Why Fish On Good Friday?

Why do we not eat meat on Good Friday?

What is the meaning of not eating meat? Abstaining from eating meat reflects the life of Jesus Christ. ‘Since Jesus sacrificed his flesh for us on Good Friday, we refrain from eating flesh meat in his honor on Fridays,’ the Archdiocese said.

Why do Jews have fish on Friday?

The Jewish history of British fish and chips

For many, one of the most traditional, a staple that has maintained its popularity for decades, is the delectable, no-frills combination of, Recently, the dish is a cultural pillar; synonymous with seaside holidays and Friday nights and eaten by everyone from to, Fried fish even gets a mention in Charles Dickens’ 19th century work Oliver Twist,

• Over a fifth of the population are to visit a fish and chips shop on a weekly basis keeping the UK’s estimated 10,000 shops in business.
• However, some may be surprised to learn that the dish was conceived thanks to the culinary skills of who journeyed from Europe to make the UK their home.
• Here is the Jewish history of British fish and chips, to the origin of the battered fish to the opening of the first fish and chip shops in,
• Before the ingenuity of battered fish was introduced to the UK, it was made by Portuguese Sephardic Jewish people on a weekly basis as part of the observance of Shabbat, the Times of Israel,
• It is the dish was also made by Jewish people in Spain, and by members of the Western Sephardic Jewish community in Holland.

In Judaism, Shabbat is the seventh day of the week and is a day of rest. No cooking can take place once the day has begun, beginning at nightfall on Friday and ending on nightfall on Saturday. In some Christian traditions, it is customary to refrain from eating meat on Fridays, other than fish, as part of the practise of Friday Fast. Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial

1. Therefore, for Portuguese Sephardic Jewish people fleeing the Inquisition in the 16th century, eating fish on Shabbat help them conceal their true religious identity.
2. Furthermore, in Judaism fish is pareve, meaning that it constitutes as neither meat or dairy.
3. Jewish law dictates that it is forbidden to eat milk and meat together, and so eating fish on Shabbat helped the Jewish people to closely follow the guidelines of their religion.
4. The Jewish people would also cook enough fish on a Friday to eat as leftovers on Saturday, meaning they could avoid cooking on Shabbat.
5. Fried and battered fish was brought to England as early as the 16th century, meaning the dish has been consumed on these shores for around 500 years.
6. When Jewish European immigrants first came to England around this time, they continued to eat their fried fish, going on to sell it on the street for members of the public.

Actress Edina Ronay and her uncle Leny tuck into fish and chips in a shop in the Mile End Road, East London (28 April 1963)

• There are several references to the Jewish tradition of eating battered fish in literature.
• According to by Claudia Roden, Thomas Jefferson, who was president of the US from 1801 to 1809, ate “fish in the Jewish fashion” during a visit to the English capital.
• In the 1845 cookbook A Shilling Cookery for the People by Alexis Soyer, there is a recipe that references the “Jewish manner” or fried fish.
• Fish and chips became a staple dish among the working class in England as a result of the development of commercial fishing in the late 19th century and early 20th century.
• While the tradition of battered fish originated from Jewish immigrants, it is unclear where the idea came from to serve the dish with chips.

Who would have guessed one of the most romantic scenes in cinema would involve two dogs eating scraps in an alleyway? And, yet, the iconic spaghetti kiss from Disney’s 1955 animated film has been oft imitated but never surpassed, as the two pups indulge in an Italian delicacy, all soundtracked to Sonny Burke and Peggy Lee’s “Bella Notte”.

And, as Tramp proves, there’s no greater act of chivalry than offering your date the last meatball Moviestore/Rex Gabriel Axel’s Oscar-winning 1987 Danish film is a visual treat for any self-confessed gourmand. The story sees two pious Protestant sisters offer refuge to a French woman fleeing the political tumult in Paris after the collapse of the Second Empire in 1871.

They agree to hire her as a housekeeper, discovering later that she’s the former chef of one of Paris’s best restaurants. When she wins the lottery, she uses the funds to whip a meal to remember for her kindly hosts. All the very best chefs know that a dash of pure imagination is key to creating a true culinary wonder.

• It’s a lesson well-taught in Steven Spielberg’s 1991 classic, Hook, as a grown-up Peter Pan (Robin Williams) looks on in disbelief as the Lost Boys tuck into what appears to be nothing at all.
• It’s only when he truly believes that he can see the brightly colour feast laid out before him.
• And what childish feast would be complete without an old fashioned food fight? Sony Sure, the 1961 film’s title may be a little misleading.

Its protagonist, Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn), in reality only has breakfast outside of Tiffany’s, popping out of a cab in the early morning light to peer into the jewelry shop window, all while enjoying a pastry and some coffee in a paper. The moment has still remained the peak of glamour, decades later, so who cares if it’s all a little white lie? Keystone Features/Getty Images It’s a classic scene that proves to be surprisingly instructional.

• Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 film has a full-blown recipe tucked within its elegant drama, as Vito Corleone’s close associate, Peter Clemenza (Richard Castellano), offers his version of the perfect pasta sauce.
• As he explains: “You start out with a little bit of oil.
• Then you fry some garlic.
• Then you throw in some tomatoes, tomato paste, you fry it; you make sure it doesn’t stick.

You get it to a boil; you shove in all your sausage and your meatballs. And a little bit of wine, and a little bit of sugar—that’s my trick.” Rex Features Although the 1971 musical is, as a whole, a sugary delight, it’s hardest to resist the temptation of Willy Wonka’s Fizzy Lifting Drinks, a soda described as so bubbly that it lifts anyone who drinks it right off the ground.

