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Friday, June 16, 2017

How Are You Keeping Friday as a Traditional Day of Sacrifice?

It's Friday -- having fish for dinner?
When I was a child, every Friday of the year was a required day of abstinence unless it was a solemn feast day. It made sense to remind Catholics that Jesus died for us on "Good Friday" and to remember it once a week by giving up meat. I don't remember the year things changed in the U.S. but it was due to the bishops asking for an exception to allow Catholics to choose some other form of penance or a charitable practice on the Fridays outside of Lent in lieu of abstinence. But the Canon Laws pertaining to fast and abstinence are still in place and you can read them here.


Sadly, I think most Catholics have simply abandoned the Friday abstinence without substituting anything else. I confess myself that I often don't think of it. But I did today and decided to keep the traditional abstinence and also to say some extra prayers for a person in my life whom I find difficult to deal with.
Read about the origin of pizza.

And I also think I will start putting a big "S" for sacrifice on all the Fridays of my calendar. I want to remember Christ's great sacrifice for us and to respond in Thanksgiving every day, but especially on Friday, the anniversary of the day Christ died for us.

And for the rest of the week, there's pepperoni pizza.

So....How are you making Friday "good" today?

4 comments:

  1. We have been doing the meatless Fridays for years. I find it difficult to plan the meals. That's the sacrifice for me, not so much the eating of it. Not that many ways to use tuna fish. Tonight it's shrimp to go with a recipe for napa cabbage. I also don't have sweets; Fridays (and Lent) are the only times I am always successful in not eating sweet thing.

    Mary Fran, not Steve

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  2. Meatless Fridays since my childhood, and meatless Fridays for my sons from the day they were allowed to eat solids.

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  3. We have been abstaining on Fridays for years. I find it very difficult for some reason, which is the point. But last night my wife made ravioli pesto that was really, really good!

    It's great when Saturday rolls around too. I had two hot dogs and some deer sausage just now.

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  4. Been doing it for years, Mary Ann. :^)

    I just simply like the discipline of it.

    Cheese and crackers with a glass of wine on Friday evening.

    Catechist Kev

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