Posted on 03/02/2017 7:28:42 PM PST by NYer
You know you are in a Catholic town when, only during Lent, every single restaurant advertises one item on their menu: fish! I have even noticed how major fast-food chains point out on their fliers the date of Ash Wednesday! Suddenly everyone cares about the liturgical seasons of the Church!
So why is it that the Church instructs Catholics to abstain from meat on Fridays (as well as Ash Wednesday and Good Friday), but gives the “thumbs-up” for Catholics to eat fish? Sounds fishy to me!
First of all we must ask the question, “why Friday?” The USCCB gives a succinct explanation:
Catholic peoples from time immemorial have set apart Friday for special penitential observance by which they gladly suffer with Christ that they may one day be glorified with Him. This is the heart of the tradition of abstinence from meat on Friday where that tradition has been observed in the holy Catholic Church.
Since it is believed Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross on a Friday, Christians from the very beginning have set aside that day to unite their sufferings to Jesus. This led the Church to recognize every Friday as a “Good Friday” where Christians can remember Christ’s passion by offering up a specific type of penance. For much of the Church’s history meat was singled out as a worthy sacrifice on account of its association with feasts and celebrations. In most ancient cultures meat was considered a delicacy and the “fattened calf” was not slaughtered unless there was something to celebrate. Since Fridays were thought of as a day of penance and mortification, eating meat on a Friday to “celebrate” the death of Christ didn’t seem right. (As an aside, some bishops have chosen to lift the ban when Saint Patrick’s Day falls on a Friday during Lent, as it is considered a “solemnity” for many Irish Catholics.)
Read more: 6 Good Reasons to Abstain from Meat on Fridays, Even Beyond Lent
But why is fish not considered “meat”?
According to the USCCB, the laws of the Church classify the abstinence from “land animals.”
Abstinence laws consider that meat comes only from animals such as chickens, cows, sheep or pigs — all of which live on land. Birds are also considered meat.
Fish, on the other hand, are not in that same classification.
Fish are a different category of animal. Salt and freshwater species of fish, amphibians, reptiles (cold-blooded animals) and shellfish are permitted.
In Latin the word used to describe what kind of “meat” is not permitted on Fridays is carnis, and specifically relates to “animal flesh” and never included fish as part of the definition. Additionally, fish in these cultures was not considered a “celebratory” meal and was more of a penance to eat.
Our current culture is much different as meat is generally considered the cheaper option on the menu and no longer has the cultural connection to celebrations. This is why many people are confused about the regulations, especially those who love to eat fish and do not consider it a penance.
In the end, the Church’s intention is to encourage the faithful to offer up a sacrifice to God that comes from the heart and unites one’s suffering to that of Christ on the cross. Meat is given as the very basic penance, while the purpose of the regulation should always be kept in mind. For example, it does not necessarily give a person the license to eat a lobster dinner every Friday in Lent. The whole point is to make a sacrifice that draws a person closer to Christ, who out of love for us made the ultimate sacrifice a person can make.
Just for fun: here is a “Gallery of Regrettable Lenten Food” to show you what not to cook during those Fridays of Lent
I am a Methodist. Five years ago I gave up meat on Friday for Lent. It was such a good spiritual experience, that I have foregone meat on Fridays ever since (3 exceptions in 5 years).
Like others point out, in America eating fish is easy and hardly a sacrifice. What it does for me is to remind me for at least one day each week that there is more to this ol’ world than myself. It is the spiritual equivalent of tying a string to your finger to jog your memory. Sadly, I still need reminding often.
Olplayer
I read someplace the Pope owned a fish market and didn’t want inventory laying around over the weekend.
Probably fake news.
Yes.
It is a sin for a Catholic to eat meat on Friday without an adequate reason.
Same here. Always fish in Fridays. No probs! Always looked forward to it.
Friday abstinence is required only during Lent. Some sort of penance is required on every Friday.
Not really. (at least not in my neck of the woods, which is 50%+ Catholic)
CC
Oh, for Pete’s sake, I’ll put it more simply:
Christ gave up His flesh on Good Friday so now we give up flesh on Fridays to both commemorate what He did and as a penitential mortification.
There. Done.
Here, as well. It was fish sticks, fried fish or baked fish fillets. The baked fish was cooked in a lemon sauce of some type. Years after graduation, still pine for some of the food which was served - ie. the bread pudding being one remembered. This was long before MO ever walked into a kitchen and began giving orders.
Says one who then gives us some of that old time "legalism".
A sin. Says who? The guys wearing funny hats, who thinking they sat upon seat of Moses, could create and dispense rules such as this which all must forever after then follow?
I checked into the original regs -- there was no such custom.
“Actually, Catholics don’t eat meat on any Friday.”
That’s how it was with Catholic friends when I was a kid. But that was a long time ago. Wonder when it changed?
“
That’s how it was with Catholic friends when I was a kid. But that was a long time ago. Wonder when it changed?”
Back in the 60s——when just about everything changed.
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If I was nailed to a cross I would consider my day to be anything but good. I would probably think it's a bad Friday.
Catholics are supposed to abstain from meat EVERY Friday. They have the option of giving something else instead, but that’s not supposed to be the default. (If they, for some reason had to eat meat, they could do the same thing during Lent)
When I was young, we eat fish on Fridays during lent and the rest of the year, we try to eat fish as often as we can on Fridays, since it’s more expensive than meat. A good ritual imho.
Here in the South of France, we also eat muskrats (mostly pâté or confits, available from neighbours or some local artisanal vendors only), which are swimming creatures and considered like fish by the Church, so permitted for Fridays. Again, a good tradition.
I thought they stopped the Friday meat ban decades ago - was it re-instituted?
I read years ago that the reason for meatless Fridays was because Italy was experiencing a cattle shortage at the time & officials convinced the pope to declare Friday meatless to alleviate the shortage.
Does anyone know if this is true?
I don’t know if the ‘meatless Fridays’ reason for Italy is true, but it sounds like a government form of rationing, such as many food items were rationed in the US during WWII. Watch some of the old movies that were produced during the war and occasionally there is a scene in a diner where a person orders a hamburger and the server says: “Sorry no hamburger’s today, this is meatless Tuesday.”
That is different from giving up something for religious reasons, such as meat on Fridays, sweets and other food items during Lent.
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