It’s no wonder that it was the one stop on the tour that ended up tempting the pure-hearted Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum) and his grandfather (Jack Albertson). Now, the real question is: does it come in different flavours? Getty For anyone who considers pizza to be the true love of their life, Ryan Murphy’s 2010 romcom is a perfect cinematic match.

It’s hard not to relate to the moment Liz Gilbert (Julia Roberts) bites into a piece of authentic Italian pizza, during the Naples stop on her global adventure of self-discovery, and declares: “I’m in love. I’m in a relationship with my pizza.” Rex Features Although we might not fully be convinced that the grey stuff is delicious, the “dinner and show” approach to Lumiere (Jerry Orbach)’s hospitality is something we could certainly get used to.

1. In Disney’s 1991 animation, Belle (Paige O’Hara) is presented with a whole cavalcade of sumptuous dishes: including beef ragout, cheese souffle, pie and pudding “en flambe”.
2. And there’s a sage piece of advice to go with it all, too: “If you’re stressed, it’s fine dining we suggest!” Indeed.
3. Disney While there’s been a growing fad of ambitious, unusually themed cakes – you need only look at the success of the TLC reality series Cake Boss – there are few cinematic cakes that quite stick in the memory like Jackson (Dylan McDermott)’s armadillo-shaped groom cake from 1989 comedy-drama Steel Magnolias, a spin on the tradition from the American South of having another cake separate to the main wedding cake.

And did we mention that it’s red velvet on the inside? REX FEATURES When it came to director Sofia Coppola conjuring the ultimate image of decadence for her 2006 biopic on the French queen, there was no more perfect treat than Ladurée’s famous macarons.

1. Delicate and pastel-toned, the meringue-based confection has long been the speciality of the French bakery, first established in 1862.
2. A new flavour was even created in honour of the film, with the Marie Antoinette offering a combination of rose and anise flavours.
3. Columbia Pictures Food is often regarded as one of the best ways to understand a culture, and The Hundred-Foot Journey is wonderful for showing the efforts the talented, self-taught novice Hassan (Manish Dayal) goes to in order to comprehend that.

During a picnic he reveals he has mastered the five “mother sauces” of French cuisine, and the delicate tasting process that follows demonstrates just how important food is to France. “In prison, dinner was always a big thing.” So much so that the Wise Guys ate better than most people on the outside.

“Beyond the Sea” plays in the background as the gangsters prepare their meal: Garlic sliced so thin with a razor blade that it would “liquefy in the pan with just a little oil”, meatballs in a tomato sauce that’s “a little too oniony”, steak cooked medium rare, iced lobsters, prosciutto, salami, cheese, red wine and good Scotch.

Maybe crime does pay after all. There are few pleasures in life more fulfilling than that of cooking for others. In Chocolat – based on the book by Joanne Harris – a slow-motion scene where dinner party guests tuck into the feast created by expert chocolatier Vianne Rocher (Juliette Binoche) is full of warmth and laughter.

• AP In a world where people seem more than happy to fork out £15 for some mushy avocado on toast, $5 for a milkshake doesn’t seem too unreasonable.
• Vincent Vega (John Travolta) takes his boss’ wife Mia (Uma Thurman) out to Jack Rabbit Slim’s for a burger, where she decides she wants the “$5 dollar shake”.

“You don’t put bourbon in it or nothing?” a bewildered Vincent asks the waiter. When it arrives, Mia takes a long sip: “Yummy.” “I gotta know what a $5 shake tastes like,” Vincent says. He takes a sip. Then another. “Goddamn, that’s a pretty f***ing good milkshake.” Miramax/YouTube Nora Ephron’s feature film based on the intertwining stories of chef Julia Child and Julie Powell, the blogger who rose to fame after documenting her pledge to cook all 524 recipes in Child’s cookbook, is all about the joy one can find in food.

It is some of the earlier scenes that capture this best, like when Julia (Meryl Streep) and her husband Paul (Stanley Tucci) arrive in Paris and stop at a French restaurant, where Julia is served a sizzling platter of sole. It looked so mouth-watering in the final edit that Ephron “wanted to call up Martin Scorcese and say, ‘you’ve never shot a fish like that before'”.

Rex Fearsome critic Anton Ego takes a bite of ratatouille and is transported back to his childhood, where it was a favourite comfort food, in the best scene from Pixar’s wonderful animated film. The detail is superb, from the process of Remy the rat preparing the dish to the moment Ego’s pen falls to the ground as he remembers the power of a favourite meal in evoking memories we thought were lost.

YouTube screengrab / Jeugos para ninos / Disney Pixar “I don’t want this, I want large bread but I can rise above it, I’m a professional.” The miniature bread catastrophe is a beautiful parody on every self-absorbed rock star to have kicked off over something as ludicrous as the food they’re served backstage.

Guitarist Nigel Tufnell sits next to a tray of sandwiches looking baffled as his manager walks over. “Look,” he says, picking up a sandwich. “This, this miniature bread. It’s like. I’ve been working with this now for about half an hour. I can’t figure it out.

1. Let’s say I want a bite, right, you’ve got this.” “Why do you keep folding it?” Ian asks.
2. Nigel looks down at the broken bits of bread, then tries again: “This.
3. I don’t want this.” He throws the sandwich to the ground, disgusted.
4. I want large bread!” Embassy Pictures After all the trauma she has been through – at the hands of her abusive husband and a racist ex-employer – Minny (Octavia Spencer) arrives at her employer Celia Foote to find a beautiful dinner cooked for her as a thank you for everything she has done for Celia and her husband.

