Last week I read in another thread about how not abstaining from meat on Friday (or substituting another penance in the US) is a grave sin. I have been Catholic my whole life, attended religion classes as a child, attended RCIA with my husband, and have even taught RE, but NEVER KNEW THIS! Am I the only one that didn't know this? It has really bothered this past week. So last Friday, after reading this, I went to a restaurant, forgot and had meat for dinner. ️Then on Sunday felt that I shouldn't receive the Eucharist because I was in mortal sin!?! Now I need to go to confession.... Sigh. I understand that it's about obedience to the church. I don't have a problem with obedience. But now I need to be obedient to a somewhat obscure rule that I've never even been taught. Why can't it just be a venial sin? Lastly, I almost want to leave my husband and kids in the dark about this. My husband hasn't been strong in his faith lately and this may push him over the edge. I mean, if you're ignorant, then there's no culpability. But if I don't tell them then it's a sin of omission on my part and they're not living in the fullness of the faith. I'd appreciate some wisdom on this. I don't like the idea of being condemned if I were to die tomorrow before getting to Confession.
In the first place I don't think it could be considered a sin if it was an honest mistake. If it was done in ful l knowledge I would never see it as a 'serios' sin. I think there is a danger of being juridical in looking at things like this as say a Jewish or Islamic person might do. Mortal sins mean death of the soul , and is a very very seroius matter. I don't think we drift in and out of such things casually. I don;t beleive te good God means us to be opping about like cats on a hot tin roof. Tis is what the juridcial viewpoint implies and causes, a deep unese and loss of peace in the soul. The purpose of the Firday fast is to assist us in growing in love, it is not an effort by heaven to catch us out. God loves us He is not swinging a big stick and out to get us. As avery hoy nun said to me one time, #It is not the falling dwon but the getting up that is important. An old priest and expert in Canon Law told me one time that before Vatican Two he could instance sixty occasions were a preist who was going out to say mass could fall into , 'Serious sin', by not doing the roght thing before he even left the sacristy. This was clearly the biggest load of baloney and thnk God its gone. So be at peace and move on. As the song goes, pick yourself up, dust yuorself down and start all voer again. I wish to goodness that eating meat on Firday was the biggest thing I had to worry about in my own spiritual life, I would be one happy camper.
At least in the US, it appears that the bishops have removed the obligation to abstain from meat on Friday. They indicate it is a good practice, but not mandated. See sections 18-28 in link below for details: http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-wor...toral-statement-on-penance-and-abstinence.cfm
Fasting is only required during Friday's in Lent. The rest of the year it is not at all required but only recommended.
This has fallen out of practice in the United States. Personally I tend to stick to it anyway as a gesture. In fact, I've gotten some rather incredulous looks from people when I told them I don't eat meat on Fridays. Trying to go without meat for Lent actually made a few people laugh! If you're more of a traditionalist, then you're likely to encounter people who still do such. The majority of people these days that I've encountered couldn't even be bothered.
I posted the original statement about the eating meat on Friday in a post I wrote about MERCY. The point I was trying to show is that the church has made rules ....such as the eating meat on Friday being a mortal sin .....and then all of a sudden it's not enforced by the church or talked about ......not even in the most traditional churches....like mine. Then rule is now left up to the bishops in diocese. The point is this......this use to be a very BIG no no......and it was common knowledge in the past that it was a MORTAL sin. Now......no one knows and priests bishops and many many in the church don't adhere to it. My spiritual director is a bishop and he told me that God is all Mercy. Our getting to heaven is NOT going to be determined by our NOT eating meat on a certain day. If we believe that then we are no better than the saducees and Pharisees thinking that keeping the law and all the strict traditions was going to get them to heaven. Jesus himself broke the sabbath according to traditions of Jews etc. Jesus came to bring love and mercy not to put a yoke of burden on people. Your going to be judged on love and charity and your desire to love Christ with all your heart. If you think that your salvation will come from adhering to a rule of not eating eat on a certain day."....then you have lost sight of Christs mercy. The church has errored and they don't speak or enforce this tradition because they know that Christ came to save not condemn his people. Do you really think God will send a child of his to eternal damnation forveating meat on Friday?
