“But Jesus cried again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit” (MT 27: 50). Friday is viewed as the fun-day. After a long week of work or school, people wish to sit back, relax, eat, and drink. It is the start of the weekend. For Christians however, Friday is a solemn day; it is the day on which we commemorate the passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was on a Friday that Jesus gave up His life so that we might all possess eternal life. The just one died for the sake of the unjust (1 Pt 3:18). This reflection will explain that all Fridays are days of penance in the Church. They are days on which our Church obliges us to practice forms of penance, which entail sacrifice and self-denial.
Most know that Lent is the special period in which the Church calls her members to perform acts of penance. Penance can mean “repentance,” “to feel sorry,” and even “contrition.” Catholics do penance during Lent to recall more strongly the passion and death of Christ; they also spiritually prepare themselves for the coming of Easter. As a saying goes, “40 days of fasting, then 50 days of feasting.” For Lent, Catholics ages 14 and above are obliged to abstain from eating meat (Beef, Pork, Chicken) on Ash Wednesdays and all Fridays of Lent. In addition, Catholics ages 18-59 are obliged to fast on those same days as well; that means only one full meal and two small snacks for the day. Catholics will also give up a particular comfort such as chocolate, T.V., social media, rice etc… These forms are penance are not meaningless ends in themselves, but they are ways in which the faithful can grow in faith, self-discipline, and holiness. Some acts of penance, such as sacrificing a comfort food or drink, is an act of humility by which you imitate Christ who was humble. It is also an act of trust through which one realizes that he or she does not live by bread alone, but on God’s providence. Other forms of penance include “penitential liturgies, pilgrimages as signs of penance, voluntary self-denial such as fasting and almsgiving, and fraternal sharing (charitable and missionary works)” (CCC 1438).
The Catholic tradition considers all Fridays of the year as days of penance. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “the seasons and days of penance in the course of the liturgical year (Lent, and each Friday in memory of the death of the Lord) are intense moments of the Church’s penitential practice. (CCC 1438). The preeminent form of penance in the Catholic tradition is abstinence from meat. In the past, Catholics would abstain from meat every Friday. The current law still holds abstinence from meat as the premier penance for Catholics to practice on all Fridays. Universal law states, “Abstinence from eating meat or some other food according to the prescripts of the conference of bishops is to be observed every Friday of the year” (c.1251). Notice though, that it grants the conference of bishops the power to determine other methods by which the faithful do penance on Fridays. This is an expression of the principle of subsidiarity in the Church. For the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa, the faithful fall under the Pacific Conference of Bishops. Based on this author’s current research, the Pacific Conference of Bishops has issued these norms which determine how the faithful practice penance every Friday:
- Abstaining from meat or some other food
- Abstaining from alcohol, drink, smoking, or some other form of amusement;
- Fasting from all food for a longer period than usual;
- Giving what is saved through fasting and abstinence to the needy at home and abroad
- Going out of the way to help somebody who is poor, sick, old or lonely.
In light of these norms, the people of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa are free to choose abstain from meat on Fridays or fulfill any of the other methods given by the conference. For example, instead of giving up meat this Friday, you can abstain from using social media or the internet. Another example is that one can make a small donation to the Karidat Catholic Charities. The Pacific Conference of Bishops gives people options in observing forms of Friday penance.
Exceptions
The canon law on the Friday penance of abstinence from meat is disciplinary in nature; therefore it has its exceptions. For example, canon 1251 mentions that if a solemnity falls on a Friday, then the obligation to abstain from meat or perform acts of penance are dispensed; the faithful are not obliged to observe them. For instance, if the solemnity of the Annunciation (March 25) falls on a Friday, then the faithful do not have to abstain from meat. The relaxation of the discipline shows the spirit of our faith. In the end, with Christ there will only be joy, not suffering.
Another exception to this penance pertains to those who are sick or traveling. If one is sick or suffers from a medical condition for which he or she needs to eat a hearty meal, then he or she is freed from the obligation; he or she can eat meat for this reason. This exception also applies when one is ill and there is an obligation to fast; like if one was sick on Ash Wednesday. In addition, if one is traveling on a Friday and has no food alternative except meat, then he or she would also be freed from the obligation. The rationale is that once the obligation becomes unreasonable, then the obligation ceases. Otherwise, one might suffer a greater harm like fainting, a diabetic’s blood sugar drops, or other grave concern.
Individuals who fall into this category, especially during Lent, are asked to fulfill penance in other ways. For example, they can say extra prayers like the rosary, divine mercy chaplet, read the bible, or go to daily mass. If one is sick, he or she has the opportunity to carry their cross in imitation of Christ and offer it up for the spiritual good of others.
A final exception to the discipline of abstinence regards the canonical institute of the dispensation, which is a relaxation of a merely ecclesiastical law. Diocesan bishops and pastors can dispense the faithful in a particular instance from observing the rule on abstinence from meat if it will contribute to the spiritual good of the faithful (c.1245). For example, say a couple celebrates their 50th wedding anniversary which falls on a Friday of Lent. The couple’s family and friends had a hard time finding enough seafood for everyone, so many brought beef or chicken to the party. In this situation, the bishop or the couple’s pastor can dispense people at the party from the obligation to eat meat. The reason for the dispensation is that the couple is celebrating a momentous occasion of God’s grace and love in their life. For the spiritual good of all involved and so that food will not be wasted, the pastors of the Church can dispense from abstinence on this on occasion.
In conclusion, Catholics are to practice some form of penance on Fridays. The obligations and laws of the Church ultimately promote the good of the individual and the community. Through penance, one grows in effort to become more Christ-like; to learn values of sacrifice, humility, and self denial. Penance is a way in which one dies to oneself and trusts in God alone. As St. Paul writes, “if we have grown into union with Him through a death like His, we shall also be reunited with Him in the Resurrection” (Rm 6:5).