You see the care that has gone into it as Celia lays everything out on the table, from a “mile high meringue” to the fried chicken Minny taught her how to make. “That table of food gave Minny the strength she needed,” the narration explains. “She took her babies out from under Leroy and never went back.” AP Photo/Disney DreamWorks II, Dale Robinette Robert Dupea (Jack Nicholson) just wants some toast to go with his omelette, but the waitress is stubbornly sticking to the diner’s “no substitutions” rule.

I’ll make it as easy for you as I can,” goes the famous order. “I’d like an omelette, plain, and a chicken salad sandwich on wheat toast. No mayonnaise, no butter, no lettuce and hold the chicken.” Columbia Pictures It was a scene that helped propel a revolution in American dining. Il Timpano, a dish inspired by the notoriously tricky-to-make Italian meal, is the star of a moment in Big Night where chef brothers Primo (Tony Shalhoub) and Secondo (Stanley Tucci) prepares it as the centrepiece for a feast attended by their rival, Pascal.

“Goddamit, I should kill you,” he screams, throwing his fork down after tasting Il Timpano. “This is so f***ing good, I should kill you.”

1. It is believed one of the first fish and chip shops was in the 1860s in east London by Joseph Malin, an Ashkenazi Jewish immigrant.
2. Malin’s fish and chip shop that it remained opened for over a century, until the 1970s.
3. Nonetheless, some credit another man as having one of the earliest fish and chip shops in the UK in the 1860s, a man from Lancashire called John Lees.

Micks Fish and Chip Shop in East Stepney (18 October 1964) In August 2019, the UK’s top fish and chip shops were ahead of the 2020 National Fish and Chip Awards. In January 2020, The Cod’s Scallops in Wollaton, Nottingham was named the, “We’re absolutely thrilled to be crowned the UK’s best fish and chip shop! It’s an honour to take home such a prestigious title, especially being up against the country’s top establishments,” said co-owner John Molnar.

Despite other forms of cuisine booming in popularity over the centuries, the leagacy of fish and chips cannot be understated. There are around 10,500 fish and chip shops in the UK, according to, That’s 10 times the number of McDonald’s outlets in the UK. Plus, approximately £1.2 billion spent on the dish in the UK on an annual basis, while the shop is still in operation in Leeds, having opened in 1865.

Actress Edina Ronay and her uncle Leny tuck into fish and chips in a shop in the Mile End Road, East London (28 April 1963) George Elam/ANL/Shutterstock Micks Fish and Chip Shop in East Stepney (18 October 1964) Peter Elinskas/ANL/Shutterstock It is believed the earliest fish and chip shops were opened in England in the 1860s Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in : The Jewish history of British fish and chips

Was it a sin to eat meat on Friday?

Up until 1966 Church law prohibited meat on all Fridays throughout the entire year. The new law was promulgated in 1983 in the revised Code of Canon Law which states, ‘Abstinence to be observed on Ash Wednesday and on the Friday of the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Canon 1251).

Why can Catholics eat fish but not meat on Good Friday?

Religious or not, you may know that Fish Friday during Lent is kind of a thing. But do you know why ? – It turns out that because, according to Christian teaching, Jesus died on a Friday, fasting on Fridays became a way to honor his sacrifice, However, this type of fasting didn’t mean not eating anything (unlike trendy modern-day fasts).

It simply meant abstaining from eating the flesh of warm-blooded animals—since the thinking goes, Jesus was a warm-blooded animal. Fish, though, which are cold blooded were considered okay to eat on fasting days. Hence, Fish on Fridays and “Fish Friday” (among many other religious holidays) was born. Perhaps the most interesting part of the story behind why so many eat fish on Fridays is that it was one of the most significant drivers of the growth of the global fishing industry, according to NPR : But fish—well, they’d been associated with sacred holidays even in pre-Christian times.

And as the number of meatless days piled up on the medieval Christian calendar—not just Fridays but Wednesdays and Saturdays, Advent and Lent, and other holy days—the hunger for fish grew. Indeed, fish fasting days became central to the growth of the global fishing industry.

Do all religions eat fish on Good Friday?

Why do we eat fish on Good Friday? – Christians believe that Jesus was executed on Good Friday, sacrificing his flesh for our sins. For centuries, Christians have abstained from eating meat on Good Friday, and this was a rule laid out by the Vatican. Today, many people, whether they’re religious or not, choose to eat fish instead of meat on Good Friday.

• Some devout followers of the religion take the Good Friday tradition further and eat fish rather than meat every Friday.
• There were also plenty of meat-free days in the medieval Christian calendar alongside Good Friday, including Fridays, Wednesdays, Saturdays, Advent and Lent.
• If you’re looking to partake in a fishy Good Friday, here’s a recipe you can try at home for fish and chips.

Who only eats fish on Fridays?

Why Do Catholics Eat Fish on Fridays? Catholics are required to abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday and each Friday in (including Good Friday). Fish is often used as a substitute for meat-based meals. But of course, with the popularity of vegetarian and vegan diets, there are many other solutions besides fish.

• Historically, since about the second century of Christianity, Christians abstained from eating meat on Fridays as a kind of sacrifice and reminder that acknowledged Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross, which we commemorate on Good Friday.
• It’s also why we proclaim the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary on Friday.

About a century or two later, Lent came into being, as a season of intense preparation for Easter, so the fasting and abstinence was extended to much of Lent. The Second Vatican Council simplified many Catholic customs and laws. There was too much of an emphasis on sin and sacrifice and some of the practices were rather involved.

1. Many people believed that breaking Friday abstinence was a sin so serious it could land you in hell.
2. They knew the whole thing had gotten out of hand.
3. So the bishops preserved fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday (meaning to eat only one full meal for the day and then to merely sustain yourself for the rest of the day — two smaller meals that do not equal the one large meal) and abstaining from meat on Fridays during the more penitential time of Lent.

