Why no meat on Fridays?

[Trelow]

What’s the big deal, just don’t eat any meat on friday. Even if you can do something else, what does it matter? Better safe than sorry. Seams rather stupid to even bother with arguing against it, it’s one stinking day. Just don’t much down Betsy and you’ll be alright.

It’s not that hard. If you were required to flog the skin off your feat, I could understand trying to get another penance, but not eating meat? Seems like bickering just for the sake of bickering.

 

[Beaver]

It was a small “t” tradition that Mary would not eat bloody meat after her Sons crucifixion. A tradition not to eat bloody meat on fridays became very wide spread after the news of this and was done in the church for centuries in honor of Our Lady.

 

[rnscarlson]

Okay… Now I have a slightly different question. This year 2004 Both Christmas Eve and the Eve of the Solemnity of Mary fall on a Friday. So was or is the obligation to abstain from meat or perform another penance lifted ? I figuered yes … for Christmas Eve. But what about Dec 31 2004? I think I will err on the safe side and have my family perform something else like a Rosary this year. But for the future are you even supposed to do a penance on a day of celebration such as Christmas Eve?

Thanks

Steph

 

[Rara_Avis]

rnscarlson:

Okay… Now I have a slightly different question. This year 2004 Both Christmas Eve and the Eve of the Solemnity of Mary fall on a Friday. So was or is the obligation to abstain from meat or perform another penance lifted ?

Steph

We will NOT enter the Kingdom of Heaven unless we do penance and sacrifice - we are told this many many times!

Every Friday we should be thinking about the death and sacrifice Our Lord endured for the salvation of OUR souls.

What is giving up meat for the day compared to that!! pwhhh - nothing - It is the least we should do!

The blood of my Saviour is on my hands - I can remember that by rejecting a piece of bloody cow! and with great pleasure!

Christmas eve is not a feast day - it is a fast day - we are preparing ourselves for the arrival of The King of Kings!

 

[maklavan]

{QUOTE}}Christmas eve is not a feast day - it is a fast day !
Not so. The only official fast days are Ash Wednesday and Good Friday,and then juniors and senior Citizens are exempt.

 

[davidc2]

The document which removed the obligation for the Friday Fast for the US also offers an excellent explanation for the reasons for the Fast and why the obligation was removed.

I highly recommend it to all.

Abstinence and Fasting Laws for the United States

 

[oat_soda]

I’m pretty sure Mr Akin is right that practicing penance on Fridays in the US is no longer required, though it is urged upon.

he’s wrong. let me quote directly from the 1966 article on On Penance and Abstinence

1. Among the works of voluntary self-denial and personal penance which we especially commend to our people for the future observance of Friday, even though we hereby terminate the traditional law of abstinence as binding under pain of sin, as the sole prescribed means of observing Friday, we give first place to abstinence from flesh meat. We do so in the hope that the Catholic community will ordinarily continue to abstain from meat by free choice as formerly we did in obedience to Church law.

the document still says

1. Friday itself remains a special day of penitential observance throughout the year, a time when those who seek perfection will be mindful of their personal sins and the sins of mankind which they are called upon to help expiate in union with Christ Crucified;

it just says that we are not obligated to not eat meat (abstinece) on Fridays outside of Lent. If jimmy was right, it would have to say “penitential observance on Friday is not binding under pain of sin”. We’re still obligated to do something as it is a “special day of penitential observance”. again, if jimmy was correct it would say “it is encouraged that Friday becomes a day of penitential observance throughout the year”. how could cannon law require all fridays to be a day of pennance yet also not require catholics to practice it?

 

[rlg94086]

metal1633:

This from Father Echert at EWTN

All Catholics are obliged to do penance on EVERY Friday of the entire year, unless a particular Friday is some solemn Feast Day, as occasionally happens. The universal manner of accomplishing that penance is abstinance from meat; by indult for the United States, if an American chooses to replace that with some other penance, he has that right, but a failure to do some penance–abstinance or its substitute–is a sin. As to degree of sin, that may vary with knowledge and intention. Many Catholics are ignorant of the general requirement throughout the year, since it is rarely, if ever, taught and preached these days. However, once a Catholic knows, he is obliged, under pain of sin.

Great. Now I know. I was really enjoying ignorance in the form of a big juicy steak. :yup: I knew I shouldn’t open up this thread!

Just curious. How does a vegetarian observe this penance. They certainly can’t consider giving up meat a penatencial act…

Perhaps they should force themselves to eat meat on Fridays.