I have heard the argument from clergy in the USA that if Friday abstaining becomes тАЬlawтАЭ people will not observe it and, therefore be caused to sin.
This is kind of like having тАЬAscension SundayтАЭ because it might be too difficult to get to Mass on a Thursday. My other favorite piece of ridiculousness is if a holy day falls on a Monday the obligation doesnтАЩt stand.
If one feels forced to abstain (where it is law) on all Fridays or constantly complains about it then donтАЩt do it.
Unless sickness, age or pregnancy is involved, the attitude of тАЬI have toтАЭ destroys the spirit of the practice.
We waste time on too many whinny questions and loopholes.
We do this out of love for the Lord and unite it to his sacrifice.
If one canтАЩt offer this small sacrifice thatтАЩs a spiritual problem and I would encourage a person with this problem to seek help. If people ignore the rules in their country or region it is their problem not the ChurchтАЩs problem.
Doesn't abstinence on Fridays still exist? (USA) It just doesn't have to be food, but it has to be something meaningful.
And I'm with you on the whole, "let's just add the observance to Sunday thing". Really? It's not that difficult. But then again I attend daily Mass anyway so maybe I'm not being pastoral.
I actually think observing Epiphany, Ascension, and the many Feasts of the Lord on Sundays (that are properly assigned to Sundays, for example, Corpus Christi) is such a good idea because it enables MORE people to experience them. Daily Mass goers are a wonderful sort and I never knew it until I became one myself. But I appreciate the Church making it easy for as many people as possible to participate in as many of the great feast days as possible.
Does everyone go to mass on HDOтАЩs? No. Does everyone go to mass on SundayтАЩs? Also no.
Do you know what the best attended liturgies of the year happen to be? Christmas, Easter, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Holy Thursday, All SaintsтАж mostly feasts that are not Sundays.
IsnтАЩt it beautiful that days like Ash Wednesday and Palm Sunday draw people to the Church for an opportunity of encounter with the Lord? There was a time when I was super legalistic and judgy about this sort of thing. These days my hope and prayer is that more people will have the opportunity to encounter Christ, especially those who might be only hanging on to the faith by a thread. As for days like Holy Thursday, I canтАЩt speak for all parishes, just the ones IтАЩve been part of. My observation is that the people who show up for those liturgies are the regular Mass goers of the parish, but itтАЩs packed because thereтАЩs only one offered on the day.
I can understand moving Epihany, and frankly IтАЩd be in favor of making even Christmas itself a feast moveable to Sunday, as neither of them has any particular reason to be celebrated on any particular date or day of the week.
But Jesus himself picked a Thursday to ascend to heaven, as recorded in scripture, so I rather feel like we should give his choice the benefit of the doubt. ItтАЩs clearly an exact forty days after Easter Sunday.
Here in the UK abstinence is obligatory on all Fridays of the year, not just during Lent.
It was reinstated in 2011.
And as it could be here in the USA
I have heard the argument from clergy in the USA that if Friday abstaining becomes тАЬlawтАЭ people will not observe it and, therefore be caused to sin.
This is kind of like having тАЬAscension SundayтАЭ because it might be too difficult to get to Mass on a Thursday. My other favorite piece of ridiculousness is if a holy day falls on a Monday the obligation doesnтАЩt stand.
If one feels forced to abstain (where it is law) on all Fridays or constantly complains about it then donтАЩt do it.
Unless sickness, age or pregnancy is involved, the attitude of тАЬI have toтАЭ destroys the spirit of the practice.
We waste time on too many whinny questions and loopholes.
We do this out of love for the Lord and unite it to his sacrifice.
If one canтАЩt offer this small sacrifice thatтАЩs a spiritual problem and I would encourage a person with this problem to seek help. If people ignore the rules in their country or region it is their problem not the ChurchтАЩs problem.
Doesn't abstinence on Fridays still exist? (USA) It just doesn't have to be food, but it has to be something meaningful.
And I'm with you on the whole, "let's just add the observance to Sunday thing". Really? It's not that difficult. But then again I attend daily Mass anyway so maybe I'm not being pastoral.
I actually think observing Epiphany, Ascension, and the many Feasts of the Lord on Sundays (that are properly assigned to Sundays, for example, Corpus Christi) is such a good idea because it enables MORE people to experience them. Daily Mass goers are a wonderful sort and I never knew it until I became one myself. But I appreciate the Church making it easy for as many people as possible to participate in as many of the great feast days as possible.
Does everyone go to mass on HDOтАЩs? No. Does everyone go to mass on SundayтАЩs? Also no.
Do you know what the best attended liturgies of the year happen to be? Christmas, Easter, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Holy Thursday, All SaintsтАж mostly feasts that are not Sundays.
IsnтАЩt it beautiful that days like Ash Wednesday and Palm Sunday draw people to the Church for an opportunity of encounter with the Lord? There was a time when I was super legalistic and judgy about this sort of thing. These days my hope and prayer is that more people will have the opportunity to encounter Christ, especially those who might be only hanging on to the faith by a thread. As for days like Holy Thursday, I canтАЩt speak for all parishes, just the ones IтАЩve been part of. My observation is that the people who show up for those liturgies are the regular Mass goers of the parish, but itтАЩs packed because thereтАