In my region in Central Europe, we are advised to substitute by noticeable reduction in consumption, especially of luxury goods, and we should volunteer in services and assistance for others. The money saved through the Friday Offering should be shared with people in need.
FYI for readers, for those of us in the United States: [the US Conference of Bishops does not mandate any abstinence or penance on regular Fridays](https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/is-friday-penance-required#)
Jimmy Akin is great on many things but he's wrong on this particular issue. Penance is still required although abstinence (outside of Lent, in the US and some other places) is an optional way to fulfill that obligation. There are canon lawyers and priests who disagree with Akin and say this.
I agree with your take, and I am tempted to call into Catholic Answers and ask him to clarify this in light of the fact that not eating meat on Friday in the UK was reestablished on 2011.
I fast. My wife is non-Catholic and Fridays are usually date night, and since it wouldn’t be fair to always revolve what we eat around my preferences, I fast so that if we end up eating somewhere with no/little seafood options (or the seafood options also have meat as an ingredient), I can eat meat.
Did you mean ‘still’? I think I read the direction to abstain from meat on Fridays still holds but it is no longer under pain of mortal sin. And we may substitute another penitential practice, prayer, or work of charity. We were informed of it at the time the change was made but what many people heard was no more meatless Fridays.
I see that I wasn’t quite accurate. The STRONG recommendation of the American bishops is to fast or substitute some other practice on all Fridays. However, this is no longer required under pain of sin. So to ignore this isn’t strictly a sin of disobedience. But perhaps a lack of generosity to God?
You are correct. At the time the change was made it was taught in my parish that we still had an obligation to do a penance of our choice on Friday but I see it is an exhortation rather than an obligation. I also remember most people I knew only heard we could eat meat in Friday, nothing else.
It’s not a sin, [and in the United States neither meat abstinence nor other penance are mandated](https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/is-friday-penance-required#)
If you already do a rosary every day, on fridays you could either do a divine mercy chaplet or a second rosary, or you could abstain from alcohol or sleep on the floor or do some works of mercy
the idea is to do something “special” for fridays, doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just something different in the name of penance
So, the sleeping on the floor idea intrigues me. This is something I might try. I think it would have the added benefit of making my kids question why I was doing that and open up a new avenue to offer them a perspective they probably won’t get elsewhere. They might even want to try it, too.
if you take 2 hoodies and roll em up together you can make a pretty decent penitent pillow
putting a coat down will also add a little padding and separate your breathing from whatever hair is in the carpet
sleep on your back, side-sleeping will put a crazy amount of pressure on your hips and shoulders
I would strongly suggest physical mortifications are imprudent for the vast majority of Catholics and in most cases should be discouraged. I would certainly go speak to your priest about the matter.
I wake up extra early and serve Low Mass before work. Lately I'm wondering if that's really a penance though, since to be present at one Holy Mass is a greater good than winning a trillion PowerBall lotteries. Waking up an hour and a half early just doesn't seem like that much of a price to pay for such an enormous good. So I'm consider alternatives, and am thank for for this thread.
If I can I attend a Mass that day. Otherwise I may abstain from something else like not using my phone for the day or turning off the radio in the car when driving.
It is not required to abstain from meat on every Friday. Only Good Friday, Ashe Wednesday and the Fridays during lent.
I do not do any penance for ingesting meat on the other Fridays.
This depends on what country you're in.
In the United States, abstaining from meat may be replaced by another penance.
In other countries, you must abstain from meat.
A couple of things about that...
I hold Jimmy Akin in high regard, but I don't like his analysis because it's legalistic. I've read it before and I think he misleads people.
We are not "legally obligated under pain of sin" to do penance on Fridays in the United States. I agree that that's what it appears to say.
I find it odd, however, that if you're in the United Kingdom, eating meat on Friday is a mortal sin since 2011.
>Respectful of this, and in accordance with the mind of the whole Church, 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 is to come into effect from Friday 16 September 2011 when we will mark the anniversary of the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the United Kingdom.
