B
BlindSheep
Guest
I just remembered now that I wasn’t supposed to eat meat today, but I had some pepperoni earlier. I know I’m supposed to substitute some other penance - what would be acceptable? The day’s almost over!
With all due respect to Jimmy Akin, I believe he is in error.A note here; Jimmy Akin mentioned on the Catholic Answers radio program (sorry, don’t remember the date, but it was recent) that there is no official teaching about needing to substitute a penance on non-Lenten Fridays EVEN THOUGH they are still days of penance in the Church calendar.
I try to observe the penance as well like you, but know that it is not in fact strictly necessary.
According to Catholics United for Faith:On the Fridays outside of Lent the U.S. bishops conference obtained the permission of the Holy See for Catholics in the US to substitute a penitential, or even a charitable, practice of their own choosing. They must do some penitential/charitable practice on these Fridays. For most people the easiest practice to consistently fulfill will be the traditional one, to abstain from meat on all Fridays of the year.
What the NCCB stated in 1966 does not appear to me (or other authors like those above) to be recinding the obligatory penance for each Friday of the year. Canons 1251-1253 cover this in the Code of Canon Law.In his 1966 Apostolic Constitution on Penance, Pope Paul VI reorganized ecclesiastical discipline with regard to fasting and abstinence. He declared all Fridays and Ash Wednesday as obligatory days of penance. Abstinence was to be observed on every Friday that did not fall on a holy day of obligation, and fast as well as abstinence was required on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. He further declared that, for just cause, bishops’ conferences could transfer the days of penance, always taking into account the Lenten season. In this way, **he empowered bishops’ conferences to substitute abstinence and fast wholly or in part with other forms of penance and especially works of piety and charity.
**
Following Pope Paul VI’s directive, the U.S. Bishops decreed norms for U.S. Catholics in their November 1966 statement on penance.[4] The bishops maintained the traditional law of fast and abstinence on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and abstinence from meat on the Fridays of Lent.[5] They also rescinded the traditional law of abstinence under pain of sin for other Fridays. However, in accord with Pope Paul VI’s directives and Canon, no. 1249, the U.S. faithful must do some sort of penance on every Friday, excluding Solemnities or a dispensation by their diocesan bishop. Abstinence from flesh meat maintained its primary place among recommended works of self-denial and personal penance from which the faithful may choose.
I remember reading in our Church bulletin a couple of years ago about this very subject. I can’t remember the exact words the priest used, but it was something like, "although the Church does not require us to abstain from meat on Friday’s anymore, however, it does highly enourage us to follow the old tradition so therefore if you eat meat on Friday (other than during Lent or on Ash Wednesday it is not considered a sin).Uh, I think you misheard Jimmy. Vatican II stressed the need for some sort of penance, but they stopped short of defining what that should be. It has been customary throughout the Catholic world for centuries to abstain from meat on Friday. Most American Catholics somehow got the idea that this was no longer in practice. WRONG-O. Friday is a day which we should consider special throughout the year not just lent, for our freedom was paid for that day.
I understand Jimmy Akin’s opinion, however, when something is prescriptive in the Church, in canon law lingo it is no more a suggestion than when something is proscribed by the Church.That is what Akin said; “prescription” implies a SUGGESTION.
Please do not interpret my noting this as a personal opposition to Friday penance; I observe the penance anyway as most in this thread have mentioned that they do as well.
I encourage you to read this:
jimmyakin.org/2004/07/since_tomorrow_.html
He directly cites the CCC passages you are quoting and explains them.
I don’t think it is being “reintroduced” but is something that has been neglected.I’m very interested in this. I recently found a church schedule from the late 60s that speaks of abstinence on Fridays. I have never heard this practice before that, and I don’t know a single Catholic who abstains from meat on Fridays outside of Lent. Is this something that is being reintroduced? Is it different across diocese?
Thanks.
According to the New Commentary of the Code of Canon Law (2000) by Beale, et. al., editors, “Pope Paul VI’s 1966 apostolic constitution, Poenitemini, provided the historical, doctrinal, and disciplinary background for the…canons on penance.” Thus the words Paul VI uses, specifically “under obligation…binds gravely” should provide the context with which the current prescriptions of canon law are to be interpreted."…the following is declared and established: … The days of penitence to be observed under obligation through-out the Church are all Fridays… Their substantial observance binds gravely. …
*…it is the task of episcopal conferences to:… **Substitute ***abstinence and fast wholly or in part with other forms of penitence and especially works of charity and the exercises of piety