Some have said the bishops were in cahoots with the fishing industry, but there is little to no evidence to claim that as truth. My wife and I recently celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary. To commemorate such an occasion, we decided to go somewhere we had never been In my 20s and 30s, I gradually went from being hopeful about getting married, to despairing over finding the right guy, and finally to bitterness : Why Do Catholics Eat Fish on Fridays?

Do Christians have to eat fish on Friday?

Why do Catholics eat fish on Friday? Christians have fasted (gone without food) and abstained (gone without certain foods, especially meat) since the beginning. The Book of Genesis teaches that all the plants and animals that God created and entrusted to human beings are good, especially those given to us as food (Genesis 1:29).

• Jesus taught that nothing that a person eats makes him or her evil (Mark 7:18).
• So why then do Christians fast and abstain? When the devil tempts Jesus in the desert with a comfortable life and a full stomach, Jesus recalls the wisdom of Deuteronomy: “One does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (8:3).

Fasting and abstaining makes this real. It also hones our appetite, training us for the basic stance of a baptized person in this world: gratitude. Doesn’t something taste better once you’ve truly hungered for it? Aren’t we more grateful for what we’ve hungered and thirsted for? Jesus recommended fasting, but not as a mere formality—and certainly not as a burden to be imposed on the poor who have to eat when they can, even if in violation of religious tradition.

1. Instead Jesus recommended fasting when one fails to sense that God is near.
2. What then is the significance of abstaining from meat? And why eat fish? The tradition suggests a number of reasons.
3. Some say that forgoing meat was forgoing a luxury, as meat was relatively rare for most people.
4. This certainly would have been true in the ancient Mediterranean world in late winter—our time of Lent.

Today this hardly seems true, since seafood is the luxury and hamburger costs pennies. And besides, the tradition is to abstain from meat, not necessarily to eat fish. Eating vegetables suffices. The practice of eating fish is related to the day we typically abstain from meat: Friday.

• This is the day that Christ died, so abstaining from the shedding (and consuming) of blood seems appropriate.
• Friday, the sixth day, was also the day that God created animals, so abstaining from meat is a symbolic “stay of execution” for cows, pigs, and sheep—just as the cross saves us from eternal death.

The Hebrew scriptures also tell of Leviathan, a primordial gigantic enigmatic sea-creature (think Jonah’s whale) that represents death. So carving up and eating Leviathan on the day that Christ killed death makes great sense to the biblical imagination.

• Because of Christ’s victory, the great monster death is now nothing more than fish sticks on your plate! Think of that next time you skip that Friday hamburger for a tuna fish sandwich.
• This article appeared in the March 2007 issue of U.S.
• Catholic,
• To subscribe to the magazine.
• Image: Unsplash cc via Davey Gravy This article is also available in,

: Why do Catholics eat fish on Friday?

What are the rules for Good Friday?

Lent Fasting Rules: Frequently Asked Questions – What Is Fasting? In the Catholic Church, fasting is a practice in self-discipline with a penitential focus. In the context of Lent, it refers to reducing food intake and limiting how many meals we have.

• What are the Lent fasting rules? On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, fasting rules allow Catholics to eat only one full meal and two smaller meals which, combined, would not equal a single normal meal.
• Additionally, Catholics may not eat meat on these two days–or on any Friday during Lent.
• What are the Lent rules on abstinence? In this context, abstinence refers to “abstaining” from meat on Fridays during Lent.

Whereas Catholics fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday with just one large meal, Catholics must refrain from eating meat on other Fridays, though they can have three full meals. At what age do you start fasting for Lent? Those ages 18-59, in reasonable health, are required to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

• Those 14 and older must abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent.
• Canon Law does mention that for young children not fasting, parents should still communicate the meaning and penance.
• Who is exempt from fasting during Lent? Children, adults with physical and mental illness, pregnant women and those nursing are all exempt.

The USCCB stresses that “common sense should prevail” and that no one should jeopardize their health to fast. When is fasting over? Lent ends on Holy Thursday, but Lenten fasting (and personal commitments) usually continues until Easter. Papal document Paschalis Solemnitatis recommends this in order that we “with uplifted and welcoming heart be ready to celebrate the joys of the Sunday of the resurrection.” Can you eat meat on Good Friday? On the one hand, Good Friday is part of the Easter Triduum, which marks the end of Lent.

However, since Good Friday itself is a day of abstinence, it’s best to abstain from meat, as in the Fridays of Lent. Do Sundays count for fasting? It’s been a custom for Catholics to give something up during Lent, in addition to the fastings and abstinence rules. Some keep their sacrifice continuously, but Sundays during Lent are not “prescribed days of fasting and abstinence.” Ultimately, it’s a personal decision.

Are fish frys OK? Since serves fish instead of meat, your local church fish fry is a fine option for Fridays during Lent. Because the Lent season is one rooted in penance, a modest meal at your parish is probably a better option than a lavish seafood feast at a fine restaurant.

Does “abstinence” apply to sex? Do Catholics need to abstain from sex during Lent? No. Abstinence refers to food. Some parish birth records from the Middle Ages show that births declined nine months after Lent and rose nine months after Easter, so there may be some historical precedent for the practice.

What can you drink on Ash Wednesday? What are the fasting rules around liquids like coffee? Normal rules around fasting before receiving Communion (abstaining from food an hour before Mass) apply during Lent. Outside of that, there are no specific rules around liquids, so coffee, tea and soda are fine.

Can you eat salmon on Good Friday?