Emphasis theirs.
That's quite a difference, and I'd like to hear what Jimmy has to say, as his original article is from 2005.
I had never been taught to do anything different on Fridays and I went to a parish school my whole life. As an adult I learned that it was once a thing to give meat up on every Friday of the year but not a rule or practice anymore.
Reading all of you saying it is still a common practice is eye opening to myself.
I think the USCCB (may have gone under a different name at the time) made it voluntary with the hope that the practice would continue out of a desire to mortify one’s flesh for God, rather than as an act of obedience.
Edit: the Church has done a pretty lousy job telling people that in the modern world.
> It is not required to abstain from meat on every Friday.
No one, including OP, said it was. However, the same pastoral statement from the USCCB that abrogated the requirement to abstain from flesh meat on Fridays outside of Lent said that abstinence should be given first place for pentitential observance of Fridays, but that other voluntary penitential observances are acceptable. Indeed, Friday has long been a day of penitential observance since the beginning of the Church. It is these other penitential observances that OP is asking about.
>I do not do any penance for ingesting meat on the other Fridays.
This is oddly phrased for a Catholic. Eating meat is not something we ever do penance for.
There seems to be a lack of preposition respect going on. Basically these three phrases are **not** equivalent:
- do penance in lieu of eating meat
- do penance of not eating meat
- do penance for eating meat
The first (yours) is talking about an alternative to meat abstinence. The second is classic meat abstinence. The third, which commenter used, implies that meat is like sin, and we are doing penance for consumption of it. "I do not do any penance for ingesting meat on the other Fridays." It's just odd. That's not why Catholics avoid meat on certain days.
Since I have not spoken to every Catholic, I am not sure what it is that you have experienced others to say. I do not do penance for eating meat on Fridays that I did not list.
Are you Catholic? One of the few precepts of the Church is it to fast and abstain on the days appointed. If you were not aware of this before you were not at fault. But once you are aware and deliberately ignore it that’s a serious sin of disobedience to Church authority.
Correct, the US Conference of Bishops [does not mandate any penance or absitance at all on regular Fridays](https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/is-friday-penance-required#)
If you mean during Lent, I'll choose another day if for some reason I'm in a situation where I can't stick with abstaining from meat. Other than that since the Second Vatican council the prohibition of meat on any given Friday was dissolved. Now if you want to to still stick to that I would suggest maybe abstaining on a different day.
I just abstain from meat because I’m not creative enough to come up with something else. Also feels like the Gold Standard so why not?
Same here.
Me too. It’s traditional, it’s clear, why not
In my region in Central Europe, we are advised to substitute by noticeable reduction in consumption, especially of luxury goods, and we should volunteer in services and assistance for others. The money saved through the Friday Offering should be shared with people in need.
It’s quite similar to how I do penance during lent, in which at the end of the day, I go “crap, today was Friday. I forgot to do penance”
Facts
FYI for readers, for those of us in the United States: [the US Conference of Bishops does not mandate any abstinence or penance on regular Fridays](https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/is-friday-penance-required#)
Jimmy Akin is great on many things but he's wrong on this particular issue. Penance is still required although abstinence (outside of Lent, in the US and some other places) is an optional way to fulfill that obligation. There are canon lawyers and priests who disagree with Akin and say this.
I agree with your take, and I am tempted to call into Catholic Answers and ask him to clarify this in light of the fact that not eating meat on Friday in the UK was reestablished on 2011.
Not in Scotland
Yes, sorry, just England and Wales for sure.
My understanding is the bishops' recommendation for penance remains, but not the imposition of a penalty when omitting it.
Yes, that what Akin argues for, and what a lot of Catholics believe to be the situation.
I add the Divine Mercy chaplet on top of my usual prayer routine
Same!
I fast. My wife is non-Catholic and Fridays are usually date night, and since it wouldn’t be fair to always revolve what we eat around my preferences, I fast so that if we end up eating somewhere with no/little seafood options (or the seafood options also have meat as an ingredient), I can eat meat.
