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?
Actually, fasting should be every Friday, plus throughout Lent, plus Ash Wednesday, Wednesdays and Saturdays of Advent, Vigils, etc. The Pope abrogated the requirements here under pain of sin. They didn't throw away the tradition of doing these things. That was left for the lazy laity to do to prove themselves unworthy of the name Catholic by rapidly discarding their identity and traditions.
The American Bishops have been urging fasting for every Friday since 1983 as a voluntary penitential measure.
Most people are minimalists though, and refuse to do anything not required by pain of damnation.
By the way, if you want to dispute the word 'meats', take it up with those infidel Douay-Rheims translators; it was their version I quoted.
Its a part of fasting. Aside from giving up a quantity of food in fasting, you also give up luxurious foods (meat, eggs, cheese, etc.)
"And the disiples of John and the Pharisees used to fast; and they come and say to him: Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast; but thy disciples do not fast? And Jesus saith to them: Can the children of the marriage fast, as long as the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them; and then they shall fast in those days." (St. Mark 2.18-20)
You must mean nutmeats.
Fasting has two purposes. (1) To reduce our concupiscible appetite for sensible delights (food, drink, and sex being the primary ones) so that the mind can focus on heavenly things without the distraction of coming earthly delights. (2) To reduce our necessities at times and allow us to then give from our surplus to the poor. The money you save from not having lunch, or forgoing a steak at dinner should go to your local soup kithen or food pantry for the poor. The time saved from not preparing elaborate meals or going out to eat should also be given over to the service of others who need our help.
So fasting should mean a person gains a better relationship with Christ, and becomes more Christlike to others through a growth in charity. Whether that actually occurs depends upon the dedication of the person, and if they approach their faith and the fast in a legalistic manner, or in a spiritualistic manner.
The word "meat" in Elizabethan English had a different meaning than it does now. What we call "meat," the Elizabethans frequently called "flesh meat" or "flesh".
Check the Greek.
from http://scripturecatholic.com
Matt. 9:15; Mark 2:20; Luke 5:35 - many non-Catholics frown upon the Church's pious practice of fasting, and say that fasting went away after the resurrection of Christ. But Jesus Himself says that His followers will fast once He is gone and does not object.
Matt. 6:16-18 - in fact, Jesus even gives instructions on how to fast. Jesus says, "Do not look dismal like the hypocrites, but look clean and refreshed."
Matt. 17-21; Mark 9:29 - Jesus teaches that only prayer and fasting had special power to cure a man possessed by a demon. Jesus teaches about the efficacy of fasting and how fasting, coupled with prayer, is acceptable and pleasing to God.
Luke 2:37 - Anna the widow worshiped God with fasting and prayer night and day. The Church has always taught that, by virtue of our priesthood conferred in baptism, our fasting participates in the priesthood of Christ by atoning for the temporal punishments due to our and other people’s sins.
Acts 13:2-3; 14:23 - the apostles engaged in prayer and fasting in connection with ordaining leaders of the Church. Prayer and fasting have always been the practice of the Church.
1 Tim. 4:3 - when Paul refers to doctrines that require abstinence from foods, some Protestants refer to this verse to condemn the Catholic Church's practice of fasting. But Paul is referring to abstinence and any other practice that is performed apart from Christ's teachings. Fasting, on the other hand, is done in obedience to Christ's teachings of taking up our cross and following Him, by participating in His sufferings so we can share in His glory. When citing this verse, these Protestants do not explain why Jesus prophesied that his followers would fast and why Jesus gave instructions on how to fast.
Ez. 8:21-23 - Ezra proclaims a fast as a prayer for humility and self-mortification and God responds. Our fasting is performed to remind us of our absolute reliance upon God.
Neh. 1:4; 9:1 - these texts also show the historical practice of fasting. Fasting atones for temporal punishment due to sin and repairs our relationship with God.
Tobit 12:8 - prayer is good when accompanied by fasting. Throughout salvation history, God has encouraged fasting to be coupled with prayer.
Judith 4:9-13 - the people of Israel humbled themselves with fasting and the Lord Almighty responds.
Esther 4:3,16 - people fasted for days to atone for sin. Although Jesus remits the eternal penalty of our sin, we can atone for temporal penalties due to our sin.
