Lent and vegan diets?

[DarkLight]

Hopefully this is the right section - if not tell me where to put it!

Is there anything obligatory for lent for people who already follow a meatless diet? I’m a practicing vegan who is looking to become catholic. I’ve been trying to shift my lifestyle more towards catholic practice, but I’ve been feeling very much “left out” of lent. Since I don’t eat meat normally, Fridays are no different from any other time. Is there anything else I am obligated to do, and if not is there anything else I could do? I’m unfortunately not very familiar with any of the priests at my church, as I move around a lot and have not been here long.

 

[1ke]

No, there isn’t any further obligation.

 

[asia53]

There is nothing obligatory. However, since you are feeling left out, you could offer up another voluntary penance. For example: don’t watch your favorite TV show, no dessert, no internet for the day, etc.

 

[MarkThompson]

Hopefully this is the right section - if not tell me where to put it!

Is there anything obligatory for lent for people who already follow a meatless diet? I’m a practicing vegan who is looking to become catholic. I’ve been trying to shift my lifestyle more towards catholic practice, but I’ve been feeling very much “left out” of lent. Since I don’t eat meat normally, Fridays are no different from any other time. Is there anything else I am obligated to do, and if not is there anything else I could do? I’m unfortunately not very familiar with any of the priests at my church, as I move around a lot and have not been here long.

The short answer is no. Well, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fasting, not just abstinence from meat, so you would be obliged to fast on those days. But if you already do not eat meat, it is not mandatory to do something else on Fridays.

Of course, most Catholics choose something else important to them to give up throughout the entire Lenten period as a penitential act and a spiritual exercise in mastering one’s will – coffee, sweets, Facebook, whatever. And inasmuch as Friday is a traditionally penitential day (recalling Good Friday), it might be nicefor you to find something else voluntarily, in your diet or elsewhere, to do without on Friday.

 

[DarkLight]

The short answer is no. Well, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fasting, not just abstinence from meat, so you would be obliged to fast on those days. But if you already do not eat meat, it is not mandatory to do something else on Fridays.

Of course, most Catholics choose something else important to them to give up throughout the entire Lenten period as a penitential act and a spiritual exercise in mastering one’s will – coffee, sweets, Facebook, whatever. And inasmuch as Friday is a traditionally penitential day (recalling Good Friday), it might be nicefor you to find something else voluntarily, in your diet or elsewhere, to do without on Friday.

Thanks! Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are also an issue - I have hypoglycemia, so what I have been doing is keeping a simple, unseasoned diet on those two days. But I have a hard time coming up with things to do with Fridays. My life is pretty simple; normal Fridays I pretty much go to work, come home, catch up on the housework, spend some time online, and go to bed.

 

[MarkThompson]

Thanks! Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are also an issue - I have hypoglycemia, so what I have been doing is keeping a simple, unseasoned diet on those two days. But I have a hard time coming up with things to do with Fridays. My life is pretty simple; normal Fridays I pretty much go to work, come home, catch up on the housework, spend some time online, and go to bed.

Ah – well, I don’t know the specifics of hypoglycemia, but of course the Church’s fasting discipline does not require doing anything that would endanger one’s health. As to Fridays, one thing you might try doing, which is very traditional for Friday, is praying and meditating on the Stations of the Cross. The Stations of the Cross are a set of readings and prayers focusing on the Passion of Christ. Many churches will have a formal Stations devotion on Fridays in Lent, but you can certainly do it yourself without moving from your chair. There are different versions as well; probably the one that most people think of as the “traditional version” is that by St. Alphonsus Liguori, which I’m sure you can Google.

 

[losh14]

My wife is a vegetarian and is borderline hypoglycemic - she is not affected by abstinence and is exempt from fasting. She tries to perform some other discipline, though, in spirit with Lent, usually cutting back on TV or Facebook, or avoiding wasting time which often means going to bed early instead of staying up late doing nonsense like we often do.

As a vegan, perhaps participate in the Friday abstinence by temperance (no beer or liquor) or avoiding desserts, or perhaps even avoiding hot foods. So long as it’s done prayerfully, such a sacrifice is fully fitting in with Lent.

 

[DarkLight]

My wife is a vegetarian and is borderline hypoglycemic - she is not affected by abstinence and is exempt from fasting. She tries to perform some other discipline, though, in spirit with Lent, usually cutting back on TV or Facebook, or avoiding wasting time which often means going to bed early instead of staying up late doing nonsense like we often do.

As a vegan, perhaps participate in the Friday abstinence by temperance (no beer or liquor) or avoiding desserts, or perhaps even avoiding hot foods. So long as it’s done prayerfully, such a sacrifice is fully fitting in with Lent.

I wonder if there’s a list of suggested disciplines somewhere? My diet is also pretty simple - things like alcohol and desserts are really only things that I have when company is over. I cook maybe two dishes on the weekend and then eat the leftovers during the week, interspersed with stuff like hummus or peanut butter. A lot of this has to do with my income - I’m actually making slightly less than minimum wage at 40 hours/week would provide, and between work and school I probably work 60-80 hours in a week. So as you can imagine, there are very few luxuries in my life!