What can you eat on Good Friday? – On Good Friday, it’s tradition to eat fish rather than meat. According to Christians, Jesus sacrificed his flesh on what is now known as Good Friday. This is why traditionally, people abstain from meaty flesh on Good Friday.

Is eating meat on Friday a mortal sin in the Catholic Church?

On May 14th 2011 the Bishops of England and Wales announced that they were re-establishing the requirement to abstain from meat on Fridays, effective 16th September 2011. As indicated below, this means that it is now a sin, and sometimes even a mortal sin, to eat meat on Fridays.

1. As our then Bishop, +Christopher Budd, explained in his Ad clerum of July 2011, this is now a matter of “precept”, i.e.
2. A legally established moral obligation.
3. This webpage will focus on the question of sinfulness, a matter that has been less noted in recent discussions.
4. A more general comment on the topic of Friday abstinence is viewable on this website here ; a post on what exactly does and does not constitute ‘meat’ here ; and on how a parish priest can dispense someone from the law here,

There is similarly a useful post at Fr John Boyle’s blog here and at CUF here (though the CUF post concerns the American context where Friday abstinence is recommended but not obligatory). There are also some Lenten comments on the benefits of ‘giving things up’ on Fr Dylan’s sermon website here, here, here, here and here,

Local Variation The Church law concerning abstinence from meat on Fridays is a matter that can be determined locally by each national Bishops’ Conference for the Catholics of that region: Post-Vatican II, canons 1251 and 1253 gives each Bishops’ Conference the authority to substitute the universal law of Friday abstinence from meat with another local practice for the Catholics of that region.

In 1985 the bishops of England and Wales (along with a number of other countries) determined that each person was to be allowed to decide for themselves which particular Friday penance they wished to perform, and this determination held until the present change: At the May 2011 meeting of the Bishops’ Conference the bishops made a series of resolutions including one that re-established that the canonical Friday penance is to be fulfilled by abstinence from meat: “the Bishops’ Conference wishes to remind all Catholics in England and Wales of the obligation of Friday Penance.

The Bishops have decided to re-establish the practice that this should be fulfilled by abstaining from meat. Those who cannot or choose not to eat meat as part of their normal diet should abstain from some other food of which they regularly partake.” This resolution returns Catholics in our countries to the universal practice envisaged as normative in canon law.

To consider the sinfulness of failing to observe Friday abstinence it is thus necessary to look at the universal law, a law which many of us are no longer familiar with because it has not been in force in England and Wales in recent years. But what of mortal sin? Before considering mortal sin with respect to Friday abstinence it’s important to briefly recall what holds for any mortal sin: For a sin to be sufficiently serious that it is ‘mortal’ there are three conditions that must hold: the matter itself must be grave (i.e.

1. When considered in the abstract, apart from the person acting, the thing itself being done must be serious), the person acting needs to fully know what he or she is doing, and the person acting needs to give deliberate consent to what they are doing ( CCC 1857 ).
2. When sins are referred to in the abstract as ‘mortal’ it is always the matter of the sin that is being discussed.

Friday Abstinence and Grave Matter In our modern society, and in the contemporary Church, the notion of penance has almost entirely faded from the popular consciousness. As a consequence, it is difficult for us to appreciate just how gravely important the pre-modern Christian Tradition considered penance to be.

Yet, even a casual reading of saints and pre-modern scholars indicates a different set of priorities, and the pre-Conciliar teaching that breaking the law of Friday abstinence was ‘grave matter’ for mortal sin is something that can be found in any of the older Manuals of moral theology: The Manualists argued that the seriousness of the Christian obligation to do penance, combined with its specification by Church law, means that this is a matter of mortal sin.

This said, they also argued that the matter of this sin is such that the quantity of meat eaten and the frequency with this is done would affect whether the sin concerned was a matter of venial sin or mortal sin. To consider another example, the sin of theft is also a mortal sin and one that similarly admits of what is called ‘parvity of matter’, i.e.

• If you are only stealing something small like a grape then the matter is not substantial enough for it to be the grave matter that constitutes a mortal sin.
• Concerning Friday abstinence, however, there was no consensus among the Manualists as to how much meat, or with what frequency, constituted ‘grave matter’ for mortal sin.

Post-Vatican II Reaffirmation In the post-Conciliar period, the 1966 constitution Paenitemini (III.II.1) of Pope Paul VI re-affirmed that failure to make “substantial observance” of the law of Friday abstinence is grave matter, i.e. constitutes a mortal sin.

Clarification was then sought in a dubium as to the meaning of “substantial”, resulting in a decree from the Sacred Congregation of the Council in 1967. The clarification interpreted “substantial” in such a manner that indicated that it was not just a matter of how much meat was eaten, or on how many days, but also a matter of such things as the differing significance of different days of penance, for example, eating meat on Good Friday would be more serious than eating meat on a regular Friday.

The clarification stated that “one sins gravely against the law, who, without an excusable cause, omits a notable part, quantitative or qualitative, of the penitential observance which is prescribed as a whole” ( 24 February 1967; reprinted in Canon Law Digest, vol 6, pp.684-85 ).

• The Latin text of this dubium can read here and an analysis in Canon Law Abstracts here,
• It might be noted that the Council’s response does not give a precise answer to the question of ‘how much’ constitutes grave matter but it would seem to exclude a single Friday constituting a mortal sin, and also, by referring to a spectrum of quantity and quality, helpfully re-affirms the appropriateness of considering the above-mentioned principle of ‘parvity of matter’ to be relevant to Friday abstinence.

Can the Church ‘create’ sins to impose on us? Before concluding, some comment needs to be made about the ability of the Church to create a law that binds us under pain of sin, Many people can accept the notion that the Church makes laws to regulate Church life, just as any society or club makes laws that govern its members.