I don't recall eating meat on a Friday ever being considered a Mortal Sin. Was it? http://catholicvu.com/3006 MORTAl SIN.htm
Yes. It was. That's exactly what my bishop was talking about. He used it as an example of how the church has errored on things. And yes......he used the word errored. He was speaking to me about the greatness of Gods mercy and how many have lost sight of this Mercy. He was also speaking to me of how so many in the church are wounded and in need of mercy......but how many in the church have lost sight of this mercy and the forgiveness that God wants to give to all. Rigid fundamentalism is alive and it's stifling many of Gods children from seeing Gods love and mercy. This is the mission of Pope Francis. To call the world back to mercy not burden or judging.....but loving and having compassion. We are and shall ever be sinners.....in need of great mercy. Especially in a world tat is steeped in hate and too busy judging and not loving. This was a hard lesson I have learned myself. I am a traditional catholic who has come to see that thevreal dangers facing te church is that of radical fundamentalism and the errors of thinking that we are going to be saved by every little letter of the law that we try and keep. I try my best. But our best is not going to save us. Only love.
Your point of view has been a major debate in the history of the church for hundreds of years. It goes from one extreme to the other. God cannot be all mercy...as all knowing judge He has to judge according to Gods laws. Of course He has perfect mercy but He also has perfect condemnation. Jesus died on the cross for us...it doesn't mean everyone gets a free ride to heaven. There has to be perfect justice that means mercy as well as comdemnation. Brother al
Just to clarify. A few people on here have stated that in the U.S. you don't need to anymore. This is incorrect. You do not need to if you substitute it with another act of penance. If you don't do either it is still considered a mortal sin. Now obviously Pray4peace and others if you didn't know it was a mortal sin or just forgot then no mortal sin was committed. Also if you forget and do eat meat then remember, just do another act of penance. Here is the applicable Canon law for any interested: Canon 1250 states that the days and times of penance for the whole Church are the Fridays of the entire year, and the season of Lent. And Canon 1251 gives further details on just how Catholics are to make these days penitential: Unless a solemnity falls on a Friday, abstinence from meat, or some other food as determined by the Bishops’ Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays; while Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of both abstinence and fasting. http://catholicexchange.com/are-catholics-supposed-to-abstain-from-meat-every-friday
In the US, it is not a sin to not abstain on Fridays outside of Lent. Per the USCCB Pastoral Statement on Penance and Absitinance: 25. Every Catholic Christian understands that the fast and abstinence regulations admit of change, unlike the commandments and precepts of that unchanging divine moral law which the Church must today and always defend as immutable. This said, we emphasize that our people are henceforth free from the obligation traditionally binding under pain of sin in what pertains to Friday abstinence,except as noted above for Lent. We stress this so that "no"scrupulosity will enter into examinations of conscience,confessions, or personal decisions on this point. http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-wor...toral-statement-on-penance-and-abstinence.cfm
Thank you all. When I did some research earlier in the week, the things I read had indicated that it was still a sin, so I am much relieved! I had been wondering how one could avoid being overly scrupulous if we are still required to adhere to this practice. Good to see the bishops address that specifically.