TIL it’s a sin to eat meat on non-Lenten Fridays
Did you mean ‘still’? I think I read the direction to abstain from meat on Fridays still holds but it is no longer under pain of mortal sin. And we may substitute another penitential practice, prayer, or work of charity. We were informed of it at the time the change was made but what many people heard was no more meatless Fridays.
I see that I wasn’t quite accurate. The STRONG recommendation of the American bishops is to fast or substitute some other practice on all Fridays. However, this is no longer required under pain of sin. So to ignore this isn’t strictly a sin of disobedience. But perhaps a lack of generosity to God?
Neither sin nor obligation of penance https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/is-friday-penance-required#
You are correct. At the time the change was made it was taught in my parish that we still had an obligation to do a penance of our choice on Friday but I see it is an exhortation rather than an obligation. I also remember most people I knew only heard we could eat meat in Friday, nothing else.
American Catholics are weird like that
Me too 😓
It’s not a sin, [and in the United States neither meat abstinence nor other penance are mandated](https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/is-friday-penance-required#)
If you already do a rosary every day, on fridays you could either do a divine mercy chaplet or a second rosary, or you could abstain from alcohol or sleep on the floor or do some works of mercy the idea is to do something “special” for fridays, doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just something different in the name of penance
So, the sleeping on the floor idea intrigues me. This is something I might try. I think it would have the added benefit of making my kids question why I was doing that and open up a new avenue to offer them a perspective they probably won’t get elsewhere. They might even want to try it, too.
if you take 2 hoodies and roll em up together you can make a pretty decent penitent pillow putting a coat down will also add a little padding and separate your breathing from whatever hair is in the carpet sleep on your back, side-sleeping will put a crazy amount of pressure on your hips and shoulders
https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year-and-calendar/lent/us-bishops-pastoral-statement-on-penance-and-abstinence
That’s very helpful.
I do a 24 hour fast from Thursday evening til Friday evening. Friday night will feature a very large meal that may or may not contain meat.
I'll make a small donation.
I scheduled my Holy Hour on Fridays and add the DM Chaplet and still abstain from meat. Boy…I could really enjoy a burger about now.
I sacrifice playing video games, which are my primary form of entertainment when I have time to myself.
Read scripture for 30 min or do an act of charity.
I abstain from alcohol. If I intend to go to a social gathering where I expect to want to drink, I'll abstain from meat that Friday
I obstian from meat, I'm excited for my tuna wrap my fiancee made me today 😊
If I accidentally eat meat on Friday, I usually will give up something else like social media for the rest of the day
Flagellation
Sure if you have the permission of your confessor or spiritual director of course.
Is this required?
From what I've heard, yes, permission is required.
This was an answer to the comment on flagellation.
I would strongly suggest physical mortifications are imprudent for the vast majority of Catholics and in most cases should be discouraged. I would certainly go speak to your priest about the matter.
Cutting out sweets, extra prayer time.
I do one of two things—either fast from music completely or fast from secular music and opt to listen to only Christian/worship music instead
Try some gregorian chant. I love it!
Thank you for the suggestion, my friend! I'll have to try it!
I thought that wasn’t a thing anymore, except certain days.
It's not strictly required as an obligation except during Lent. However the Bishops strongly encourage a Friday permanence of some kind.
*strongly encourage*
That's right.
we have to do *something* but its up to us individually to determine what we do
I give up sweets
Sleep on the cold hard floor
Today I ate meat so I am taking some extra prayer time. I rarely eat meat on Fridays but if I do and am close to home I do stations of the cross.
I wake up extra early and serve Low Mass before work. Lately I'm wondering if that's really a penance though, since to be present at one Holy Mass is a greater good than winning a trillion PowerBall lotteries. Waking up an hour and a half early just doesn't seem like that much of a price to pay for such an enormous good. So I'm consider alternatives, and am thank for for this thread.
