Abstaining from meat on Fridays, fasting and abstaining are different things, that are often confused. Fasting means to reduce the amount of food while Abstaining means to go without entirely. Now, Catholics and many other Christian denominations abstain from meat on Fridays, but few enough know the reason why. First off, we are abstaining from the meat of an animal that could be used for a religious sacrifice (including pigs). These animals are all warm blooded, which fish are not, hence the fish. Some claim it’s a conspiracy between the Pope and the fishing industry. Though the first pope was a fisherman, there are no ties between the fishing industry and the Catholic Church. Christ was our sacrificial lamb, and to show honor and respect for that we abstain from eating the meat of animals that could have been similar sacrifices.
“I am Catholic but...” I heard this mentioned in a talk Fr. John Riccardo gave a few years ago, as it was replayed on the Catholic radio station, and I can’t count how many times I have heard it in my life. The point Fr. Riccardo was trying to make was that people are happy to be Catholic as long as it means they don’t have to change. I am Catholic but don’t think that looking at porn is a sin; I am Catholic but don’t agree with the Bishops about abortion; I am Catholic but I think men and women should be allowed to marry whom they wish. I have heard these things come from the mouths of people who have claimed to be Catholic, yet what they believe removes them from the Church, not physically of course, they aren’t excommunicated or anything (except for those who help procure abortions, but that is a separate post), but they have chosen to believe what is contrary to the teachings of Christ through His Church. I would love to hear someone say, I am Catholic but I am trying to be more faithful to the Church; I am Catholic but I still fall and I am trying to amend my life so to be more pleasing to God; I am Catholic but I am always seeking to find God where ever I go.
This lent, try saying these things, I am Catholic but... Let us grow in our faith and love for God, and through that love, find mercy in our hearts for ourselves and those who hurt us. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment