When's the day end?

[Emly]

It’s friday, and we can’t eat meat. And then the clock turns 12 01, and it’s saturday, but we’re still awake. Do we eat meat? Even if it’s not Friday really, its still during our own day. So it’s still REALLy friday, right?

 

[Trevelyan]

As far as the obligation to abstain is concerned, Friday is only midnight to midnight - 24hrs. You could choose to abstain after midnight, and that would no doubt be laudable, but you only have to abstain untill midnight.

 

[rosarywarrior]

I’ll bet there are more than a few Catholics going to Taco Bell after 12:01 a.m. Saturday’s. My niece was just telling me that she and her friend did that last Saturday a.m., I am not sure I’d recommend it though, eating spicy food so late…hmmmmm

 

[wjp984]

well let’s say you were right and the day for you is still Firday. I guess you would also have to allow the eating of meat on Friday at 12:01 since it is still Thursday. midnight to midnight sounds fair to me. Your way is too subjective.

 

[Liberian]

Emly:

It’s friday, and we can’t eat meat. And then the clock turns 12 01, and it’s saturday, but we’re still awake. Do we eat meat? Even if it’s not Friday really, its still during our own day. So it’s still REALLy friday, right?

Most people would be in bed at that point. My personal discipline is to go bedtime to bedtime, although if I wake up in the middle of the night I observe the midnight-to-midnight definition.

But let’s not lose sight of the purpose here: the idea is to bring us closer to God, not to see how close we can get to breaking the rules without actually breaking them. See Romans 14:17.

• Liberian

 

[porthos11]

Technically, a day is midnight to midnight.

But let’s not try to become technical. To prepare a burger and chomp at 12:01am seems to me something less than the spirit of the discipline and leans more towards legalism.

It may not be sinful, but it does raise questions about our sincerity.

 

[tee_eff_em]

While I personally go by my internal bedtime-to-bedtime clock, I know Canon Law specifies the day as 24 hours beginning at midnight, so I cannot say that is wrong. Only that my internal clock “feels” right to me, and I pray the Lord is mericful in this regard, as in all things.

You can *definitely *think too hard about this sort of thing. Eg, When is it midnight? Is it according to the wallclock/time zone? Or is it according to the sky?

Living Lent in the fast lane,
tee

 

[DaveBj]

We had a discussion on this a year or so ago, and the consensus was that if it still feels like Friday, treat it like Friday. So Friday for me doesn’t end until I stagger home from my job at 0630 and fall into bed. I just can’t see how ordering a Meat-Lover’s Pizza for delivery at 1201 goes along with the reason why we’re abstaining in the first place.

DaveBj

 

[wjp984]

why not. In fact, I would say it is even more of an observance. Sometimes if I feel like hamburger I will wait until midnight and then finally go to a late night drive through. I of course had been hungry and wanting food for the past few hours but chose to wait until midnight before eating.

porthos11:

Technically, a day is midnight to midnight.

But let’s not try to become technical. To prepare a burger and chomp at 12:01am seems to me something less than the spirit of the discipline and leans more towards legalism.

It may not be sinful, but it does raise questions about our sincerity.

but I am all for legalism and rules since I want to be a lawyer.

 

[puzzleannie]

Emly:

It’s friday, and we can’t eat meat. And then the clock turns 12 01, and it’s saturday, but we’re still awake. Do we eat meat? Even if it’s not Friday really, its still during our own day. So it’s still REALLy friday, right?

if you are interested in the spirit of fasting, the day is your normal workday, even if you go to bed late. If you are only interested in the letter of the law, wait until one minute after midnight and eat a burger just so show you can (what a dumb thing to do right before bed anyhow.)

If you are still, after all the discussions on this board about lenten disciplines and pentitential practices, focused on what you can get a way with, your Lent has been a complete and utter waste of time. Lenten fasting, prayer and almsgiving is about giving honor and glory to God, not fooling the hall monitors.