Psalm 35:13 - David says, "I afflicted myself with fasting." David recognized that fasting drew him closer to God. Fasting makes us aware of our dependency on God.
Psalm 69:10 - the Psalmist writes, "I humbled my soul with fasting." Fasting helps us become humble, and in our humility we unit ourselves with our humble God.
Jer. 36:9 - the peoples of Jerusalem and Judah declared a fast before the Lord.
Baruch 1:5 - they wept, fasted, and prayed before the Lord.
Dan. 9:3; 10:2-3 - Daniel sought God through fasting, and abstained from choice foods and wine for three weeks.
Joel 1:14; 2:12,15 - fasts are called to sanctify and turn oneself toward the Lord.
Jonah 3:5,10 - people of Nineveh proclaim a fast to appease God and God responds favorably.
1 Macc. 3:47; 2 Macc. 13:12 - Judas and his army fasted in prayer.
The context says nothing about meat.
The word in the Greek is bromah, which means simply "food" or "that which is eaten". Look it up.
Your relationship with God is as part of a community, not as an atomistic individual. You came to God because members of the Church brought His message to you, and you joined them in their belief and became their spiritual brother. Now this community is a supernatural community, since it is both the body of Christ and the bride of Christ. And since it is a community, the comunity does supernatural things together at the same time as a group - for example, penitential acts on Friday and corporate divine worship on Sunday - just as a natural community has certain things they do as a group, such as celebrating Independence Day, or a family community eats dinner together at night.
We do it together because that is when Jesus Christ Himself promised to be in our midst. "For where there are two or three gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (St. Matthew 18.20)
Speak for yourself!
I asked what the repercussions were to eating meat.
Of course, real fasting is NOT EATING AT ALL -- a far cry from this convenient food-group-specific practice, which is more similar to the Muslim 'fasting' during Ramadan wherein they can eat all they want after dark.
I remember I when I was at the Archdiocese and I tried to discuss this self same discipline (it had been covered by Fr. Corapi the night before) with a Priest who I was friendly with (awesome guy btw) and he told me "don't believe everything you hear on EWTN"
I was disappointed, he doesn't promote any heterodoxy and is a great guy, but still.....
is "real fasting" defined in scripture, or are you trying to make men slaves to your definition?
Does yout definition mean no water and no milkshakes (you did say eaing nothing at all)?
A person dies without water for 40 days - did you know that?
Did Jesus go without water for 40 days?
Was Jesus fully human?
Thank you for the handy link. I have a hobby of getting into email debates with anti-Catholic website owners. I typically use the website "Biblical Truths for Baptists" (http://members.aol.com/uticacw/baptist/bibletruth.html), but this will add another weapon to my arsenal.
To willfully eat meat when the authorities of the Church asks us to abstain as a communal penance is a mortal sin of disobedience to the lawful authorities in the Church, who must answer to God for the state of our souls. They have enacted a law for our benefit, and it is our duty to understand the law and follow it to achieve the divine benefits of what it commands and proposes that we might receive in return.
"Remember your prelates who have spoken the word of God to you; whose faith follow ... Obey your prelates, and be subject to them. For they watch as being to render an account of your souls; that they may do this with joy, and not with grief. For this is not expedient for you." (Hebrews 13.7, 17)
Those who will not "hear the Church, let him be to thee as the heathen and publican." (St. Matthew 18.17). The disobedient will be cut-off as performing works of the flesh "enmities, contentions, emulations, wraths, quarrels, dissensions, sects" (Galatians 5.20).
LOL! You can always just glue a pre-cooked block of romin noodles to a sheet of red construction paper and say it's souls writhing in hell. Of course that's not salvatory either, but maybe it's something.
Fasting has two parts - to reduce overall intake (fasting proper), and to abstain from items of luxury in what we do eat (abstinence) for necessary sustenance during the fast.
which is more similar to the Muslim 'fasting' during Ramadan wherein they can eat all they want after dark.
The Catholic fast is traditionally limited to one small collation after noon time that is less than half of what you would normally eat (i.e. instead of a sandwich and apple and sode for lunch, just an apple and a cup of water), and one regular meal at night. No breakfast, no snacks, and no real lunch. Additionally, during the fast, various foods are completely done away with (meat, broths, cheese, eggs, etc.) for the duration of the fast period.
There is no gorging on food and luxuries after dark.
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