Looking for a Friday Penance

[Sir_Knight]

Off topic here. How do you post with just parts of the quote hilighted/ Not too smart with all this computer stuff?

Go here for everything that you wanted to know but were afraid to ask.

 

[Mary3]

Penance doesn’t have to be something we hate, does it? I try to go to Mass every Friday and “count” that as a penance. But I love going to Mass.

Or an hour of Eucharistic Adoration.

 

[Linda_Marie]

The Friday Penance is not just about giving something up but about doing something that shows sorrow for sins and a desire to repair the relationship with God that has been damaged by sin. One of the ways we do this is by abstaining from meat on Fridays (being a denial of the desires of the flesh and a form of mortification of the senses). To my mind, abstaining from meat is one of the easiest ways to fulfil Friday penance, although, perversely, while I do not crave meat on any other day, when I deliberately abstain, I really really want it.

Friday penance can be fulfilled in many ways. All of the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy are acceptable ways to fulfil this penance. Click on the Library icon at the top of the Catholic Answers Forum and you will find articles about Friday penance, penance in general and what else you can do besides abstain from meat.

BTW, I think bringing Holy Communion to the elderly and home-bound is wonderful. Yes, it does count, but if you consider that you have been doing it for several years now and never regarded it as a penance, and want to do something else as well, you could say the Rosary or go to Adoration, or find something that you really like to give up as a form of mortification, for instance. Perhaps you could talk with your priest about it. He might have some more specific ideas or knowledge of areas of special need within your community where you could be of assistance.

 

[Zooey]

Eat something you really hate…I do. I loath Fish! Ick! But I eat it on Fridays.

My grandmother used to do this. She had adult onset diabetes, & was no longer able to fast. So she would make herself a meal of things that were perfectly healthy, but which she didn’t like, for when she would ordinarily have been fasting…She said, it had been easier just to not eat at all, than to eat tuna salad sandwiches.

 

[Sir_Knight]

One of the ways we do this is by abstaining from meat on Fridays (being a denial of the desires of the flesh and a form of mortification of the senses). To my mind, abstaining from meat is one of the easiest ways to fulfil Friday penance, although, perversely, while I do not crave meat on any other day, when I deliberately abstain, I really really want it.

Please read my opening post – I’m already abstaining from meat for health reasons. To use that for the Friday penance is sort of cheating; isn’t it?

 

[Zooey]

Let me be honest, I am uncomfortable thinking of extra prayers as a penance.confused: When did praying get to be a burden?)
But there is that possibility. Setting aside extra time for prayer. (Even when your favorite team has a playoff game on Friday).

 

[Sir_Knight]

Let me be honest, I am uncomfortable thinking of extra prayers as a penance.confused: When did praying get to be a burden?)

Don’t priest give out prayers to be said as penance during confession?

 

[mommyof4]

Penance doen’t necessarily have to be something we dislike. I like praying, but I do “penance” on Fridays with extra prayers, eucharistic adoration, mass if possible, too. It doesn’t have to be loathsome.

 

[DaveBj]

I eat normally on Fridays (= eating meat), but for my penance I do an hour of slow, contemplative (usually out loud) reading in the gospels. I work security, so I have a lot of free time, but I do get interrupted, so I time it on the stopwatch. I think I get a lot more out of that than I would skipping meat.

Of course, I do skip meat during lenten Fridays.

 

[CarrieH]

Friday abstinence doesn’t have to just be from something edible – how about abstaining from TV, your iPod, non-essential phone calls, or the internet? Or if you work most Fridays, a good penance is to consciously choose to bear the frustrations of the workday (and/or the commute to and from work) patiently and silently, rather than grumbling and complaining, if that is a habit of yours. I know that it is far easier for me to avoid meat than to avoid griping about things at my job!

 

[po18guy]

Due to recent health issues, I was advised by my doctor to limit my consumption of meat to only a couple of times a month. Thus, I feel that giving it up on Fridays for my Friday Penance is really no longer valid since I shouldn’t be eating it regardless of the Friday Penance.

