Precepts of the Church

[IrishAm]

While preparing for Confession, with the intent of going this week, I was going through an “examination of conscience” that I found online. And came across the following:

Fifth Precept of the Church -You shall observe the prescribed days of fasting and abstinence.

Have I…

Done penance every Friday, if not abstaining from meat, then some other form of penance? . . . .

I am, of course, aware of the former obligation to abstain from meat on all Fridays, which is no longer required. I am not aware of an obligation of penance every Friday.

I looked up further information on the precepts and the wording I found did not specify Friday penance.

Can someone advise me if penitential Fridays are an obligation to the faithful (please cite the source, if you would), or if it is a suggestion or tradition, an aid to increase in holiness.

Regardless, I will likely pray on the matter and begin immediately; but would like to know the basis. And then we can all discuss why on earth so few Catholics KNOW about this!!

 

[Tantum_ergo]

Oh my.

From Zenit:

Canon 1250 states: “The penitential days and times in the universal church are every Friday of the whole year and the season of Lent.”

Canon 1251: “Abstinence from eating meat or some other food according to the prescripts of the conference of bishops is to be observed on every Friday of the year unless a Friday occurs on a day listed as a solemnity. Abstinence and fasting however are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.”

[The bishops’ conference **may substitute abstinence from other foods for meat in those countries where eating meat is uncommon, or for some other just reason./

They also enjoy broad authority, in the light of Canon 1253, to "determine more precisely the observance of fast and abstinence as well as substitute other forms of penance, especially works of charity and exercises of piety, in whole or in part for abstinence and fast."/

In the United States, the bishops recommend abstinence on all Fridays of the year. Abstinence is obligatory on all Fridays of Lent.

Abstinence is obligatory after reaching the age of 14; fasting becomes obligatory from age 18 until midnight of one’s 59th birthday.

 

[IrishAm]

That was what I feared. And I feel really badly . . .

Well, better late than never, I guess . . . I shall make it a point to take this obligation beyond the “until midnight of one’s 59th birthday” boundaries as long as health allows.

You know what is scary, is that I am a well-catechised adult who takes this seriously. And, despite living in a conservative diocese, until I started reading these boards I did not know of this obligation.

That makes me very sad.

 

[Cranch]

That was what I feared. And I feel really badly . . .

Well, better late than never, I guess . . . I shall make it a point to take this obligation beyond the “until midnight of one’s 59th birthday” boundaries as long as health allows.

You know what is scary, is that I am a well-catechised adult who takes this seriously. And, despite living in a conservative diocese, until I started reading these boards I did not know of this obligation.

That makes me very sad.

Hang on a minute. While Fridays as days of penance are to be greatly encouraged, the practice is not mandatory in the U.S. This conclusion is argued by Jimmy Akin here in an analysis of the U.S. bishops’ Pastoral Statement on Penance and Abstinence and its relation to canon law. Also read Akin’s follow-up article for additional reasoning behind this conclusion. An excerpt:I don’t like seeing Friday penance gutted, either, and would be quite happy if Rome stepped in to change matters. I further understand the impulse of folks to stick to their guns who have been told (and told others) for years that some kind of penance is obligatory on Friday. However, a careful examination of the relevant legal documents and legislative history indicates that this is not the case.

 

[thistle]

Hang on a minute. While Fridays as days of penance are to be greatly encouraged, the practice is not mandatory in the U.S. This conclusion is argued by Jimmy Akin here in an analysis of the U.S. bishops’ Pastoral Statement on Penance and Abstinence and its relation to canon law. Also read Akin’s follow-up article for additional reasoning behind this conclusion. An excerpt:I don’t like seeing Friday penance gutted, either, and would be quite happy if Rome stepped in to change matters. I further understand the impulse of folks to stick to their guns who have been told (and told others) for years that some kind of penance is obligatory on Friday. However, a careful examination of the relevant legal documents and legislative history indicates that this is not the case.

Jimmy Akins does not make decisions for the Church so its irrelevant what his conclusions are.

Fridays in all countries are days of penance. In most you can choose whatever penance you want while in others abstaining from meat is required.

 

[Cranch]

Jimmy Akins does not make decisions for the Church so its irrelevant what his conclusions are.

Fridays in all countries are days of penance. In most you can choose whatever penance you want while in others abstaining from meat is required.

