Posted on 02/28/2006 10:01:19 AM PST by NYer
The National Conference of Catholic
(American) Bishops - NCCB
The vast majority of Catholics today do not know that there is an existing obligation to abstain from meat on all Fridays of the year. While it is true that the Code of Canon Law allows for the substituting of another penitential practice, authorized by the NCCB, one has not been defined. As a consequence the abiding custom of the Church has been set aside. Neither bishops nor priests, with rare exception, inform the faithful of their obligations. Laxity and indifference have become the rule throughout most of the American Church in all matters of faith and morals. The congregations are being led straight into Hell.
Laxity and indifference are particularly notable in relation to human life. As the value of life expands in its deterioration, the bishops continue their practice of public posturing. As noted in the news article following the quotations from the Code of Canon Law, the bishops are now consideringg the possibility of reintroducing that which is, in essence, already the existing law of the Catholic Church.
If the average Catholic were asked if they abstain from meat on Fridays, they would say no. If asked what penitential practice they have substituted in place of not eating meat, they would commonly say none.
Bishops, and the priests in their jurisdictions, have long neglected to teach about the obligatory requirement of either abstaining from meat on all Fridays of the year, or of substituting another observance. They have sinned by omission. It should be noted that even Pope Paul VI's variance in Paenitemini of 17 February, 1966 did not abrogate (terminate) the obligation to at least substitute another form of penitential practice.
The bishops are proposing to possibly have Catholics -- do what they were commonly supposed to be doing anyway (NOTE: Most Catholics no longer believe in condemnatory sin and consequently do not go to obligatory confession when in grave sin. It is probable that today there are more Catholics with non-Catholic beliefs than there are Protestants.) -- express their concerns in regard to abortion and euthanasia by abstinence (not eating the meat of mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and fowl). This might to some seem an improvement to expressing the need for prayer in regard to the multitudes of innocent people daily being slaughtered by Godless people. During the seven month period of time intervening between making the proposal to discuss and actually possibly discussing the proposal their will have been between one-half million and over five million people legally murdered in America. Obviously they do not consider this to be a matter of grave concern.
What else could be said or done?
Yes, it is odd. Thank you for the many links, all of which seem to have the save version, one publishd by John Murphy Co. in 1899 . I've learned a lot this evening. The catholicfirst.com lists in its introductory notes: "This revision [Challoner] became the 'de facto' standard text for English speaking Catholics until the twentieth century. It is still highly regarded by many for its style, although it is now rarely used for liturgical purposes."
from drbo.org: "The DR Bible was photographically reproduced from the 1899 edition of the John Murphy Company, Baltimore, Maryland, by Tan Books in 1971. The Challoner revision [1750] of the Douay-Rheims Bible ... became the standard Catholic Bible in English until the mid-20th century (when the Confraternity Bible was published). It continued to be called the "Douay-Rheims" because of its similarity to the original Douay-Rheims Bible."
The verses posted to you are from The Holy Trinity Editon published by The Catholic Press, Inc. Chicago, Illinois, (1951), where introductory remarks state: "The New Testament is the Confraternity revision of the Challoner-Rheims version."
I understand perfectly! The tv is off in my home for similar reasons. Rest assured of my prayers for a blessed Lent! Look forward to your return at Easter.
Thank you.
I finished a few years ago, but I have a sister and brother in religious-ed classes. It seems that as time went on in my parish, the quality (and actual religious instruction) of said classes has decreased considerably.
Our Lord was crucified on a Friday. To remember and honor His ultimate and perfect sacrifice, we are reminded by the Church He founded to do this small penance weekly. This weekly reminder that it was OUR SIN that crucified Our Lord is there to help us on our path to sanctity. Our Lord encourages us to "Go and SIN NO MORE". We ought to listen to Him, don't you think?
About a year ago, my pastor started talking about this subject. I think the new bishop had something to do with this. We must abstain from meet on all Fridays during the year.
Also abstaining from meat on Ash Wednesday!
From what I can figure out from the first paragraph of the article, meat on Friday => laxity and indifference => straight to hell.
There are alot of things in Catholic tradition (long or short term) that could be misunderstood when taken out of context. Lent for example is much more than not eating meat on Fridays and Ash Wednesday (which apparently happens to be the minimal ammount of fasting in cannon law). It also requires increased prayer, penance, almsgiving, works of mercy thoughout the whole 40 days. Personally I look forward to lent for all these things as a whole, and yes I have a better relationship with Jesus Christ for it.
I suppose the discussion about the meatless Fridays and Ash Wednesday gets a disproportionate share of the discussion on Lent because in cafeterias around the world Catholics are refraning from eating flesh-meat, and their co-workers/students instantly do a double-take and spark up a conversation.
