Eating or abstaining from meat in Lent?

Meat in Lent
Q. My son was invited to sleep at a friend's house on Friday during Lent. I told him he could go if he promised not to eat pizza with meat. When he got there, all they had was sausage and peppers and he had some. How do we manage it in the future? And why is meat okay on Friday the rest of the year?

A. Meat or no meat ... that's the question.

It is true that the requirement to abstain from meat now only applies to Lent. In the past it applied to all Fridays of the year. So the question could be asked: “Why? Is there something wrong with meat? Why is it ok for the rest of the year but not Lent? ”This is a good question. Let me explain.

First of all, there is nothing wrong with eating meat itself. Jesus ate meat and this is a part of God's plan for our lives. Of course there is no requirement to eat either. One is free to be a vegetarian, but is not required.

So what's the problem with not eating meat on Fridays in Lent? It is simply a universal law of abstinence decided by the Catholic Church. What I mean is that our Church sees great value in offering sacrifices to God. In fact, our universal law of the Church is that every Friday of the year must be a fasting day of some kind. It is only in Lent that we are asked to sacrifice in the specific way of giving up meat on Friday. This is of great value to the whole Church as we all share the same sacrifice during Lent together. This unites us in our sacrifice and allows us to share a common bond.

Furthermore, this is a rule that was given to us by the pope. Therefore, if he had decided on another form of sacrifice on Friday in Lent, or on any other day of the year, we would be bound by this common law and would have been asked by God to follow it. To tell the truth, it is indeed a very small sacrifice compared to the sacrifice of Jesus on Good Friday.

But your question also has another component. What about your son accepting an invitation to a friend's house on Friday during Lent in the future? I would also suggest that this could be a good opportunity for your family to share your faith. So if there is another invitation, you could simply share your concern with the other parent who, as a Catholic, gives up meat on Friday Lent. Maybe this will lead to a good discussion.

And don't forget that this little sacrifice was given to us as a way to better share Jesus' only sacrifice on the Cross! Therefore, this small sacrifice has great potential to help us become more like him.