Yes! It's true!
You can eat meat today!
Why?
Because it is the Feast of St. Joseph, and that day is a solemnity.
One property of solemnities is that if they fall on Fridays then they override the requirement to abstain from meat.
That means you can have meat today!
Woo-hoo!!! Meat! Wonderful God-created meat!
It's what's for dinner.
And let us not forget the reason that we are able to have meat this day: St. Joseph.
Maybe you'd care to . . .
{ 21 comments }
Is it okay if you don’t eat meat on solemnities?
It’s okaaayy … but do you want to be an okay Catholic or an awesome Catholic?
I’m reminded of a bit in (I think) “Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You,” in which the title character deals with the disciplinary change on Friday abstinence by saying that you should eat meat on Friday once, to show that the pope is right, and then never do it again.
Thank you for saving me from a Mickey D’s Filet-O-Fish today!
Awesome. Mr. Beadgirl made reservations at a BBQ joint for dinner tonight (I’m the only Catholic in the group), so I can eat something other than salad an bread.
Yet, St. Joseph’s table where people come together and share a meal is traditionally a meatless meal. So as our Priest this AM said a little self sacrifice won’t hurt.
For those that scruple about abstaining today, perhaps eating meat today is the more penitential act than abstinence.
TOO COOL!!! Can’t wait to impress my mother in law with this great knowledge…may just bite into a MAJOR meaty sandwich in front of my hubby to see what he says! LOL
Thanks VERY much for the information which I am going to use to the absolute best of my abilities with God’s help!
“For those that scruple about abstaining today, perhaps eating meat today is the more penitential act than abstinence.”
If that is the case for you, you should avoid meat. The whole point is this is not a day to do penance.
Head … exploding …
Fast when the Church fasts; feast when she feasts.
Leave it to the commentators of this blog to analyze the heck out of this.
Thats too bad. I was looking forward to a nice bowl of pasta. Now I have to eat meat? As Snoopy would say, “Bleah”.
Don’t forget, if you “abstain from abstaining,” to say a prayer in honor of St. Joseph as well! For a meal with meat, make it part of grace.
another link from new advent . com from witch i linked to this link said no meat, wounder why post VII get confused?? i be 41years old and still dont know what the hell is going on and am sure i’m going to hell for it scruples…….
sorry sorry sorry miss understood other post please forgive me and enjoy your meat…my fish was great…but i like fish, hubby likes steak. follow no meat all year. Steak tonite, for my lurthern hubby would have freaked him out, specialy during lent, lol.
We’ll have another meat-eating Lenten Friday next year. The Solemnity of the Annunciation (March 25) falls on a Friday in 2011, and unlike the last time that happened, it won’t get bumped to early April by Good Friday. (Easter is late next year – April 24th.)
Also, the next time the Solemnity of St. Joseph will fall on a Friday won’t be until 2021.
I am a little disturbed by the author’s overwhelming joy for being able to eat meat. It sounds like you can’t wait to be done with abstaining, almost like it is a nuisance. Aren’t we supposed to be happy to serve our Lord? Even though we can eat meat, should we? Solemnities are great but, personally, I think the Lord is taking notice. When I first read this, my first thought was, “I am glad I abstained anyway.” Not, “OH MAN I COULD HAVE HAD A BURGER!!” I don’t think the Lord will hold it against us if we decide to have meat, it is allowed after all, but I think he notices the way we approach his commandments. Are we doing it for him of our own free will or just because he says so? If you’re doing it just because he says so, you don’t get it. Even if you choose to break abstaining because the Lord allows it and you want to follow our Lord in all he says out of true love for him is better than thinking of solemnities as a chance to not have to follow God’s laws for a day. God Bless you all.
Thank you, Jiminy Cricket.
t. Even if you choose to break abstaining because the Lord allows it and you want to follow our Lord in all he says out of true love for him is better than thinking of solemnities as a chance to not have to follow God’s laws for a day.
If Christ came back on a Friday, and there was dancing in the streets (of the righteous), and a huge celebration, with roasted meat…would you abstain “out of a love of the Lord” or would you feast “out of love of the Lord?” The former seems more self-serving in the end, to refuse to celebrate with the Church. I’m not judging anyone in particular, but refusing to feast with the church could carry a bit of a Pharisaical “holier than thou” tone to it…”Don’t concern me with your feasting, I’m willfully embracing suffering over here!”
“Even if you choose to break abstaining because the Lord allows it and you want to follow our Lord in all he says out of true love for him is better than thinking of solemnities as a chance to not have to follow God’s laws for a day.”
A release from the discipline of abstaining is a gift! Why refuse the gift? What’s the point?
Besides, it’s NOT AT ALL a matter of “a chance to not have to follow God’s laws for a day”… on solemnities, not abstaining IS God’s law that day.
Do not judge the motivations of others.
What would St. Joseph want you to do?
The Spirit and letter of the law cuts both ways. When St. Joseph’s Feast falls within Lent, do you think that St. Joseph, who walked thru the desert from Israel to Egypt with a 16-year-old new Mother and her Infant, would want you to Feast or Fast in celebration of his life?
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