Jesus fasted before his death...And Fasting is especially encouraged during Lent..Fridays and Ash Wednesday are the minimum, but obviously we can fast daily if we desire - just like Muslims do during Ramadan
'…I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.' Mattew 26:29
I can only hope that you're kidding. If not, do you really believe that God would sentence someone to an eternity of suffering, just for being lax and indifferent?
This may help you to understand:
http://www.ewtn.com/faith/lent/history.htm
These little signs are (or ought to be) signals to ourselves and others of our personal committment.
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I couldn't agree more.
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LOL!
Oops. I guess I didn't express myself very well. I think for so many years no meat was not a sacrifice. Now, that people have put more meat into their diets, it has become a sacrifice again. That's a good thing.
Well, to begin with, the context of your citation from 1Timothy 4 puts St. Paul's observation about abstinence from meat in the "last days." Lent, as a practice, goes back to near the very beginning of the Church, so, contextually, he's evidently *not* equating the temporary abstinence involved in Lent with what he's talking about in the passage.
Second, note that Lent is, by its nature, a *temporary*, penitential abstinence from meat and other things, for the good of the soul. The passage is referring to those who will teach, as a matter of doctrine, the forbidding of all meats or certain meats (as was and is, for example, the practice of Jews and Moslems with regard to pork, and other religions regarding meat in general) on a *permanent* basis.
Third, the more modern version of Lent, at least among Catholics, is highly truncated in it dietary regulations compared to former discipline, and is barely penitential at all. Unless one personally desires to self-impose a tougher fast all through Lent (recommended still by many), one is only *required* to abstain from meat during Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent, and further, to "fast" on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. This "fast" is pretty minimal, allowing one full, meatless meal and up to two "smaller meals" to maintain strength, as each person's situation warrants. How tough or really restrictive is that? And even *this* only applies, in the fullest sense, to those between 18 and 59! One is certainly free to be more demanding on oneself, but what I've stated is the minimum "required." Not too tough at all!
Finally, no Catholic or other Christian who incorporates Lent as part of their denominations' tradition *ever* violates the spirit of verses 4 & 5 (which you conveniently omit), since, the rest of the year (and even during the Sundays within Lent!) we acknowledge, as the verses say, that "everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving; for then it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer." In short, I plan, as an individual Catholic, on having beef, pork, lamb and the rest on Sundays during Lent, and throughout the year outside of it. And I will be plenty thankful to God for His bounty, as St. Paul recommends.
Please tell me how this counters what he says in 1Timothy 4:1-5 in its proper context.
This guy has a few comments on Catholic Lenten practices and Scripture:
Lent should be a time for deeper meditation on the word of God, which will lead to conversion and to concrete acts of charity, said Pope Benedict XVI.
"Lent stimulates us to allow our lives to be penetrated by the word of God and in that way to know the fundamental truth about who we are, where we come from, where we are going and what is the path we must follow in our lives," the pope said March 1, Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent in the Latin-rite Catholic Church.
Speaking at his weekly general audience, held under a light rain in St. Peter's Square, the pope urged Catholics to allow themselves to be "nourished with the abundance of the word of God" during Lent.
In his main audience talk, sprinkled with explanations not contained in his prepared text, the pope looked at the two phrases used when distributing ashes: "Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return" and "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel."
The first, he said, is a reminder that people have fallen and have limits, and it "is meant to urge us to place all our hope in God alone."
Lent is a time of "fasting, penance and vigilance over ourselves, knowing that the struggle against sin never ends because temptation is an everyday reality, and fragility and disillusionment are experienced by everyone," the pope said.
The admonition to "convert and believe in the Gospel," he said, "places firm and faithful adhesion to the Gospel at the foundation of personal and communal renewal."
"The Christian life is a life of faith founded and nourished on the word of God," he said. "In the trials of life and before every temptation, the secret of victory consists in listening to the word of truth and decisively refusing falsehood and evil.
"This is the real program of the Lenten period: to listen to the word of truth, to live, speak and act in truth and to refuse falsehood, which poisons humanity and is at the root of all evil," the pope said.
One who follows the truth, meditates on the Gospel and draws closer and closer to God, he said, also "sees others with new eyes. He discovers his brothers and sisters and their needs."
"Because the truth of God is love, conversion to God is conversion to love," Pope Benedict said.
The "climate of Lent," he said, "is precisely the climate of love for our brothers and sisters" because it is a time for learning to see others with Christ's eyes.
Pope Benedict said because conversion includes a growing realization of the obligation to demonstrate love for one's neighbors charity and almsgiving are central to the Lenten practice.
That sounds terrible. Do you really mean this, or are you being sarcastic?
If I didn't have a personal relationship with God through his Son, Jesus Christ, I would not want to live!
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