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| Fasting & Abstenance; Current regulations | |
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| Topic Started: Monday, 11. February 2008, 12:12 (83 Views) | |
| KatyA | Monday, 11. February 2008, 12:12 Post #1 |
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Fast and Abstinence. It is a traditional doctrine of Christian spirituality that a constituent part of repentance, of turning away from sin and back to God, includes some form of penance, without which the Christian is unlikely to remain on the narrow path and be saved (Jer. 18:11, 25:5; Ez. 18:30, 33:11-15; Joel 2:12; Mt. 3:2; Mt. 4:17; Acts 2:38). Christ Himself said that His disciples would fast once He had departed (Lk. 5:35). The general law of penance, therefore, is part of the law of God for man. The Church has specified certain forms of penance, both to ensure that the Catholic will do something, as required by divine law, while making it easy for Catholics to fulfil the obligation. Thus, the 1983 Code of Canon Law specifies the obligations of Latin Rite Catholics [Eastern Rite Catholics have their own penitential practices as specified by the Code of Canons for the Eastern Churches]. Canon 1250 All Fridays through the year and the time of Lent are penitential days and times throughout the entire Church. Canon 1251 Abstinence from eating meat or another food according to the prescriptions of the conference of bishops is to be observed on Fridays throughout the year unless they are solemnities; abstinence and fast are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and on the Friday of the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Canon 1252 All persons who have completed their fourteenth year are bound by the law of abstinence; all adults are bound by the law of fast up to the beginning of their sixtieth year. Nevertheless, pastors and parents are to see to it that minors who are not bound by the law of fast and abstinence are educated in an authentic sense of penance. Can. 1253 It is for the conference of bishops to determine more precisely the observance of fast and abstinence and to substitute in whole or in part for fast and abstinence other forms of penance, especially works of charity and exercises of piety. The Church, therefore, has two forms of official penitential practices - three if the Eucharistic fast before Communion is included. Abstinence The law of abstinence requires a Catholic 14 years of age until death to abstain from eating meat on Fridays in honor of the Passion of Jesus on Good Friday. Meat is considered to be the flesh and organs of mammals and fowl. Moral theologians have traditionally considered this also to forbid soups or gravies made from them. Salt and freshwater species of fish, amphibians, reptiles and shellfish are permitted, as are animal derived products such as margarine and gelatin which do not have any meat taste. On the Fridays outside of Lent the U.S. bishops conference obtained the permission of the Holy See for Catholics in the US to substitute a penitential, or even a charitable, practice of their own choosing. Since this was not stated as binding under pain of sin, not to do so on a single occasion would not in itself be sinful. However, since penance is a divine command, the general refusal to do penance is certainly gravely sinful. For most people the easiest way to consistently fulfill this command is the traditional one, to abstain from meat on all Fridays of the year which are not liturgical solemnities. When solemnities, such as the Annunciation, Assumption, All Saints etc. fall on a Friday, we neither abstain or fast. During Lent abstinence from meat on Fridays is obligatory in the United States as elsewhere, and it is sinful not to observe this discipline without a serious reason (physical labour, pregnancy, sickness etc.). Fasting The law of fasting requires a Catholic from the 18th Birthday [Canon 97] to the 59th Birthday [i.e. the beginning of the 60th year, a year which will be completed on the 60th birthday] to reduce the amount of food eaten from normal. The Church defines this as one meal a day, and two smaller meals which if added together would not exceed the main meal in quantity. Such fasting is obligatory on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. The fast is broken by eating between meals and by drinks which could be considered food (milk shakes, but not milk). Alcoholic beverages do not break the fast; however, they seem contrary to the spirit of doing penance. Those who are excused from fast or abstinence Besides those outside the age limits, those of unsound mind, the sick, the frail, pregnant or nursing women according to need for meat or nourishment, manual labourers according to need, guests at a meal who cannot excuse themselves without giving great offence or causing enmity and other situations of moral or physical impossibility to observe the penitential discipline. Aside from these minimum penitential requirements Catholics are encouraged to impose some personal penance on themselves at other times. It could be modeled after abstinence and fasting. A person could, for example, multiply the number of days they abstain. Some people give up meat entirely for religious motives (as opposed to those who give it up for health or other motives). Some religious orders, as a penance, never eat meat. Similarly, one could multiply the number of days that one fasted. The early Church had a practice of a Wednesday and Saturday fast. This fast could be the same as the Church's law (one main meal and two smaller ones) or stricter, even bread and water. Such freely chosen fasting could also consist in giving up something one enjoys - candy, soft drinks, smoking, that cocktail before supper, and so on. This is left to the individual. One final consideration. Before all else we are obliged to perform the duties of our state in life. When considering stricter practices than the norm, it is prudent to discuss the matter with one's confessor or director. Any deprivation that would seriously hinder us in carrying out our work, as students, employees or parents would be contrary to the will of God. ---- Colin B. Donovan, STL Lent Resources |
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| KatyA | Monday, 18. February 2008, 10:41 Post #2 |
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Isn't it wonderful to read of young people trying to live the faith?