Fridays are penitential days. The question concerns mandatory observance. I hope you don’t mind if I grant his conclusions more weight than yours. Also, when you’re being that dismissive of someone, you really ought to at least spell their name correctly.

 

[thistle]

Fridays are penitential days. The question concerns mandatory observance. I hope you don’t mind if I grant his conclusions more weight than yours. Also, when you’re being that dismissive of someone, you really ought to at least spell their name correctly.

Check with your priest or Bishop or do you think Jimmy ATKIN’s conclusion carries more weight than theirs!

 

[Cranch]

Jimmy ATKIN

Now this is getting funny!

 

[thistle]

Now this is getting funny!

Why are you focussed on my incorrect spelling of the name?
It seems you are attempting to divert attention away from the issue.
You didn’t answer my question. Why don’t you ask a priest or a bishop or are you saying Jimmy AKIN’s conclusion carries more weight?

 

[japhy]

Why are you focussed on my incorrect spelling of the name?

Because it was quite funny. You said “do you think Jimmy Atkin’s conclusion carries more weight…” There’s a weight-loss program called the “Atkin’s Diet”. That’s why it was funny.

 

[thistle]

Because it was quite funny. You said “do you think Jimmy Atkin’s conclusion carries more weight…” There’s a weight-loss program called the “Atkin’s Diet”. That’s why it was funny.

Sorry but I don’t diet so I don’t know what an Atkin’s diet is so that is lost on me.
However you still are avoiding answering the question I put to you.

 

[rpp]

Because it was quite funny. You said “do you think Jimmy Atkin’s conclusion carries more weight…” There’s a weight-loss program called the “Atkin’s Diet”. That’s why it was funny.

I thought is was pretty funny too.

Come on thistle, we call have a good chuckle.

And Jimmy Adams, er Atkins, er Achen, oh whatever, actually says the opposite of what Cranch is claiming it does. Jimmy is pointing out that some act os pennance is required, and it could be different than abstaining from meat.

 

[surfinpure]

Interesting article by Jimmy Akin. I still remain a bit befuddled, because if I read correctly, he is saying that the Friday obligation is not binding under pain of sin (in the US, anyway). It appears the Bishops have left it as an option, while strongly encouraging adherence to the practice.

I was also previously under the impression, based on other things I had read, that we were required to abstain from meat on all ordinary Fridays or else perform a deliberate work of mercy. I had never heard the word “penance” used in this case, although of course it makes sense. So I’ve been racking my brain every Friday as to what work of mercy I might do … does changing four dirty diapers count, I wonder?

 

[Cranch]

Sorry but I don’t diet so I don’t know what an Atkin’s diet is so that is lost on me.
However you still are avoiding answering the question I put to you.

You seem to have confused japhy with me here. As for avoiding your question, given that its premise is something of a non sequitur, I was simply ignoring it. You see, I’ve read the Bishops’ Statement on Penance and both Jimmy Akin articles and they seem to agree pretty well. So why would I be looking to second-guess one or the other? * You’re* the one with a problem with Akin’s analysis. Therefore the onus is on you to find a bishop who will say Akin is wrong. You could start by asking him where in the following from their Statement is the mandatory obligation:

1. Friday should be in each week something of what Lent is in the
   entire year. For this reason we urge all to prepare for that weekly
   Easter that comes with each Sunday by freely making of every Friday a
   day of self-denial and mortification in prayerful remembrance of the
   passion of Jesus Christ.
2. Among the works of voluntary self-denial and personal penance
   which we especially commend to our people for the future observance
   of Friday…

 

[Cranch]

And Jimmy Adams, er Atkins, er Achen, oh whatever, actually says the opposite of what Cranch is claiming it does. Jimmy is pointing out that some act os pennance is required, and it could be different than abstaining from meat.

Frankly I’m at a loss as to how you could have arrived at this conclusion. One small excerpt from Akin will be illustrative:The norms—the part of the document that would create a legal obligation if there was one—thus fails to do so. As a result, there is no obligation in the United States to practice penance on Friday, but Friday remains a day of penance which the bishops have urged all to do penance and, in particular, recommended the continued practice of abstinence.

Reading the remainder of the document confirms the interpretation outlined above. As a compromise document and a controversial one, the stress that is placed on the recommendation to continue to do penance and to abstain is great, and with an inattentive reading the strength of the recommendation might lead one to think that there is an obligation to do penance on Friday. But** a careful reading of the text shows that the language being used in the text never strays from the language of exhortation to the language of legal mandate.**