But does the Church really have the authority to ‘make’ a sin by establishing a law that it imposes on us? In short, yes, and this is what we see if we look back at the history and origins of the Church. In general, we can observe a pattern that holds for any Church precept: Divine Revelation gives us a general law that is made particular and concrete by a specific Church law in a particular time and place.

Concerning fasting and abstinence, Divine law establishes the general precept that we need to do penance, a general precept this has been specified by particular Church precepts in varied ways through the Church’s history. The earliest post-Biblical record of the Church’s life is found in the late 1st century-early 2nd century document The Didache (‘The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles’) and it records how the Church imposed on the early Christians the obligation to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays.

• What this manifests is the fact that the early Church understood itself to have received from Christ the authority to command like this.
• As the Lord Jesus said to St Peter and the Apostles, “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven”(Mt 16:19; 18:18), and, “He who hears you hears me; he who rejects you rejects me”(Lk 10:16).

This ‘binding’ is imposed on us to lead us to salvation because we need concrete laws to guide us. And so it that today the Catechism gives clear expression to the traditional “five precepts of the Church”, of which the fourth of these is, “You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church ( CCC 2043 )”.

Summary of the Law To conclude, the following summarises the re-established law as in now stands in England and Wales: ” The law of abstinence forbids the eating of meat, but eggs, milk products, and condiments made from animals fat may be eaten. Fish and all cold blooded animal may be eaten, e.g. frogs, clams, turtles, etc ” ( Paenitemini III.III.1 (1966)).

Unlike the pre-1966 legislation, meat-derived products and meat broth may be eaten –though a meat soup with large chunks of meat would seem to move from the category of broth to that of meat. The law of Friday abstinence from meat binds all those who are age 14 and older (Canon 1252) -unlike the law of fasting there is no upper age limit when the law of abstinence ceases to apply.

The law of abstinence does not apply when a Solemnity falls on a Friday (canon 1251). “In individual cases, for a just reason”, a parish priest can dispense one of his parishioners from the Friday abstinence (canon 1245). In summary, eating meat on Friday is a sin (excluding Solemnities or serious grounds for exception such as illness), but whether it is a mortal sin or a venial one will depend on many factors, including the quantity of meat, the number of Fridays in question, and the significance of the particular Fridays in question.

Sources Concerning the present legal situation : “The days of penitence to be observed under obligation throughout the Church are all Fridays and Ash Wednesday, that is to say the first days of “Grande Quaresima” (Great Lent), according to the diversity of the rites.

• Their substantial observance binds gravely.” (Pope Paul VI, Paenitemini (1966), III.II.1).
• A 1967 decree of the Sacred Congregation of the Council interpreted the above cited statement of Pope Paul VI saying that the ‘grave’ obligation applies to “the whole complexus of penitential days to be observed,

that is, one sins gravely against the law, who, without an excusable cause, omits a notable part, quantitative or qualitative, of the penitential observance which is prescribed as a whole” ( 24 February 1967; reprinted in Canon Law Digest, vol 6, pp.684-85 ).

This decree is published in full here, with a canonical analysis in Canon Law Abstracts here, Concerning the analysis in the pre-conciliar manuals: “This precept binds under pain of grave sin, but a violation of it would not be a mortal sin unless an appreciable quantity of unlawful food were taken.

Theologians are not agreed on what quantity is necessary to constitute grave matter, but, in the opinion of some, two ounces would be necessary and sufficient.” (Thomas Slater, A Manual of Moral Theology, Vol.1, 4th edition (New York: Benzinger Brothers, 1918), p.572.

This law binds per se under pain of mortal sin because its matter is objectively important; but it admits of parvitas materiae,” (Antony Koch, A Handbook of Moral Theology, Vol. IV, 3rd ed, edited by Arthur Preuss (London: B. Herder, 1928), p.377). “The laws of fasting and abstinence in themselves obliged gravely.

Slight violations of them are only venial sins.” (Heribert Jone, Moral Theology, 15th edition, trans. Urban Adleman (Cork, Ireland: Percier Press, 1956), p.264). “The obligation to abstain binds under pain of grievous sin but it admits of slight matter –equal to the size of a walnut = about four grammes.” (Dominic Prummer, Handbook of Moral Theology (Cork: Mercier Press, 1956), p.227) “The violation of the law is in itself a grave sin.” (Henry Davis, SJ, Moral and Pastoral Theology Vol 2, Heythrop Series II, 4th edition (London: Sheed and Ward, 1945), p.437)

Why do Catholics fast on Good Friday?

Questions and Answers about Lent and Lenten Practices – Q. Why do we say that there are forty days of Lent? When you count all the days from Ash Wednesday through Holy Saturday, there are 46.A. It might be more accurate to say that there is the “forty day fast within Lent.” Historically, Lent has varied from a week to three weeks to the present configuration of 46 days.

The forty day fast, however, has been more stable. The Sundays of Lent are certainly part of the Time of Lent, but they are not prescribed days of fast and abstinence.Q. So does that mean that when we give something up for Lent, such as candy, we can have it on Sundays? A. Apart from the prescribed days of fast and abstinence on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and the days of abstinence every Friday of Lent, Catholics have traditionally chosen additional penitential practices for the whole Time of Lent.

These practices are disciplinary in nature and often more effective if they are continuous, i.e., kept on Sundays as well. That being said, such practices are not regulated by the Church, but by individual conscience.Q. I understand that all the Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence from meat, but I’m not sure what is classified as meat.

