Fish On Friday
My grandfather, a rock-ribbed Protestant, loved fish. But he never ordered fish on Friday for fear that someone would witness the event and conclude that he had "turned Catholic". That little story (which happens to be true) illustrates the extent to which the Catholic discipline of abstaining from meat on Friday was a widely recognized sign. To practice the "Friday abstinence" was to flash your membership card. That wasn't the purpose of the discipline, but it was its side effect.
As you all know, the discipline of abstaining from meat on Friday has been relaxed**. Instead of applying the rule on each and every Friday, the current discipline in the United States calls for abstinence from meat only on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays in Lent. By the way, this change is often cited as an example of how the Church changes her teaching. But it is nothing of the sort. The teaching behind penitential practices on Friday has remained intact. What was changed was the discipline - the particular way that the Church asks us to observe the penitential character of Friday.
Questions abound. Exactly what was (and is) the point of abstaining from meat on Friday? You may have heard the story that the Friday abstinence was instituted as a sop to the Portuguese fishing industry. That's a cute little explanation, but it is more than a bit fanciful. Friday penitential practices began in the First Century, long before the Portuguese fishing industry had much of a lobby in the Church. The ancient penitential practices centered especially on Friday because that was the day of Our Savior's crucifixion. By contrast, in the present culture, work-weary folks greet Friday with cries of "TGIF!" and weekend preparations begin. I can sure understand this modern phenomenon, but something is lost when we forget the penitential character of the day.
Why was the obligation to abstain from meat on Friday removed? It was not because it was felt that penitential practices were unimportant. Rather, it was felt that penitential practices were so important that they should not be made obligatory. So when we were told that we were not obliged to abstain on Friday, we were also told that voluntary abstinence was an excellent practice. And - here's the biggy - we were asked to perform some act of alms-giving and/or service as our Friday offering, instead of simply munching on haddock.
The idea was this: Instead of having millions of Catholics eating fish on Friday "because they have to", it would be better to have millions of Catholics practice the abstinence on a voluntary basis, coupled with prayer and specific acts of charity. Has it worked out like that? Well, not exactly. Shall we work at it?
Deacon Greg Sampson
Diocese of Rochester
Most Catholics think that Vatican II did away with the requirement of not eating meat on any Friday of the year. Most think it is now just Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent that we cannot eat meat.
This is what the Code of Canon Law of 1983 says about the matter:
Canon 1251
"Abstinence from meat, or another food according to the prescriptions of the Conference of Bishops, is to be observed on all Fridays throughout the year unless they are solemnities; abstinence and fast are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and the Friday of the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ".
Of course, most Episcopal Conferences have determined that, instead of abstaining from meat, Catholics may perform an act of penance of their choosing. But, do you ever remember to abstain from a particular food or do some other penance on Fridays? And, at any rate, the main rule is still to abstain from meat on Fridays, the performance of another penance instead is an optional alternative.
It's very interesting to note that the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (the United States' Episcopal Conference) is currently debating whether to rescind the determination and require all Catholics to abstain from meat on all Fridays of the year. The Bishops are considering that a return to meatless Fridays for all Catholics would be of benefit because:
* It is an expression of one's Catholicity; and
* In reparation for the grave sin of abortion.
