Eating Meat On Fridays

The way I understand it is that since Jesus sacrificed himself on Fridays, we are to sacrifice of ourselves on Friday. Of course, the discipline has been slackened in regards to Fridays outside of Lent.

I'm not sure when the discipline came into being, likely very, very early in the history of the Church. It was slackened to its current form at the Second Vatican Council.

Kirk

I was curious about this too. My best friend in college was Catholic and I know that during Lent, she didn't eat meat on Fridays, but she, along with some of my husband's frat brothers, were the only Catholics I knew. Thanks for the info on this. I so enjoy this forum, as I am constantly learning.

I realize, Kirk, that you said it has slackened now, except during Lent. Silly question, I know, but are there those who still practice this, even outside of Lent? Hope this isn't too out there. Just curious.

Hugs,
Kelly

This particular discipline got started during the Middle Ages. Friday was supposed to be a day of penance and reflection, because that's the day Jesus was crucified. Since meat was a fairly luxurious commodity for most people in medieval Europe (most of the time they lived on barley----barley bread, barley soup, barley beer, augmented with lentils and turnips) it was decided that meat would be the ideal thing to abstain from, since it would truly constitute a sacrifice for people to give up. You could still eat fish, but mutton, beef, pork, chicken, turkey, duck, etc., were off-limits. Originally you also couldn't touch meat by-products like eggs and cheese, but this was relaxed later on.

After Vatican II, the "no meat" stipulation was dropped, except for Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all Fridays during Lent. Catholics are still supposed to observe some sort of penitential practice on all Fridays during the year, but the choice of what is left up to them. Unfortunately, this is one of those small things that sort of went by the wayside in the years following the Council; most younger Catholics have no idea that Friday is supposed to be a day of penance. Many older Catholics still observe the "no meat" policy on Friday, simply because it's easy to remember and they're used to it.

Anyway, that's the skinny on no meat on Friday.

Blessings,
---Wols.

Fish is meat.

If you have and read a bible you will find out that fish is meat.

St. Luke 24:41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he (Jesus) said unto them, Have ye here any meat?

St. Luke24:42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.

St. John 21:5: Then Jesus said unto them, Children have ye any meat? They answered him, No.

St. John 21:6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw for the multitude of fishes.

Meat is the flesh of an animal, used as food. - A fish is an animal.

Thanks!

Archieve

*Ho-hum*. And if you check your Olde Englishe, such as wot ye finde the King James Byble, ye finde that "meat" meant any vittieles, be they meat, fysshe, grayne, breade, or other stuffe. 'Tis interestinge researche on language, but marry, poore theologye, I feare.

Try again.

Wosley,

Show me scriptures in your catholic bible where it states that Fish isn't meat. Can you do that for me?

Oh, wait! I was told by catholics, that Catholics don't bring a bible to church, only the priest does and he reads the bible to them.

How would you know Wosley, if a bible is a no-no for you?

I can see that, Jeff. He obviously hasn't been to many Catholic churches lately. Sure, Catholics don't read the Bible---heck, we still buy indulgences and conduct services in Latin, too.

Archieve, check the hole in your net----I see an awful lot of fish you're losing.

Your trolling procedures are a little sloppy.

Now, if you want to get serious, instead of playing around, let me know.

Blessings,
---Wols.

Wos, I am a woman.

Now, show me in a catholic bible where it says that Fish isn't meat.

I was told by catholics that they don't bring bibles to church that only a priest brings a bible. I know that there are catholic bibles.

Wos and Jeff, I hope I am not giving you two a hard task, but pull out your bible and take me to scriptures that says fish isn't meat.

You two can share the ball. Are you two going to hold it or pitch it?

Jeff, where are your scriptures? Pitch the ball. Are you afraid to reveal that there isn't no scritpures in the bible that says fish isn't meat?

Don't forget you have the ball in your hand. You are sharing it with Wos.

If you knew anything about first century Palestine, and the ancient Jewish customs, you would know that fish was not considered meat. In fact, it's still not considered "meat" in all situations. Many places will list beef, pork and poultry as "meat" and list fish separately. This is an ancient custom that has passed down to us.

And Catholics don't NEED to lug a Bible to Mass... the day's Bible readings are in the missal so that anyone can follow along at the service.

This holiday season, you might take time to be thankful that abject ignorance isn't fatal.

Kirk

Wos, I am a woman.

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My apologies for any misunderstanding.

If you have and read a bible you will find out that fish is meat.

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And if you learn to read 1st century Greek instead of the archaic English of the King James Bible, you will discover that we're talking about two different things.

St. Luke 24:41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he (Jesus) said unto them, Have ye here any meat?

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The word in question here is brosimos, or "meat", sure enough; but it is a derivative of brosis and a related word, broma, which literally means "to eat", or by extension, "food".

St. Luke24:42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.

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The operative word in this verse is ichthus, meaning literally, "fish". This in itself serves to shoot your argument all to pieces, since the preceding verse designates "food", while this verse specifies the food in question: fish.

St. John 21:5: Then Jesus said unto them, Children have ye any meat? They answered him, No.

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A totally different word here; prosphagion, meaning literally "that which is eaten in addition to bread", or even more specifically, "a relish".

