligation to abstinence and fast, but nowhere does it say they can completely get rid of it.

 

[JimG]

Well, Akin believes that they did have the authority to do it.

Canon 1253 The conference of bishops can determine more precisely the observance of fast and abstinence as well as substitute other forms of penance, especially works of charity and exercises of piety, in whole or in part, for abstinence and fast.

The above Canon gives both the authority to “determine more precisely the observance” AND to substitute other forms of penance.

He also notes that the Vatican had ample opportunity, after being notified of the change, to advise the U.S. bishops that they were wrong. But that didn’t happen.

There’s no doubt that they removed the abstinence obligation from non-Lenten Fridays. Did they intend to substitute as an obligation any other form of penance, even one chosen by the penitent? Apparently not. And the Vatican never questioned it.

Most people just quit observing the abstinence and put nothing in its place. I can’t recall ever being told that we MUST put something in its place under pain of mortal sin.

No wonder it’s confusing. For me, it’s easier just to continue the old tradition.

 

[Paxvobis]

The above Canon gives both the authority to “determine more precisely the observance” AND to substitute other forms of penance.

I say again that Canon Law only says that the observance can be determined more precisely. It does not say that the observance can be done away with.

Anyway, I have a feeling that I’m not going to convince you that my opinion is correct and you aren’t going to convince me of yours. So I think it’s best to stop at this point.

Regardless, thanks for your (name removed by moderator)ut.

 

[JimG]

I would agree that Friday abstinence during Lent is a serious matter. It’s the non-Lenten Fridays that I see as doubtful.

In any case, there are two entities which ought to be able to clarify the matter, yet have not done so: the USCCB and the Vatican.

The USCCB could clarify the non-Lenten Friday penance as a matter of grave obligation or not. Or the Vatican could clarify that the non-Lenten Friday penance remains gravely binding despite the USCCB’s apparent decision not to make it so.

 

[Bookcat]

In terms of if the Fridays outside of Lent are of obligation in the USA…I have been on both sides of the fence on this one in the past. One can read Jimmy Akin’s articles and other sources and debate it…

As to how binding (venial or grave) Penance is when it is of obligation…

Pope Paul VI notes:

"The time of Lent preserves its penitential character. The days of penitence to be observed under obligation through-out the Church are all Fridays and Ash Wednesday, that is to say the first days of “Grande Quaresima” (Great Lent), according to the diversity of the rite. Their substantial observance binds gravely. "

ewtn.com/library/papaldoc/p6paen.htm

Jimmy Akin has done further research on what “substantial” here means…one can search out his comments on that.

 

[JimG]

Friday Penance, Part III:
jimmyakin.org/2004/07/friday_penance_.html

I suppose that at least most of us would agree with this particular exchange:

Commenter: “Of course, all this could be settled by the bishop’s conference issuing a document settling this question, so that the blogosphere wouldn’t be forced to adjudicate it.”

Akin: “Agreed.”