Meat on Fridays?

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Adam_Costanzo

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I’m curious, why exactly don’t we eat meat on Fridays during Lent? It would seem to be in honor of Jesus’ fasting in the desert, but if that’s the case, it’s almost a mockery. I mean, the 40 days have been narrowed down to about 6 (if I’m not mistaken) and even at that, we don’t completely give up food. At that point, it seems you might as well just not do it at all. I’m not complaining or anything, I’m just wondering what the reasoning is, since it’ll probably make more sense to me then.
 
Much that the Church does is at least accidentally typological.

For example, “Fire” = “a special presence of God.” “Two” = “the Church.” So, “two candles” lit on the altar during Mass = “a special presence of God in the Church.” Get it?

Note that, when Jesus was buried on Good Friday, the “meat” – Christ’s Own flesh – went “missing”!

Is the Church typological celebrating Christ’s death and burial?
 
Adam_Costanzo said:
I’m curious, why exactly don’t we eat meat on Fridays during Lent? It would seem to be in honor of Jesus’ fasting in the desert, but if that’s the case, it’s almost a mockery. I mean, the 40 days have been narrowed down to about 6 (if I’m not mistaken) and even at that, we don’t completely give up food. At that point, it seems you might as well just not do it at all. I’m not complaining or anything, I’m just wondering what the reasoning is, since it’ll probably make more sense to me then.
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Don’t know. It isn’t Biblical, I know that.

Romans 14:1-6 tells us that it isn’t a sin to eat meat or not eat meat on a given day so I’ve got to assume that this is just another man-made tradition.
 
A similar question is answered in the Traditional Catholicism board. After being thoroughly trounced there, War_Eagle is now making the same out-of-context quotations characteristic of a Protestant. For more information, visit the other thread.
 
Adam_Costanzo said:
I’m curious, why exactly don’t we eat meat on Fridays during Lent? It would seem to be in honor of Jesus’ fasting in the desert, but if that’s the case, it’s almost a mockery. I mean, the 40 days have been narrowed down to about 6 (if I’m not mistaken) and even at that, we don’t completely give up food. At that point, it seems you might as well just not do it at all. I’m not complaining or anything, I’m just wondering what the reasoning is, since it’ll probably make more sense to me then.
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We abstain from flesh meat on the day that Christ gave up his flesh for the life of the world-- Friday-- in sorrow for our sins and in solidarity with Christ’s suffering on a Friday.

Abstaining from meat has no direct correlation with Christ’s 40 days in the desert.

However, the length of Lent is symbolic of the 40 days in the desert, the 40 years of the Israelites in the desert, the 40 days of Noah in the Ark, Moses’s 40 days on Mt. Sinai, and the repentence of Ninevah. Forty holds much symbolism all of it tied to faith and penance.
 
Adam_Costanzo said:
I’m curious, why exactly don’t we eat meat on Fridays during Lent? It would seem to be in honor of Jesus’ fasting in the desert, but if that’s the case, it’s almost a mockery. I mean, the 40 days have been narrowed down to about 6 (if I’m not mistaken) and even at that, we don’t completely give up food. At that point, it seems you might as well just not do it at all. I’m not complaining or anything, I’m just wondering what the reasoning is, since it’ll probably make more sense to me then.
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**Fasting is biblical, and the Church is asking us, at this time, to abstain from red meats of all sorts. Some rely on fish; others on soups and breads. Fasting is a personal devotion, actually, so it can become as acute or relaxed as one can handle. Personally, I make it a point to have only soups not made with red meats and bread on both Wednesdays and Fridays of Lent. On Fridays, I can option for fish if I so choose.

By the way, the Friday abstinence from red meats is still in effect as a Church law. Friday has always been a day of abstinence in calling to mine the death of Christ on a Friday. It was a day and a way to remind the faithful eqch week that Christ died for our sins, and that abstinence calls that to mind. It was a teaching tool. In some cases, the faithful were asked to donate their red meats (if they had any) to a needy family on those days. Although the abstinence is still encouraged, the Church has ruled since Vatican II that a person may substitute another sacrifice in lieu of not eating red meats. If not, he or she should continue the red meat abstinence. In the eastern traditions, even fish and eggs are abstained from during Lent.**
 
war_eagle said:
Don’t know. It isn’t Biblical, I know that.

Romans 14:1-6 tells us that it isn’t a sin to eat meat or not eat meat on a given day so I’ve got to assume that this is just another man-made tradition.
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The church has the biblical authority (see Heb. 13:7-17) to establish Church Practices – which are rules established by the Church to help the believer walk the straight and narrow path such as clerical celibacy, not eating meat on Fridays during Lent, and fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, etc. It isn’t the eating of the meat that is sinful but the breaking of the law that is the sin.
 
