Q:
Why
don't Catholics eat meat on the Fridays of Lent? And if you give
something
up for Lent (say, chocolate) can you still have it on Sundays during
Lent?
Is there an 'official' stance on the subject?
-M.S.
A:
Chocolate.
(You said "say, chocolate.")
Anyway,
the history of giving up meat on the
Fridays of Lent has been around for centuries and centuries. Some say
it
started with the apostles (they were fishermen, of course, and had
something
to gain if people had to eat fish every Friday!)...But whatever the
case,
abstaining from meat is something the early Christians were familiar
with.
Basically, when the
tradition was started meat
was a pretty exciting thing to eat; reserved mostly for festivities,
special
occasions, etc...It was eaten for celebrations. Thus, it was a
sacrifice
to go without it - but it's also symbolic in refraining from "festive"
activities during the Fridays of Lent as a penance to mark these days
as
special.
It's a small symbol; but a
way to set apart Fridays
as holy in remembrance of what was done on Good Friday.
As for being able to eat
chocolate (or whatever
a person gives up during Lent) on Sundays - there isn't actually an
'official'
stance that we have to give something up for Lent. So since the
idea of giving something up for Lent is actually a voluntary thing, the
exceptions to the rule (ie, Sundays) are also up to us.
The idea is that since
every Sunday is a "mini-Easter",
it's a day of celebration in the resurrection - not a day of penance.
It's
supposed to add a little extra joy to Sundays...not be a loophole so we
can eat more chocolate.
Like most things Catholic,
it's the meaning
behind the gesture of giving something up that's important. It's why
we do it. Not trying to figure out ways to get out of doing it...