• Does meat include chicken and dairy products? A.
• Abstinence laws consider that meat comes only from animals such as chickens, cows, sheep or pigs – all of which live on land.
• Birds are also considered meat.
• Abstinence does not include meat juices and liquid foods made from meat.
• Thus, such foods as chicken broth, consomme, soups cooked or flavored with meat, meat gravies or sauces, as well as seasonings or condiments made from animal fat are technically not forbidden.

However, moral theologians have traditionally taught that we should abstain from all animal-derived products (except foods such as gelatin, butter, cheese and eggs, which do not have any meat taste). Fish are a different category of animal. Salt and freshwater species of fish, amphibians, reptiles, (cold-blooded animals) and shellfish are permitted.Q.

I’ve noticed that restaurants and grocery stores advertise specials on expensive types of fish and seafood on Fridays during Lent. Some of my Catholic friends take advantage of these deals, but somehow I don’t feel right treating myself to the lobster special on Fridays during Lent.A. While fish, lobster and other shellfish are not considered meat and can be consumed on days of abstinence, indulging in the lavish buffet at your favorite seafood place sort of misses the point.

Abstaining from meat and other indulgences during Lent is a penitential practice. On the Fridays of Lent, we remember the sacrifice of Christ on Good Friday and unite ourselves with that sacrifice through abstinence and prayer.Q. I understand that Catholics ages 18 to 59 should fast on Ash Wednesday and on Good Friday, but what exactly are the rules for these fasts? A.

• Fasting on these days means we can have only one full, meatless meal.
• Some food can be taken at the other regular meal times if necessary, but combined they should be less than a full meal,
• Liquids are allowed at any time, but no solid food should be consumed between meals.Q,
• Are there exemptions other than for age from the requirement to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday? A.

Those that are excused from fast and abstinence outside the age limits include the physically or mentally ill including individuals suffering from chronic illnesses such as diabetes. Also excluded are pregnant or nursing women. In all cases, common sense should prevail, and ill persons should not further jeopardize their health by fasting.

Who came up with no meat on Fridays?

There Was No Requirement That People Eat Fish – It is important to note that the Church’s directive called for abstaining from eating meat and did not mention, let alone require or even encourage, the eating of fish on Fridays. The Church’s objective in calling on the faithful to abstain from eating meat on certain days was to provide them with a simple exercise to aid in their spiritual development.

Human nature being what it is, people usually react to new rules by looking for loopholes which enable them to comply with the letter of the rule but not necessarily the spirit of the rule. In its abstinence rule, the Church simply required its members to abstain from eating meat with the idea that people would limit their food to vegetables and grains on Fridays.

Meat is generally considered to be the flesh of warm-blooded land animals. Fish, on the other hand, are cold blooded water dwelling creatures. Using this technicality, people began consuming the flesh of fish in place of the flesh of animals on days of abstinence.

• Fish thus became a part of the culture of the Catholic Church.
• People, of course, had been eating fish since the beginning of time, but the consumption of fish was limited to areas near waters where fish were plentiful. St.
• Peter and some of the other Apostles and disciples of Jesus were fishermen.
• The New Testament describes Christ both accompanying them on a fishing trip and eating fish with them.

However, this was due to the fact that they lived next to the Sea of Galilee which made fish a common food in that area. So, while the eating of fish had nothing to do with the fact that some of the Apostles were fishermen, the abstinence rule did began the slow process of making fish more common among the Catholic population in general and this slowly lead to some other economic and cultural changes in society.

Is fish considered to be a meat?

Religion may play a role – Certain religions have specific definitions of meat and differ on whether fish counts. For example, in Judaism, fish that have fins and scales are considered “pareve.” This term applies to food products that are prepared from kosher ingredients that are neither meat nor dairy ( 2 ).

1. Furthermore, Catholics often abstain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent, a religious observance that stretches for about six weeks from Ash Wednesday to Easter.
2. However, only warm-blooded animals are considered meat, and cold-blooded animals like fish are permitted during this period ( 3 ).
3. Finally, many Hindus are lacto-ovo vegetarians, meaning that they don’t eat meat, fish, or poultry but may consume some animal products, such as eggs and dairy.

However, those who do eat meat often distinguish between beef and pork on the one hand and other types of meat, including fish, on the other ( 4 ). Summary There are several different definitions of meat. Some religions have specific guidelines about which foods are classified as meat and whether fish is considered a type of meat.

1. The nutritional profile and potential health benefits of fish are quite different from those of other types of meat.
2. For example, red meat is high in saturated fat, vitamin B12, iron, niacin, and zinc ( 5, 6 ).
3. Meanwhile, fish is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, thiamine, selenium, and iodine ( 7 ).

Eating fish has been linked to several health benefits. It may lower risk factors for heart disease by helping decrease belly fat and triglyceride levels, as well as increasing levels of HDL (good) cholesterol ( 8 ). One 26-year study in more than 84,000 women found that eating red meat was associated with a higher risk of heart disease, whereas eating fish, nuts, and poultry was linked to a lower risk ( 9 ).

Other research suggests that eating fish instead of red meat may be linked to a lower risk of metabolic syndrome. This is a group of conditions that increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes ( 10, 11 ). For this reason, health organizations like the American Heart Association recommend limiting your red meat intake and eating at least two servings of fish per week as part of a healthy diet ( 12 ).

Some people need to restrict their intake of certain types of meat for other health reasons. For example, those with an alpha-gal allergy, also known as a meat allergy, can tolerate foods like fish and poultry but may experience an allergic reaction after eating beef, pork, or lamb ( 13 ).

Summary Fish offers a different set of nutrients than other types of meat and is associated with several health benefits. People with meat allergies may need to restrict beef, pork, and lamb but can generally tolerate fish. Vegetarian diets generally ban meat but may include fish, depending on the version of the diet.

