Weird question but seriously want answer

[newone]

So fridays are days of abstinence( no meat) well I tend to be a nervous person sometimes in class and such and when under stress and I will bite my finger nails and hang nails… nasty habit and all but merely out of a nervous habit. would this be considered eating meat. I don’t usually realize it until its to late. it seems silly but i had to ask

thanks

 

[RodneyJ]

I know you said this was a serious question, but I hope you won’t mind me cracking a smile.

 

[newone]

i dont mind the smile but I would like an answer

 

[HelenRose]

You are not deliberately sinning. This is a compulsion however. You need to turn to Christ to help you. You will find in his love the reason for this habit and find the peace of Christ within yourself which will, in turn, give you grace to help you in time of stress.

It is not a silly question. We all have compulsions that bother us. Facing this honestly is an important step in order to overcome it.

 

[HelenRose]

It may help you to read “The Story of a Soul” and autobiography of Saint Therese of Lisieux. She writes about a time in her life when she suffered with “scruples”

My understanding of scruples is: when a person worries constantly about a small sins one may commit. I know very little about the condition but I am sure that understanding it may help those who do suffer with nervousness and anxiety.

 

[Margarite]

If you can eat eggs on Good Friday you can eat your fingernails. I have done it all my life and I know it would take a miracle to stop me. I also chew the inside of my lip, but chewing on yourself (that just sounds funny) is not eating meat
That sounds so gross!
Relax. Breathe.