My point is not to say do as you want and avoid the law. The law was given to bring sinners to repentance. I need to repent daily. The church and the scaraments is my guide to lead me to a deep relationship with Christ. But the issues we are facing today in the church are complicated. Before Vatican II it was considered a grievous sin to eat meat on Friday.......and now it is not enforced at all. It's a teaching that is not addressed ANYMORE and it is NOT taught in the best RCIA programs. The church hierarchy know that this teaching .....in which what was once considered mortal sin .....is not truth. It is not truth to say that a good practicing catholic 60 yrs ago .....who gave into temptation and ate meat was doomed to hell if they didn't repent. If that was the case today......most priests bishops and cardinals ......who knew it was mortal sin then and who today don't keep that rule.....are on ther way to hell. Of course it is a good and effacious thing to abstain but if I don't ......I'm not going to hell. So many people in the church are really doing the best they can in the state of life they are in......but I guarantee if they were all to be judged on the letter of the law......they/we are not going to make it. You have people in mixed marriages, people who have converted and living with spouses who are opposed to thier new catholic faith, people who are considered catholic because of infancy baptism ....confirmed in teenage years ....but never given great examples at home......grow up and then get married.....then sadly divorce and then get remarried and then have huge conversions ........ But denied the body of Christ. People converting to Catholicism but now thier spouses won't marry them in the church because they are anti catholic......and these poor people are dened the Eucharist because thier anti catholic spouse won't let them get thier marriage blessed in the church. These poor converts are DENIED. I know the heartache it causing. I have 2 friends who are in that boat and weekly they cant have the body of christ. Would Christ deny a woman who lets say secretly would sneak away from her anti catholic husband so she could partake of his flesh. Would Christ really say to this woman .....Sorry no......you are considered living in adultery because your husband won't marry you in the church.??? I think Christ would give to her his flesh because she loved HIM so much. To Christ.....I think that would be like giving stones to his children who are begging for bread. Christ is mercy first then a just judge. This synod I pray helps heal these wounds that so many people have endured. Pope Francis said the Eucharist is not a reward for the perfect. But sadly many in the church expect perfection to partake. The shaking that's coming .....is going to be on the ones who are locking themselves into rigid traditions and failing to see the Lords mercy due to the hardness of thier hearts. The lord spoke to saint Faustina and told her to tell the world of his great mercy. To prepare the world to receive his mercy. The holy spirit chose pope Saint John Paul II to bring this message to the church and to the world. We are now about to enter into a jubilee of Mercy and a synod that is addressing the wounds of generations begging for mercy. God is working and HE is removing the scales from many peoples eyes.....who once had hearts like Saul. Many will be kicked off thier horse.
This topic also caused me a major headache when it was brought up here recently and I went and did my research on what the situation is in Ireland. So for the record, the situation in Ireland is similar to that of the U.S. and is outlined in this document from the Irish bishops.
Note though that we are free from abstinence, but it must be replaced with another penance if we choose to do that. This is very evident from a quick search of the web and the much more recent post I cited above.
I looked at the usccb website, and it does not say that we MUST substitute sanother penance. It suggests that we do, but looks like it does not require it. So, now I don't know what to think.
Okay here is the answer!!! To Heidi and all others confused on this subject I found the best answer possible. This is a confusing subject. During my own research I found that we were still bound (this is for the USA only) to do a penance under mortal sin as is the rest of the Church. However the situation has become muddled in legalities. Other countries such as Ireland have allowed you to substitute a different penance. In the USA the USCCB technically may have overstepped their bounds and become the first and only country to allow for no penance on Fridays, which goes against the age old Catholic tradition of penance on Fridays in honor of the Crucifixion. I am linking a Jimmy Akin article below which explains the ins and outs of all the legal confusion here: http://jimmyakin.com/2004/07/more_on_friday_.html As you can see it is confusing even for someone like him who dissects these things for a living. So it appears that the USCCB has allowed you to substitute another penance if you want but you are not obliged to actually observe Friday at all. As for myself I am going to do penance in some way as is the age old Catholic way, but each of you is free to discern for yourselves. One thing I know though is that right now the world needs a lot of penance. One last note. This is for the USA only. Everyone else is still bound by the regular Canon law for abstaining and/or penance on Fridays. Hope this is helpful. Thanks Pinecone Jill for bringing that USCCB letter to light.
In the modern world, I don't view not eating meat as much of a sacrifice or proper form of penance personally. Cooking today with fish and vegetables is quite wonderful and thus what are you really sacrificing. I do not eat meat during lent of course for tradition of the church but it is not much of a sacrifice. Now a full fast of just bread and water...now that is a sacrifice.
Thanks Pinecone Jill for bringing that USCCB letter to light. I would not want people worrying unnecessarily about having committed mortal sin. My own family does observe "fishy Fridays" year-round and I think its a great discipline. It's not much of a sacrifice since fish tacos, sweet and sour shrimp etc. are pretty tasty, but it does remind us to stop and remember Jesus' sacrifice and our faith and that is a good thing.