For example, vegans abstain from all animal products, including meat, fish, poultry, dairy, eggs, and honey. Meanwhile, lacto-ovo-vegetarians restrict meat, fish, and poultry but eat eggs and dairy. The pescatarian diet is another type of vegetarianism.

1. It eliminates meat and poultry but permits fish and other types of seafood.
2. Other types of vegetarian diets may also include fish, such as the flexitarian diet, which allows for occasional consumption of meat, fish, and poultry.
3. Summary Several types of vegetarian diets exist.
4. Some, such as the pescatarian diet, may permit fish but not meat or poultry.

Whether fish is meat depends on whom you ask. By some definitions, fish is considered meat, and by others, it isn’t. Fish is the flesh of an animal used for food, and by that definition, it’s meat. However, many religions don’t consider it meat. There are also several important distinctions between fish and other types of meat, especially in terms of their nutritional profiles and potential health benefits.

What religions don’t eat meat on Good Friday?

Food and Faith Lent marks the 40 days leading up to Jesus’s death and resurrection. During this time, many Christians give up specific foods or actions to reflect on Christ’s life, suffering, and sacrifice. Catholics generally don’t eat meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, or any Friday during Lent, but they do eat fish. After the many weeks of Lent, Easter, which marks the resurrection of Christ, is usually celebrated with a big family meal. It often includes eggs, hot cross buns, and lamb or ham. Eggs symbolize rebirth and rejuvenation. People dye them bright colors and hide them as part of an Easter egg hunt, or they put deviled eggs or egg salad on the menu. Some Jews follow dietary rules that prohibit certain types of food, such as pork or shellfish. Meat must come from animals that are slaughtered according to kosher law. And people who keep kosher don’t eat dairy and meat at the same meal. To avoid getting them mixed together, families have separate pots, dishes, and utensils for meat and dairy. The eight-day Passover holiday marks when the Israelites were freed from slavery in ancient Egypt. The highlight is a seder, a festive meal that begins with a retelling of the departure of the slaves from Egypt. Jewish families eat foods that symbolize the Passover story, including matzo (unleavened bread) and maror (bitter herbs).There is also a special plate on the table that has symbolic foods that are displayed but not eaten, like a singed egg and lamb shank bone. In Judaism, Yom Kippur, the “Day of Atonement,” is the holiest day of the year. It’s observed with 26 hours of fasting. Another Jewish holiday, Purim, involves sending gifts of food to friends that can include hamantashen – triangle-shaped cookies filled with jam or spreads made from prunes or poppy seeds. Islamic teachings say Muslims can eat only foods that are halal, an Arabic word meaning “lawful or permitted.” The Quran teaches that animals should be well cared for and treated with respect, so while you can eat meat, the animal must be properly slaughtered, with the blood drained. Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. The monthlong holiday is a time to worship and to strengthen family and community ties. Each day, people don’t eat from dawn to sunset. It’s common for Muslims to have a pre-fast meal ( suhoor ), and to snack on a few dates at sunset followed by a post-fast meal ( iftar ), which is often shared with family and friends. Muslims celebrate the end of Ramadan with a festival called Eid al-Fitr. During the last days of the month, Muslims donate money to the poor to make sure they, too, can have the holiday meal. Specific foods vary by region or country. Candies and pastries are a big part of the tradition. Faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints don’t drink alcohol, caffeinated teas, or coffee. The religion also focuses on self-reliance, and many Mormons practice food storage in case of emergency, such as a natural disaster or job loss. In Hinduism, eating meat generally hasn’t been approved and was seen as something that the faithful could avoid. But today, some Hindus eat meat, fish, poultry and eggs, depending mostly on geography, social and religious festivities, and community traditions.

The cow is still sacred, because it’s a source of milk, and eating beef is strongly disapproved.Some conservative Hindus may not eat garlic and onions.Diwali, a major festival, marks the New Year, when people exchange sweets like motichoor laddoo, made with cardamom, pistachios, and saffron.

Buddhists believe in reincarnation, and one of the religion’s basic tenets is “Do no harm.” As a result, they don’t kill animals. Many are vegetarian because they believe eating meat or fish is bad for their karma – a belief that the good and bad you do affect your soul.

1. Festivals for the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha may be observed separately, or combined into one day of celebration.
2. Many other religions practice vegetarianism.
3. Many Rastafarians eat food that is Ital, which means it’s free of chemicals and preservatives.
4. They don’t eat canned foods, or drink coffee, milk, or alcohol.

Followers of Taoism view nature as sacred, so many choose to be vegetarians, even though eating meat is OK. Jainists believe in doing no harm to fellow creatures or the environment, and many eat a strict vegetarian or vegan diet. : Food and Faith

Why is fish not meat Catholic?

Why Is Fish Acceptable? – Per the USCCB, the Church’s laws refer to abstaining from “land animals” only. This includes the meat from chickens, sheep, pigs, cows and other forms of livestock — any animal, really, that makes its home on land. This also includes birds.

However, because fish make their home in the water, the Catholic Church does not consider fish a meat. In fact, the laws of the Church go on to explain that followers may eat “fresh and saltwater fish, reptiles, amphibians and shellfish” on Good Friday, as animals that fall into one of these categories are not “carnis.” It’s important to note that the rules for Lent and Good Friday were developed centuries ago, when meat was the food of celebrations.

Back then, fish was not considered a “celebratory” dish, and so was perfectly acceptable to eat on a day of penance. In today’s culture, however, the opposite is usually true. A hamburger or plate of chicken is almost always the cheaper option, especially when compared to seafood delicacies such as lobster, salmon and tuna.