So, I looking for other suggests what I can replace that with for my Friday Penance.

If it is medically approved, how about a fast from solid food? Only clear drinks.

Christ’s peace.

 

[Linda_Marie]

Please read my opening post – I’m already abstaining from meat for health reasons. To use that for the Friday penance is sort of cheating; isn’t it?

Sorry - I did read your opening post. I was just sort of rambling on about my experience with abstention and trying to make the point of doing something to make our fleshly desires subject to our will. I obviously didn’t express myself very well. If you read the rest of my post, I did talk about other things you can do.

 

[Sir_Knight]

Friday abstinence doesn’t have to just be from something edible – how about abstaining from TV, your iPod, non-essential phone calls, or the internet? Or if you work most Fridays, a good penance is to consciously choose to bear the frustrations of the workday (and/or the commute to and from work) patiently and silently, rather than grumbling and complaining, if that is a habit of yours. I know that it is far easier for me to avoid meat than to avoid griping about things at my job!

Don’t watch TV (since Seinfeld went off the air), don’t even know what an iPod is, rarely am on the telephone and I work on the web so if I stopped that, I wouldn’t be able to put food on our table but thanks for your other suggestions.

 

[porthos11]

The Stations of the Cross is a nice Friday penance.

I will, however, NEVER give up coffee, no matter what, come doomsday or World War III.

 

[Sir_Knight]

I will, however, NEVER give up coffee, no matter what, come doomsday or World War III.

That’s what I said about not giving up Mountain Dew until the doctor explained all of the damage that caffiene [sp] was doing to my body I was drinking in excess of half a gallon a da y

 

[porthos11]

That’s what I said about not giving up Mountain Dew until the doctor explained all of the damage that caffiene [sp] was doing to my body I was drinking in excess of half a gallon a da y

Half a gallon is a far cry from two cups of coffee

But if your doctor says two cups of coffee will kill you, well, all I can say is:

GET ANOTHER DOCTOR. HEH HEH.


COFFEE! COFFEE! COFFEE!

 

[po18guy]

Half a gallon is a far cry from two cups of coffee
But if your doctor says two cups of coffee will kill you, well, all I can say is: GET ANOTHER DOCTOR. HEH HEH.
COFFEE! COFFEE! COFFEE!

George Burns: “Twenty years ago my doctor told me that these cigars were going to kill me”

Interviewer: “What does he say now?”

George Burns: “I don’t know. He’s dead”

 

[Augustine_M]

But I think all fasting and abstinence depend on spiritual disposition behind it.
Then what about the alcers cases? Doesn’t extra time for prayer be the best option?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church is very clear about this.

PENANCE: Interior penance: a conversion of heart toward God and away from sin, which implies the intention to change one’s life because of hope in divine mercy (CCC 1431). External acts of penance include fasting, prayer, and almsgiving (CCC 1434). The observance of certain penitential practices is obliged by the fourth precept of the Church (CCC 2043).

For further reading
usccb.org:8765/query.html?col=&qt=penance&Go.x=15&Go.y=12

usccb.org/catechism/text/
[SIGN]God bless you[/SIGN]

Augustine

 

[puzzleannie]

The Stations of the Cross is a nice Friday penance.

I will, however, NEVER give up coffee, no matter what, come doomsday or World War III.

the worst thing I have heard about pilgrimages to that place we are not supposed to discuss is that they only give you tea in the morning, until I have more spiritual discipline, that lets me out.

is it true that fish sticks were invented by a Catholic businessman of a very traditional bent who wanted to make Fridays even more penitential, especially for children?

 

[Joannm]

The Stations of the Cross is a nice Friday penance.

I will, however, NEVER give up coffee, no matter what, come doomsday or World War III.

Well…I gave it up for lent and I tell you it has been two days of hell…headaches, withdrawal symptoms…unable to concentrate…dizziness.

Today I feel a bit better. I do have a cup of tea in the morning just so that I don’t have worse symptoms or bring on a migraine. The worse time for me is coming into work in the morning and smelling the coffee in the staff kitchen. And passing by Dunkin Donuts.