Those who Abstain on Fridays

[nickybr38]

I’m considering abstaining from meat on Fridays (not during Lent, but every Friday, all year), but I’d like to know a bit more about it really. I have read the Catholicism for Dummies answer but it only piqued my curiousity instead of satisfying it. I also did a search on the forums but it seemed to be a lot of commentary with no real life experience thrown in (I’d like to hear from those who follow this particular ‘devotion’ - is that what it’s called?).

Anyway, I’m curious to hear from those who already DO abstain. WHY do you do it (in your own words)? Do you do it all year or just for certain amounts of time? What is the history behind this particular practice (I kind of already know but humor me and explain it in your own words - sometimes things don’t click in my head until they’re explained in just that right way )?

I don’t like doing ANYTHING unless I have a clear idea in mind WHY I’m doing it (as an example I refused to genuflect until it was explained to me exactly what it was and why it was originally done), but I definitely feel a strong tug to begin this particular practice.

I would ask my RCIA group but the last time this subject was brought up they made it VERY clear they look down on these sort of practices.

 

[The_Old_Medic]

The reasons why people do things that are neither required, nor actively encouraged by the church, are as varied as people are.

You may choose to do whatever you wish to do, or refuse to do whatever you wish to refuse. The reasons why anyone else either does, or does not do something should have little, if any, bearing on why YOU chose to either do, or not do, that thing.

I converted into the church when all Western Catholics were expected to abstain from eating meat on Fridays. Frankly, the reasons given never made any sense to me at all. if it was a sacrifice, why was it required/ A sacrifice should come from the heart, not because someone tells you you have to do it.

Personally, i was exempted from that requirement most of the time (except in Catholic Schools and in Seminary. Ii was the only Catholic in my family (and still am), and I spent 10 years in the Army. In both cases, I was exempt from the requirement to abstain from eating meat on Fridays. I chose to do so, whenever possible, because I wanted to, not because of some silly “requirement”.

 

[nickybr38]

The reasons why people do things that are neither required, nor actively encouraged by the church, are as varied as people are.

You may choose to do whatever you wish to do, or refuse to do whatever you wish to refuse. The reasons why anyone else either does, or does not do something should have little, if any, bearing on why YOU chose to either do, or not do, that thing.

I converted into the church when all Western Catholics were expected to abstain from eating meat on Fridays. Frankly, the reasons given never made any sense to me at all. if it was a sacrifice, why was it required/ A sacrifice should come from the heart, not because someone tells you you have to do it.

Personally, i was exempted from that requirement most of the time (except in Catholic Schools and in Seminary. Ii was the only Catholic in my family (and still am), and I spent 10 years in the Army. In both cases, I was exempt from the requirement to abstain from eating meat on Fridays. I chose to do so, whenever possible, because I wanted to, not because of some silly “requirement”.

Of course why other people do things has no bearing on my choices. However, sometimes there is wisdom in other people’s choices that I can learn from. Not being a fully developed human I am not perfect in my reasoning, so I seek the opinions of other humans in search of wisdom. And sometimes in a sea of silly personal reasons there can be a grain of Truth.

 

[Iotaunum]

Catholics abstain from eating meat on Fridays in commemoration of our Lord’s passion and death. During the Churchs entire history - until 1966- all Fridays were obligatory days of abstinence from meat under pain of mortal sin. Today, even if not under obligation some Catholics maintain this practice:

1/ Because when we remind ourselves at meal times that meat is not an option we think of the reason - thus inspiring us to think about the passion of Jesus more often, when we would not do so otherwise.

2/ Pennace is traditionally done on Fridays also, and abstaining from meat is one form.

Of course the obligation is dispensed with if a feast day falls on the Friday.

 

[Robert_Burns]

I’m considering abstaining from meat on Fridays (not during Lent, but every Friday, all year), but I’d like to know a bit more about it really. I have read the Catholicism for Dummies answer but it only piqued my curiousity instead of satisfying it. I also did a search on the forums but it seemed to be a lot of commentary with no real life experience thrown in (I’d like to hear from those who follow this particular ‘devotion’ - is that what it’s called?).

Anyway, I’m curious to hear from those who already DO abstain. WHY do you do it (in your own words)? Do you do it all year or just for certain amounts of time? What is the history behind this particular practice (I kind of already know but humor me and explain it in your own words - sometimes things don’t click in my head until they’re explained in just that right way )?

I don’t like doing ANYTHING unless I have a clear idea in mind WHY I’m doing it (as an example I refused to genuflect until it was explained to me exactly what it was and why it was originally done), but I definitely feel a strong tug to begin this particular practice.

I would ask my RCIA group but the last time this subject was brought up they made it VERY clear they look down on these sort of practices.