© Independent Catholic News 2008 |
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| KatyA | Saturday, 15. March 2008, 00:28 Post #3 |
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There's quite a bit to plough through here, but it makes interesting reading. Apparently young people are showing the way when it comes to observing Lent Mass-attending young adult Catholics most likely to observe Lenten practices Washington, D.C. -- For more than 30 million U.S. adults this week, meat will not be on the menu Friday. Six in ten adult Catholics say they abstain from meat on Lenten Fridays according to a survey conducted in February by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University. The survey looked at differences among sub-groups of respondents by gender, education, ethnicity, Mass attendance, and generation in terms of Lenten practices. The CARA survey also found that slightly less than half of adult Catholics (45 percent) typically receive ashes at Ash Wednesday services. A similar proportion say they try to do something positive (as opposed to giving something up) during Lent. Among Catholics who attend Mass at least once a month, those of the Millennial Generation (born 1982 or later) are the most likely to observe Lenten practices. More than nine in ten of these Catholics report that they abstain from meat on Fridays and receive ashes on Ash Wednesday. About three-quarters of these young adult Catholics also give up something during Lent. A similar percentage makes other positive efforts. “These results suggest that there really is something exceptional about the youngest generation of Catholics who are active in their faith,” said Mark M. Gray, Director of CARA Catholic Polls (CCP). “In terms of Lenten practices, young adult Catholics who are attending Mass at least once a month are more likely to observe the Church’s obligations and traditions—more so than their parents and grandparents.” The study also found that Catholic women are somewhat more likely than Catholic men to abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent (65 compared to 55 percent). They are also more likely to receive ashes at Ash Wednesday services (50 compared to 38 percent) and to do something positive for Lent (51 compared to 36 percent). The more highly educated the respondent, the more likely he or she is to give something up for Lent and to make an extra effort to do something positive. Fifty-three percent of Catholics with a post-graduate degree give up something for Lent. This compares to 41 percent of those with a Bachelor’s degree, 38 percent of those with some college or an Associate’s degree, and 34 of those with a high school degree or less. Hispanic Catholics are slightly more likely than non-Hispanic Catholics to receive ashes on Ash Wednesday (50 compared to 43 percent). Catholics who attend Mass less than weekly—but at least once a month—are only slightly less likely than weekly attenders to observe Lenten practices. Those who attend Mass a few times a year or less are least likely to observe Lenten practices. However, four in ten of these Catholics do say they abstain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent. The obligation to abstain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent is only mandatory for Catholics ages 14 and older and the Lenten obligation to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are only mandatory for Catholics ages 18 to 59. The CARA survey sampled 1,007 randomly-selected, self-identified adult Catholics (age 18 or older) in the United States conducted from February 1 to February 20, 2008. CARA Press Release KatyA |
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