Abstaining from meat on Friday: a spiritual discipline

Fasting and abstinence are closely related, but there are some differences in these spiritual practices. In general, fasting refers to restrictions on the quantity of food we eat and when we consume it, while abstinence refers to the avoidance of particular foods. The most common form of abstinence is the avoidance of the flesh, a spiritual practice dating back to the early days of the Church.

To deprive us of something good
Before Vatican II, Catholics had to abstain from the flesh every Friday, as a form of penance in honor of the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross on Good Friday. Since Catholics are normally allowed to eat meat, this ban is very different from the dietary laws of the Old Testament or other religions (such as Islam) today.

In the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 10: 9-16), St. Peter has a vision in which God reveals that Christians can eat any food. So when we abstain, it's not because the food is impure; we voluntarily give up something good for our spiritual benefit.

The current Church law on abstinence
That is why, according to the current law of the Church, the days of abstinence fall during Lent, the season of spiritual preparation for Easter. On Ash Wednesday and every Friday of Lent, Catholics over the age of 14 must abstain from meat and meat-based foods.

Many Catholics do not realize that the Church still recommends abstinence on all Fridays of the year, not only during Lent. Indeed, if we do not abstain from meat on Fridays of Lent, we must replace some other form of penance.

Observing abstinence on Friday throughout the year
One of the most frequent obstacles encountered by Catholics who abstain from meat every Friday of the year is a limited repertoire of meatless recipes. As vegetarianism has become more prevalent in recent decades, those who eat meat may still have some trouble finding meatless recipes that they like, and end up falling back on those meatless Friday staples in the 50s: macaroni and cheese, tuna casserole and fish sticks.

But you can take advantage of the fact that the kitchens of traditionally Catholic countries have an almost limitless variety of meatless dishes, which reflect the times when Catholics abstained from meat during Lent and Advent (not just Ash Wednesday and Friday ).

Go beyond what is required
If you wish to make abstinence a bigger part of your spiritual discipline, a good place to start is to abstain from the flesh on all Fridays of the year. During Lent, you might consider following traditional Lenten abstinence rules, which include eating meat at only one meal a day (plus strict abstinence on Ash Wednesday and Friday).

Unlike fasting, abstinence is less likely to be harmful if taken to extremes, but if you want to extend your discipline beyond what the Church currently prescribes (or beyond what she has prescribed in the past), you need to consult the own priest.