Our Lord Shed his Blood on the Wood of the Holy Cross on Friday. To Honor that fact - as a penance , a reminder - we abstain from Meat on Friday. If you think about the significance of that single point in World History - that GOD Almighty incarnate willingly shed his blood so that Sins may be expiated - as a Catholic - if that does not have a profound significance - then what else does. Certainly Abstaining on a Feast day like Sunday wouldnt be appropriate. But doing a penance on the very day of the week that Our Lord gave us the greatest gift - a chance of Salvation - then its appropriate to honor GOD with a penance on this particular day. .

 

[jayk15]

I’m considering abstaining from meat on Fridays (not during Lent, but every Friday, all year), but I’d like to know a bit more about it really. I have read the Catholicism for Dummies answer but it only piqued my curiousity instead of satisfying it. I also did a search on the forums but it seemed to be a lot of commentary with no real life experience thrown in (I’d like to hear from those who follow this particular ‘devotion’ - is that what it’s called?).

Anyway, I’m curious to hear from those who already DO abstain. WHY do you do it (in your own words)? Do you do it all year or just for certain amounts of time? What is the history behind this particular practice (I kind of already know but humor me and explain it in your own words - sometimes things don’t click in my head until they’re explained in just that right way )?

I don’t like doing ANYTHING unless I have a clear idea in mind WHY I’m doing it (as an example I refused to genuflect until it was explained to me exactly what it was and why it was originally done), but I definitely feel a strong tug to begin this particular practice.

I would ask my RCIA group but the last time this subject was brought up they made it VERY clear they look down on these sort of practices.

Also note that abstinence from meat during fridays of lent is not just optional, it’s obligatory.

 

[amerrychase]

I’m considering abstaining from meat on Fridays (not during Lent, but every Friday, all year), but I’d like to know a bit more about it really. I have read the Catholicism for Dummies answer but it only piqued my curiousity instead of satisfying it. I also did a search on the forums but it seemed to be a lot of commentary with no real life experience thrown in (I’d like to hear from those who follow this particular ‘devotion’ - is that what it’s called?).

Anyway, I’m curious to hear from those who already DO abstain. WHY do you do it (in your own words)? Do you do it all year or just for certain amounts of time? What is the history behind this particular practice (I kind of already know but humor me and explain it in your own words - sometimes things don’t click in my head until they’re explained in just that right way )?

I don’t like doing ANYTHING unless I have a clear idea in mind WHY I’m doing it (as an example I refused to genuflect until it was explained to me exactly what it was and why it was originally done), but I definitely feel a strong tug to begin this particular practice.

I would ask my RCIA group but the last time this subject was brought up they made it VERY clear they look down on these sort of practices.

I do Friday abstinence year round- if every Sunday is a little Easter, then every Friday can just as well be a little Good Friday. Hunger pains are something to offer up, and a chance to think about the blessing of food and a functioning body. It’s an easy witness, too, especially when I’m out with people who know I would love to eat a juicy and delicious steak more than anything. I also like to think that my prayers have a little extra kick to them on fasting days, but that’s just hope talking.

This year, I’m also trying to add in the rest of the Orthodox fasting days- heavily modified because I don’t do all the cooking around here. I don’t know how they do it! It’s so hard. You’re definitely more in tune with the church year, though, and there’s all sort of cool saints and history to learn about!

 

[jmcrae]

I’m considering abstaining from meat on Fridays (not during Lent, but every Friday, all year), but I’d like to know a bit more about it really.

In Latin, the word for warm-blooded meat and the word for flesh are the same word: Carne.

Jesus gave up His “carne” (flesh) for our sins on a Friday, so in commemoration of that fact, we give up “carne” (warm-blooded meat) on Fridays. It is every Friday for the same reason that we commemorate His resurrection every Sunday - to keep it always in mind, and to orient our lives around His great work on our behalf.

It is permitted to substitute acts of charity or other penitential devotions in lieu of giving up meat on Fridays, but for myself, I find the symbolism of giving up meat to be very significant. It’s also something that keeps me reminded of it all day long, every time I get a snack or fix a meal, rather than just being something that I can get done in half an hour, and then forget about it.

Of course, if I become forgetful and eat meat on a Friday outside of Lent, I make another devotion (typically, the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary) in lieu. Also, there are times when you don’t have control over what you are to eat - for example, if you are eating out at a friend’s house, and they serve meat, you eat what you are served, rather than “broadcast” that you are abstaining from meat, because Jesus said, do not do your penances in the sight of men, but keep them between yourself and God.

 

[daeve]

I’ve been abstaining from meat on Fridays for about 5 years. I grew up doing it and just started again a few years ago, or should say I just kept going after Lent.

