Recommended Friday penance?

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hopeforfaith

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Hi everyone, I just recently discovered that we are supposed to have some kind of penance on Fridays if we don’t abstain from meat. I’m planning to pray the rosary this Friday as I haven’t prayed it since a year ago. Since I’m new to all of this, I’ll like to know what kind of penance can I choose from?
 
hopeforfaith said:
Hi everyone, I just recently discovered that we are supposed to have some kind of penance on Fridays if we don’t abstain from meat. I’m planning to pray the rosary this Friday as I haven’t prayed it since a year ago. Since I’m new to all of this, I’ll like to know what kind of penance can I choose from?
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I’m “old school.” No meat on Friday year round.
 
Tietjen said:
I’m “old school.” No meat on Friday year round.
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Same here. It is such a small price to pay. As to a penance, why not just give meat up one day out of seven? The Eastern Orthodox give up meat for all 40 days of lent. A corporal work of mercy would be a fine penance, or spiritual works as well.
 
My wife gave up meat all through lent. As a vegan I give up all food on Friday’s (I’m already abstaining from meat technically, so it’s no sacrifice for me not to eat it.) So Friday during lent I did a water fast until sunset, and then ate just enough to curb the hunger so I could sleep. (A piece of toast and some broccoli, etc) It wasn’t easy and I failed a few times, mostly out of forgetfulness. I think I need to make this a year round spiritual discipline myself. It amazes me how difficult it is to convince my body to go just the daylight hours without food.
 
hopeforfaith said:
Hi everyone, I just recently discovered that we are supposed to have some kind of penance on Fridays if we don’t abstain from meat. I’m planning to pray the rosary this Friday as I haven’t prayed it since a year ago. Since I’m new to all of this, I’ll like to know what kind of penance can I choose from?
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If you choose to perform a Friday penance, that is up to you.

But NB this Friday, 13-Apr-2012, in the Octave of Easter, is a Solemnity, and penance is not called for. (cf Can 1251)

tee
 
bmullins said:
It amazes me how difficult it is to convince my body to go just the daylight hours without food.
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I’ve always admired people who observe Ramadan for this reason. 🙂 I observed it for a week one year because everyone around me was, and I disn’t think I was going to make it.

Luna
 
hopeforfaith said:
Hi everyone, I just recently discovered that we are supposed to have some kind of penance on Fridays if we don’t abstain from meat. I’m planning to pray the rosary this Friday as I haven’t prayed it since a year ago. Since I’m new to all of this, I’ll like to know what kind of penance can I choose from?
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The rosary or Chaplet of Divine Mercy is good. You could turn off the boob tube and spend some time reading the bible or if you can manage it maybe you could attend Mass on Friday. JPII did the Stations of the Cross every Friday during the year.
 
You might want to read this piece by Jimmy Akin, as well, including the links he includes:
jimmyakin.com/2004/07/more_on_friday_.html

I’m not posting this to reiterate that legal scholars believe the obligation isn’t legally binding, but to point you to the bishops’ statement that “Every Friday should be a day significantly devoted to prayer, penance, and almsgiving for peace.”

Observe Fridays in a manner you would call “significant” and, since the bishops continue to ask for it, do something specifically to advance the cause of peace. The practice of unfailingly praying the rosary of Our Lady, Queen of Peace, every Friday sounds like an excellent start.
 
tee_eff_em said:
If you choose to perform a Friday penance, that is up to you.

But NB this Friday, 13-Apr-2012, in the Octave of Easter, is a Solemnity, and penance is not called for. (cf Can 1251)

tee
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I think it is important to be clear- penance on Friday is a requirement of the faithful. The form of that penance is up to the individual now, where as the form used to be mandatory abstinence from meat.

It has always been explained to me that penance does not need to be grand to be sufficient.
 
joshua_b said:
I think it is important to be clear- penance on Friday is a requirement of the faithful. The form of that penance is up to the individual now, where as the form used to be mandatory abstinence from meat.
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Just to be clear: Says who?

tee
 
There is no requirement for a penance on a day of feasting, like today, the Friday during the octave of Easter.

Actually, the Church expects us to feast today. She gives us these appropriate days of fasting and feasting for a reason, because She- like a good mother- knows that we need BOTH.

That being said, we usually give up meat on Fridays throughout the year. Or if we choose to eat meat, we give up dessert. Or say an extra rosary, divine mercy chaplet, or other prayer. We could give up the internet for the day or maybe the TV instead. We could volunteer any free time we have that day somewhere like a nursing home. There is no set list of penances that we must choose from.
 
joshua_b said:
I think it is important to be clear- penance on Friday is a requirement of the faithful. The form of that penance is up to the individual now, where as the form used to be mandatory abstinence from meat.

It has always been explained to me that penance does not need to be grand to be sufficient.
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Penance on pentitential days does not need to be grand–Scripture would argue that it is preferable when it is not obvious–but it does need to be significant.

According to Jimmy Akin of Catholic Answers, however, although it is highly encouraged and certainly a laudatory practice in keeping with the traditions of the Church and the wider practice of the Church, a convincing case that Friday penance is a binding legal obligation in the US is not there:

jimmyakin.com/2004/07/more_on_friday_.html

At any rate, every day of the Octaves of Easter and Christmas are solemnities, including the Fridays; the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart is the other solemnity that always falls on a Friday. Today is not a day of penance in the Universal Church, then, but rather a solemnity, which belongs to the highest order of feast days. It is a moot point until next week. (Note that June 15 and June 29 are also Fridays of 2012 on which solemnities fall.)

**Can. 1251 **Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday..

OTOH, of course the church forbids neither prayer nor almsgiving on solemnities, nor is eating meat ever required, so someone who wanted to add that “Friday” aspect into a solemnity would not violate the spirit of the day if they were to do that!! It is rather (this is my reading of it) that the faithful should not choose to do penance or impose penances upon their households that would be in violation of the festive nature of the day.
 
EasterJoy said:
At any rate, every day of the Octaves of Easter and Christmas are solemnities…
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Each day in the Easter Octave is a Solemnity, but the same is not true, generally, of the Octave of Christmas.

The only universal Solemnities in the Christmas Octave are Christmas Day and the octave day itself, the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God. (Which periodically fall upon Fridays)

tee
Armchair Liturgical Calendar Nerd 🤓
 
Oh thank you guys for clearing that up. I want to ask I can say less than one whole rosay right? Like only two parts?
 
tee_eff_em said:
Each day in the Easter Octave is a Solemnity, but the same is not true, generally, of the Octave of Christmas.

The only universal Solemnities in the Christmas Octave are Christmas Day and the octave day itself, the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God. (Which periodically fall upon Fridays)

tee
Armchair Liturgical Calendar Nerd 🤓
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So I have learned!! This came as a surprise to me! You learn something new every day (and more than that if you hang around with nerds…;))
 
hopeforfaith said:
Oh thank you guys for clearing that up. I want to ask I can say less than one whole rosay right? Like only two parts?
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Oh, no, if you only say 2 decades, you will be struck by lightning and get extra time in Purgatory that is immune to plenary indulgences.

(Sorry, couldn’t resist…now* I* probably ought to do penance for that one!! :D)
 
EasterJoy said:
Oh, no, if you only say 2 decades, you will be struck by lightning and get extra time in Purgatory that is immune to plenary indulgences.

(Sorry, couldn’t resist…now* I* probably ought to do penance for that one!! :D)
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:tsktsk: don’t you know that we Catholics are not allowed to joke about such things…for shame…😉

that was really funny
 
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