Removing meat from a dish

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converting2024

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Today at work a co-worker is providing lunch(Chinese food). I spoke to him and he said almost all of the dishes will have meat in them(mostly chicken). I do not want to offend him by not eating what he paid for, but I refuse to fall into mortal sin just to make someone happy by eating meat on a Friday of Lent. I had a thought that I could just pick out the meat. Would this be acceptable in keeping with the required abstience from meat?
 
I was always taught that we are not to show disrespect to a host who serves us meat on a Friday in Lent and that under such a condition it is okay to eat it.

At least that’s what the nuns taught us way back when. Perhaps someone else is more knowledgable than I.
 
converting2024 said:
Today at work a co-worker is providing lunch(Chinese food). I spoke to him and he said almost all of the dishes will have meat in them(mostly chicken). I do not want to offend him by not eating what he paid for, but I refuse to fall into mortal sin just to make someone happy by eating meat on a Friday of Lent. I had a thought that I could just pick out the meat. Would this be acceptable in keeping with the required abstience from meat?
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Separating the meat from the non-meat when it is already on your plate would be rude, wasteful, and visibly picky. If you cannot bring your own meatless meal, or you cannot choose for yourself only those Chinese foods which do not have meat, then I would recommend not eating. May God bless you for keeping the abstinence.
 
converting2024 said:
Today at work a co-worker is providing lunch(Chinese food). I spoke to him and he said almost all of the dishes will have meat in them(mostly chicken). I do not want to offend him by not eating what he paid for, but I refuse to fall into mortal sin just to make someone happy by eating meat on a Friday of Lent. I had a thought that I could just pick out the meat. Would this be acceptable in keeping with the required abstience from meat?
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Those who are excused from fast or abstinence Besides those outside the age limits, are those of unsound mind, the sick, the frail, pregnant or nursing women according to need for meat or nourishment, manual laborers according to need, guests at a meal who cannot excuse themselves without giving great offense or causing enmity and other situations of moral or physical impossibility to observe the penitential discipline.
 
I don’t see that being ‘mortal sin’ in any case. Maybe if you were rejecting the Church’s authority and eating meat in disobedience, but that sounds far from the case as you explained it.
 
Tietjen said:
Those who are excused from fast or abstinence Besides those outside the age limits, are those of unsound mind, the sick, the frail, pregnant or nursing women according to need for meat or nourishment, manual laborers according to need, guests at a meal who cannot excuse themselves without giving great offense or causing enmity and other situations of moral or physical impossibility to observe the penitential discipline.
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Tietjen, can you provide your source for this? I’d like to read the whole thing. Thanks.🙂
 
Tietjen said:
Those who are excused from fast or abstinence Besides those outside the age limits, are those of unsound mind, the sick, the frail, pregnant or nursing women according to need for meat or nourishment, manual laborers according to need, guests at a meal who cannot excuse themselves without giving great offense or causing enmity and other situations of moral or physical impossibility to observe the penitential discipline.
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I doubt the OP is in such a position unless the coworker also happens to be his boss and/or mentally unbalanced.

Perhaps, though, there is a shrimp dish. Most non-Catholics consider shrimp to be meat but is does not run afoul of our practice of abstinence.
 
Instead of doing that why don’t you make Saturday a day without meat? In this way there will be no offending and thus you are honoring your neighbor and then on Saturday you can observe the fast.

Mike
 
michaelmas said:
Instead of doing that why don’t you make Saturday a day without meat? In this way there will be no offending and thus you are honoring your neighbor and then on Saturday you can observe the fast.

Mike
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During Lent we are required to abstain from meat on Friday. We are not allowed the luxury of supplementing or changing days. So unfortunately, this is not an option.

To the OP: Can you just eat rice? Can you bring another dish? Can you just tell the host that you are Catholic and cannot eat meat on a Friday during Lent? What about people who are vegetarians, what would they be expected to do by this person?

In all of the situations I have ever been in I just offered a brief explanation. Some people thought I was strange, some respected it, some asked questions and considered conversion. Regardless, I have never had an issue just telling someone the truth. I am not suggesting every situation can be handled this way, but it doesn’t seem to have been considered, so I thought I would throw it out there.
 
converting2024 said:
Today at work a co-worker is providing lunch(Chinese food). I spoke to him and he said almost all of the dishes will have meat in them(mostly chicken). I do not want to offend him by not eating what he paid for, but I refuse to fall into mortal sin just to make someone happy by eating meat on a Friday of Lent. I had a thought that I could just pick out the meat. Would this be acceptable in keeping with the required abstience from meat?
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Your post says almost all have meat in them. Eat the ones without meat. Or, if you are serving yourself out of a bunch of take-out containers, just grab the veggies. It’s okay if they’ve touched meat (chicken broth and the like can be eaten so vegetables that touched chicken should be fine). As another poster pointed out, you cannot substitute a different day.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I did bring my own lunch just in case but neither the noodles or the rice had meat in them so my conscience is clear 👍
 
Wait! Eating Meat on Friday’s is a Mortal Sin!?

I do not do it out of disobedience, but just because I might forget or that is the only thing to fill me up. This usually happens at school. My school does not serve meat-less meals on Fridays.
 
JD27076 said:
Wait! Eating Meat on Friday’s is a Mortal Sin!?

I do not do it out of disobedience, but just because I might forget or that is the only thing to fill me up. This usually happens at school. My school does not serve meat-less meals on Fridays.
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It’s only mortal if deliberately chosen as an act of rebellion. Accidental consumption of meat is not sinful (although it would be good to substitute another penance when the error is realized). Depending on circumstances, it may even be permissible to eat meat knowingly (Tietjen suggested a few conditions - it’s always better to discuss with your confessor whether any exemption might apply to you).

EDIT: I see you are yet to be confirmed. If that means you have not yet been received into the Church, then consider this year to be a practice run. 😃
 
JD27076 said:
Wait! Eating Meat on Friday’s is a Mortal Sin!?

I do not do it out of disobedience, but just because I might forget or that is the only thing to fill me up. This usually happens at school. My school does not serve meat-less meals on Fridays.
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Just wanted to point out that there is no need to have something “fill you up” every meal, everyday. If you are generally healthy there are no deleterious effects to not being full. In the United States there are only 2 REQUIRED fasting days, but all Fridays in Lent (indeed, all of Lent except Sunday) used to be days for fasting. My Bishop recommended fasting and abstinence on all the Wednesdays and Fridays of Lent this year. Fasting is a useful spiritual practice all year as is voluntary abstinence; the Bishop of the Diocese I belonged to before suggested several years ago all year Friday abstinence in reparation for and to hasten an end to abortion. His request still stands in that Diocese and I haven’t had meat on any Friday in years.

Regardless, Friday is a day of penance and getting into the habit of fasting/abstinence can be an easy to remember penance!

Welcome to the Church and God bless you!
 
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