For me, it’s a very small sacrifice in commemoration of a very big sacrifice. Very few people even notice because I eat fish several times a week anyway. It’s more in my head than anything else.

 

[3DOCTORS]

I’ll chime in - I was uncertain about this for awhile but it’s my understanding that we need to do something sacrificial on Fridays to honor Jesus’s sacrifice on the Cross.

I was a baby and child when Vatican II was going on and throughout my gradeschool years and onward sometimes it was difficult to know lots of things with all the changes. What do we “have to do” or “no longer have to do” etc.

So then in my 20s and early 30s I thought we weren’t required to do anything special on Fridays anymore. Then I heard from various sources which I now don’t recall that we should. Back then I was quite the meat-and-potatoes gal, though, so I would often choose a different penance. Then in the late 90s, I worked for a retreat center where they followed the meatless Fridays (once they even had frog legs, and yes, they basically taste like chicken! ).

By that time, too, I’d begun to go through a change with regard to my consumption of meat in general. It was part concern for animals and the environment, part concern about eating too much meat. I was not able to become a vegetarian, it just isn’t my cup of tea so to speak. So I compromised and generally I only eat one meat meal a day, and abstain every Friday I can (or select another penance on those occasions when with others and meat is served - though during Lent I abstain entirely, unless there would be a dire emergency which is usually not the case).

But enough rambling about what I do - my concern for the OP and others is that even though there are “rules” in place to act as guidelines, we should all try not to let those become a stumbling block that we feel in an antagonistic stance toward. Rather, I would suggest that we see the rules as a starting point and try to search in our hearts for what we can get out of these practices spiritually. :newidea: I think we can find it if we search with sincerity.

It’s like this. Here are the choices:

• Choose to ignore the rules out of defiance.
• Choose to obey the rules but grudgingly and unhappily. :sad_yes:
• Choose to obey the rules in obedience even though one doesn’t quite get it - but be “willing to be willing” and see what happens :ehh:
• Obey the rules in a spirit of joy and full understanding and insight which comes over time. :yup:

 

[3DOCTORS]

Might add one more thing about rules. My pastor says think of the rules as bumpers in bowling. They won’t make you a great bowler but they’ll keep you out of the gutter! Then it’s up to you to work on becoming a better bowler. :heaven:

 

[achmafooma]

I typically abstain from meat on Fridays year-round, as does my wife. Outside of Lent I will occasionally choose another form of penance besides abstinence from meat for reasons of convenience (e.g., if invited to a party or bbq without vegetarian or fish options). I try to always make some kind of penance on Fridays.

I do this for a couple reasons.

First and foremost, it is a reminder of Christ’s sufferings on our behalf to take away our sins. In that moment where I think, 'boy, I’d really like that steak & cheese sub" I try to turn my thoughts to Jesus on the cross and how much more his sufferings were than those I’ve experienced in my life, and how thankful I ought to be for His sacrifice!

Second, it is a small, typically-private sign of my obedience to the teachings and guidance of Holy Church. While the US Bishops eliminated the requirement in 1966 (except during Lent), they still exhorted (encouraged) the faithful to maintain the practice of penance on all Fridays. If the Church asks me to do something, I try to do it…for no better reason than that I love the Church and trust in her guidance.

The best advice I can give you, nickybr38, is if you feel called to the practice of Friday penance, do it!

Also, I am sorry to hear that your RCIA class seems to look down on these kinds of practices. While they might not be useful for everybody, those of us who choose them often find them very fulfilling and helpful in strengthening our faith.

God bless you, and congratulations on your candidacy! I’m an RCIA graduate myself came into the Church almost two years ago now.

 

[ConstantineTG]

In Latin, the word for warm-blooded meat and the word for flesh are the same word: Carne.

Jesus gave up His “carne” (flesh) for our sins on a Friday, so in commemoration of that fact, we give up “carne” (warm-blooded meat) on Fridays. It is every Friday for the same reason that we commemorate His resurrection every Sunday - to keep it always in mind, and to orient our lives around His great work on our behalf.

It is permitted to substitute acts of charity or other penitential devotions in lieu of giving up meat on Fridays, but for myself, I find the symbolism of giving up meat to be very significant. It’s also something that keeps me reminded of it all day long, every time I get a snack or fix a meal, rather than just being something that I can get done in half an hour, and then forget about it.

Of course, if I become forgetful and eat meat on a Friday outside of Lent, I make another devotion (typically, the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary) in lieu. Also, there are times when you don’t have control over what you are to eat - for example, if you are eating out at a friend’s house, and they serve meat, you eat what you are served, rather than “broadcast” that you are abstaining from meat, because Jesus said, do not do your penances in the sight of men, but keep them between yourself and God.