St. John 21:6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw for the multitude of fishes.

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Again, the word used here is ichthus, or "fish". Some of the other Greek words rendered as "meat" in the KJV include Matthew 3:4, which is trophe, meaning "nourishment"; Matthew 25:35, phago, "to eat"; and Acts 16:34, trapeza, "a meal". Probably the closest word to what we would consider actual meat would be in Luke 12:42, sitometron, which can mean "a portion of grain", "a ration", or "meat".

Show me scriptures in your catholic bible where it states that Fish isn't meat. Can you do that for me?

Now, show me in a catholic bible where it says that Fish isn't meat.

Wos and Jeff, I hope I am not giving you two a hard task, but pull out your bible and take me to scriptures that says fish isn't meat.

Jeff, where are your scriptures? Pitch the ball. Are you afraid to reveal that there isn't no scritpures in the bible that says fish isn't meat?

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I think we've pretty well taken care of that. Again, study your Greek, and you'll find that ofttimes, the English in your Bible doesn't quite exactly say what you think it does; and once you discover that, it will help you avoid embarrassing errors like this one.

Oh, wait! I was told by catholics, that Catholics don't bring a bible to church, only the priest does and he reads the bible to them.

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As has been pointed out, the Scripture readings for the day are printed in the missal, which every Catholic is free to pick up and read. Interestingly enough, the Catholic Church uses a three-year cycle of Scripture readings which covers the entirety of the Bible; the priest presents a homily based on the reading of the day, as opposed to many Protestant ministers, who choose a passage they wish to expound on for their sermon. At the end of three years, the average Catholic has been exposed to more Scripture than the average Protestant has. How's that for irony?

How would you know Wosley, if a bible is a no-no for you?

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"The Church forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful to learn the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ by frequesnt reading of the divine Scriptures. Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, Number 133.) This hardly sounds like a "no-no" to me.

I was told by catholics that they don't bring bibles to church that only a priest brings a bible. I know that there are catholic bibles.

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See above.

Hey Wols ever think of the day when a So. Baptist and Catholic would band together? What do ya say?

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Apologetics does make for strange bedfellows, sometimes. But don't forget that we're talking about Christians as opposed to Nestorians.

Blessings,
---Wols.

>>>Taking the turkey bone from my mouth<<<

Time out, here. As I have stated in a few other threads...this is not the Defend YOUR Catholic Faith Forum ...Its the Catholic Discussion Corner.

Let's discuss this civily or I'm gonna have to lock the thread.

>>>Scooping some cranberrys, mashed potatoes and turkey and sliding them between two pieces of bread<<<

Let's be charitable here and treat our fellow Christians with respect.

Thanks!

Wosley, if you would be so kind. Take me the scriptures in your catholic bible that says Fish isn't meat. Can you do that for me, please?

That's all I am asking you for. Yes, I read the King James Bible. You must of looked at it a few times yourself, to know that I was quoting from a King Jame Bible.

The ball is in your hands. Show me scriptures, please.

I have talked to a catholic on last night. She told me that Catholics knows that Fish is meat, but it's not red meat.

Now, once again. I am not trying to argue with you, I am only asking that you show me scriptures.

I could be wrong, but I am sure you call yourself a christian. Don't your bible teaches you that you suppose to have an answer for everyone?

All I can tell you is to re-read my post above, which is my last word on the subject. I have given you Scriptural references and pointed out the differences in the Greek words between "fish" and various other things, indicating that they are not the same two things. These verses would be the same in a Catholic Bible as they would be in a Protestant one.

To recap: the Greek word for "fish" is ichthus. The closest Greek word to what we would call meat (i.e., beef, mutton, pork, venison, etc.) is sitometron, which is the word used in conjunction with grain-fed cattle. Re-read my post above, and you will clearly see that sitometron is not used in either of the examples you originally presented.

The reason for this is because "meat" and "fish" are not the same thing, neither in Greek nor in English.

That's the best I can do for you, Archieve. I have already answered your question, and you asked me the same thing over again. Ergo, I will again direct you to my answer above, since I am not going to get into this "I say X, you Z; I say X, you say Z; I say X, you say Z" business that some people seem to favor. If you don't want to accept my answer, swell. But don't ask me the same question repeatedly after I have already answered it. It doesn't do anything to advance your point, such a practice is silly and juvenile, and frankly, it makes you look not only petty but not terribly bright, if you will forgive me for saying so.

Just for kickers, let me ask you a question. You are positing the idea that Luke and John record Jesus as asking "Have ye any meat?", and following up with the next verse saying they gave Him fish; and therefore, meat and fish are one and the same.

In Matthew 3:4, it says that John the Baptist's "meat was locusts and wild honey". Using the same criteria as your examples above, are you saying that locusts are the same thing as meat, i.e., mutton, beef, pork, venison, etc.?

Your question has been answered. Now answer mine. Bailiff, next case.

Blessings,
---Wols.

Funny, how a person who comes to this site has a Hebrew and Greek bible, that also have the english translation.

In his bible, the Greek word is translated as meat. Just like my bible says.

You may not want to say it's meat, but fish is meat.

:lol: arch, you believe whatever you want to then, read the greek, you're better off.