Lent Question?

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anotherauthor12

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Hello!
I had a quick question about Lent fasting. I am not sure if I put this in the right place or not…

Why can’t we eat meat on Fridays? Why meat? Why not fish or bread? Is there any Biblical backup for this?
Thanks a lot!
 
There is an encyclopedia entry on abstinence that the staff apologists refer to. Every time I click the link, I run into a license bulkhead. Just accept it and search for “abstinence” (there are 2 articles: “Abstinence (food)” is historical and refers to biblical passages).

Simply:
The reason we abstain on Friday is because that is the day Jesus was crucified. It is an act of penance. When we join in Jesus’ suffering in this small way, it helps us to draw closer to Him.

“Meat” for the fast refers to that of warm-blooded animals (mammals and poultry). I am not privy to the ancient mind that made that distinction. Many Catholics are not satisfied with being allowed to eat lobster when overcooked steak is off-limits, so they even cut out seafood on those days.

Bread is a kind of minimum necessary to sustain life, so I think that is one reason it is always permitted.
 
The Latin word for meat is carnis. This refers in essence to the flesh of land beings, but not fish, etc. Latin is the language of the Church and so that meaning is taken on

Carnis also refers to human flesh, and since our LORD gave up His flesh, we likewise abstain from eating “carnis” on days of penance.

ICXC NIKA
 
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