This is another awesome way to look at it!

My favorite priest once explained abstinence in a psychological level. That meat is something we ordinarily do and that most of our sins are out of habits that we ordinarily do. By training our minds to abstain on something as ordinary and everyday as meat, we become more conscious to abstain from actions we do everyday and seemingly so ordinary that could lead us to sin.

 

[grasscutter]

I think that it is no longer required because more and more people (for a variety of reasons) don’t eat meat anyway.

For myself, I tend to abstain from meat on Fridays as a devotion. However, considering that I enjoy all manner of vegetarian meals as well as a good steak (I am an opportunivore), I don’t consider it to be a sacrifice.

Maybe, instead of or in addition to, you could perform an act of charity on Friday to remember Jesus’s sacrifice for us.

 

[Schedman]

I am a cradle Catholic from the 50’s. Back then we abstained on Fridays and if you were going to receive communion you didn’t eat anything from midnight if you were going to morning mass. I used to just hate all the rules. I have started to abstain again all year long. I do it because I feel like I need the discpline. It makes me more aware of my spiritual life. I think more about the sacrifice that our Lord made for me. Sometimes I feel a little guilty because it doesn’t seem like much of a sacrifice any more; more like an act of love.

P.S. According to our Bishops, if you choose not to abstain from meat on Friday you are suppose to do some other little penance of your choice.

 

[JimG]

I’ve been abstaining from meat on Friday’s every since I can remember. Back when I was in grade school it was a requirement of the Church. And when the Church modified the rule, my wife did not. We continued with our regular practice. Now, I’ve noticed that although the Church now says we can substitute some other penance for abstaining from meat, a lot of people started eating meat on Fridays but never substituted another penance.

 

[grasscutter]

About the frog legs, that’s totally interesting. I’ve always wondered but never had the opportunity. Thank you very much for sharing that!

 

[nickybr38]

Thank you to EVERYONE for sharing your experiences and thoughts on this. It’s great information and I’m just loving reading about it all.

I did NOT know that we were asked to replace the no meat with another form of penance. Is this correct? If it is; WHOOPS.

I’m not fully brought into the Church yet so I’m just learning all these things. I really love hearing from long time Catholics, but also new Catholics. It’s nice to hear how everyone is practicing their faith. Thank you.

Question; Does anyone dedicate 3PM to the Divine Mercy Chaplet on top of the Abstinence? My first thought when I read about the reasons for the abstinence was; Wow, time to do a Divine Mercy at 3 in that case! Haha.

 

[JimG]

Thank you to EVERYONE for sharing your experiences and thoughts on this. It’s great information and I’m just loving reading about it all.

I did NOT know that we were asked to replace the no meat with another form of penance. Is this correct? If it is; WHOOPS.

I’m not fully brought into the Church yet so I’m just learning all these things. I really love hearing from long time Catholics, but also new Catholics. It’s nice to hear how everyone is practicing their faith. Thank you.

Question; Does anyone dedicate 3PM to the Divine Mercy Chaplet on top of the Abstinence? My first thought when I read about the reasons for the abstinence was; Wow, time to do a Divine Mercy at 3 in that case! Haha.

Actually, although we are recommended to substitute a different penance if not doing the Friday abstinence, there is some question as to whether this constitutes an obligation. The USCCB document which made the change clearly deleted the obligation attached to Friday abstinence. And while it recommended we continue some sort of Friday penance, it did not clearly state this as obligatory.

Even on these Forums, you will continue to find disagreement about the obligatory nature (or not) of Friday penance.

Edited to add: Yes, it seems to me that the Divine Mercy Chaplet would be an excellent form of Friday penance.

 

[patrick127]

Question; Does anyone dedicate 3PM to the Divine Mercy Chaplet on top of the Abstinence? My first thought when I read about the reasons for the abstinence was; Wow, time to do a Divine Mercy at 3 in that case! Haha.

I started saying the Divine Mercy Prayer (not the entire Chaplet) everyday at 3pm to remind myself daily of Christ’s passion. I simply set an alarm on my Blackberry for 3pm. Since then I have added other prayers at other times throughout the day.

This all started a few years ago when I began abstaining from meat on Fridays. It felt so good to try to share in Christ’s sacrifice on Friday’s that I wanted to remind myself every other day at 3pm that Christ did it for me and for all.

I don’t want to sound as if I am bragging, actually I haven’t told anyone about my prayer schedule until now…it has been between God and I…but I feel a real difference in my life and the most dramtic difference has been when I introduced the prayer to St. Micheal to my daily Blackberry alarm schedule. I can’t believe how much this one prayer has done for me.