I don’t eat meat on any Friday. To me, it’s a little sacrifice (and really, it’s very little even if you don’t LIKE fish) I make for the honor and glory of God. Most people don’t even notice, unless I mention it. If someone invites me to dinner on a Friday at their house, I’ll tell them. If I’m going out to dinner on a Friday, I’ll say it has to be someplace I can get fish. People know I like fish (but I LOVE steak) and generally just assume I feel like eating fish.
 
Sir_Knight said:
Can we eat artificial meat?
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That would seem to be a “letter and spirit” kind of thing. Artificial meat is not meat, so lawfully one could eat it. But to make a dish with artificial meat is to recreate the experience of eating meat. OTOH, there’s artificial fish, too, which is not very different from artificial meat. (It’s all nasty, as far as I’m concerned.)

I would say that this decision is totally up to the individual. Because it’s not real meat, it would be lawful to eat it. Whether you want to eat something “meatlike” on Friday is totally up to you.

Betsy
 
I was thinking of those veggie burgers that taste like meat but contain no actual meat and are suppose to be healthy for you.
 
Abstaining form meets on Fridays is an act of penance. Priests do penance for us. We in turn do penance for others. The idea really is understanding that meet has not always been so readily available. It is expensive or used to be too expensive to eat regularly. We’ve lost some of that feeling in our modern society. We should be taking the money spent on meet and donating it to charity…that is, do a good deed. Lent is the time of year we are “required” to abstain from meet and fast by eating less. Other times of year we should practice abstinance from meets or do a charitable act in its place. I’ve heard from a popular priest that you can alos eat something you hate in place of abstaining. Sometimes I have to eat or I bounce off the wall leading to potential axiety attacks and/or depression. But so far I’ve been able to do it sense I’ve been back this past year. My explaination comes out of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Google it or look it up under www.usccb.org
 
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the USCCB website.
FASTING: Refraining from food and drink as an expression of interior penance, in imitation of the fast of Jesus for forty days in the desert. Fasting is an ascetical practice recommended in Scripture and the writings of the Church Fathers; it is sometimes prescribed by a precept of the Church, especially during the liturgical season of Lent (538, 1434, 2043).
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usccb.org/catechism/text/
 
Sir_Knight said:
I was thinking of those veggie burgers that taste like meat but contain no actual meat and are suppose to be healthy for you.
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You love your burgers on Fridays, don’t you? If it’s not meat, it’s not meat, and you can eat it. Do your local fast food drive-throughs have veggie burgers for you to eat in the car? Go for it.

😛 (This icon is a poor substitute for one indicating, “Blech!”)

Betsy
 
Veggie burger (blech from me too) or fish sandwich, not much difference. I acutally prefer the fish sandwich to a cheeseburger.

Abstaining isn’t a big deal or much of a sacrifice most of the time, but sometimes it is hard. But the point is to make a little sacrifice just as Christ made a big sacrifice.
 
There’s very few healthy things that I can eat at home. I don’t like fruits and veggies. The only thing left is some type of sandwich or burger.
 
Sir_Knight said:
There’s very few healthy things that I can eat at home. I don’t like fruits and veggies. The only thing left is some type of sandwich or burger.
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No fruit or veggies! Oh NO! Try zucchini. It’s wonderful. All those little green thingies, like brussels sprouts and peas and green beans. Come to my house some Friday. I’ll make you a vegetable soup to knock your socks off.
 
daeve said:
Veggie burger (blech from me too) or fish sandwich, not much difference. I acutally prefer the fish sandwich to a cheeseburger.

Abstaining isn’t a big deal or much of a sacrifice most of the time, but sometimes it is hard. But the point is to make a little sacrifice just as Christ made a big sacrifice.
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That’s my QUESTION – is giving up REAL meat for artifical meat an acceptable sacrifice? I’m not arguing the point one way or the other – merely asking.

By the way, I now fast on all Fridays, so your answers will apply for me not only during lent but throughout the entire year.
 
Sir_Knight said:
That’s my QUESTION – is giving up REAL meat for artifical meat an acceptable sacrifice? I’m not arguing the point one way or the other – merely asking.

By the way, I now fast on all Fridays, so your answers will apply for me not only during lent but throughout the entire year.
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That’s kind of what I was saying…if you eat a Boca Burger or a fish sand at Mickey D’s, that’s not eating meat. You don’t have to have those nasty old “hot dogs” made of tuna, but you also don’t have to eat lobster. There’s a happy medium that’s still a sacrifice, but not a stomach turner.
 
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