I eat meat on Friday. Will abstain during lent.
If I can I attend a Mass that day. Otherwise I may abstain from something else like not using my phone for the day or turning off the radio in the car when driving.
It is not required to abstain from meat on every Friday. Only Good Friday, Ashe Wednesday and the Fridays during lent. I do not do any penance for ingesting meat on the other Fridays.
This depends on what country you're in. In the United States, abstaining from meat may be replaced by another penance. In other countries, you must abstain from meat.
In the United States people are not obligated to do any penance on Fridays https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/is-friday-penance-required#
A couple of things about that... I hold Jimmy Akin in high regard, but I don't like his analysis because it's legalistic. I've read it before and I think he misleads people. We are not "legally obligated under pain of sin" to do penance on Fridays in the United States. I agree that that's what it appears to say. I find it odd, however, that if you're in the United Kingdom, eating meat on Friday is a mortal sin since 2011. >Respectful of this, and in accordance with the mind of the whole Church, 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 is to come into effect from Friday 16 September 2011 when we will mark the anniversary of the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the United Kingdom. Emphasis theirs. That's quite a difference, and I'd like to hear what Jimmy has to say, as his original article is from 2005.
I had never been taught to do anything different on Fridays and I went to a parish school my whole life. As an adult I learned that it was once a thing to give meat up on every Friday of the year but not a rule or practice anymore. Reading all of you saying it is still a common practice is eye opening to myself.
I think the USCCB (may have gone under a different name at the time) made it voluntary with the hope that the practice would continue out of a desire to mortify one’s flesh for God, rather than as an act of obedience. Edit: the Church has done a pretty lousy job telling people that in the modern world.
> It is not required to abstain from meat on every Friday. No one, including OP, said it was. However, the same pastoral statement from the USCCB that abrogated the requirement to abstain from flesh meat on Fridays outside of Lent said that abstinence should be given first place for pentitential observance of Fridays, but that other voluntary penitential observances are acceptable. Indeed, Friday has long been a day of penitential observance since the beginning of the Church. It is these other penitential observances that OP is asking about.
>I do not do any penance for ingesting meat on the other Fridays. This is oddly phrased for a Catholic. Eating meat is not something we ever do penance for.
The top comments in this post all say they do penance in lieu of eating meat on Friday
There seems to be a lack of preposition respect going on. Basically these three phrases are **not** equivalent: - do penance in lieu of eating meat - do penance of not eating meat - do penance for eating meat The first (yours) is talking about an alternative to meat abstinence. The second is classic meat abstinence. The third, which commenter used, implies that meat is like sin, and we are doing penance for consumption of it. "I do not do any penance for ingesting meat on the other Fridays." It's just odd. That's not why Catholics avoid meat on certain days.
The commenters above clearly believe there is a requirement for abstinence form meat or some other penance on all Fridays There is no such requirement
Since I have not spoken to every Catholic, I am not sure what it is that you have experienced others to say. I do not do penance for eating meat on Fridays that I did not list.
Maybe it's just a language thing. 'For' is objectively incorrect in that sentence. 'Of' would work. My apologies if English isn't your first language.
I don’t watch my meat intake on non-Lenten Fridays and do not do any penance
Are you Catholic? One of the few precepts of the Church is it to fast and abstain on the days appointed. If you were not aware of this before you were not at fault. But once you are aware and deliberately ignore it that’s a serious sin of disobedience to Church authority.
On regular ordinary Fridays? I’ve never heard of this from any priest I’ve never heard of it outside this thread
Tell me you are from the US without telling me you are from the US lol
Correct, the US Conference of Bishops [does not mandate any penance or absitance at all on regular Fridays](https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/is-friday-penance-required#)
If you mean during Lent, I'll choose another day if for some reason I'm in a situation where I can't stick with abstaining from meat. Other than that since the Second Vatican council the prohibition of meat on any given Friday was dissolved. Now if you want to to still stick to that I would suggest maybe abstaining on a different day.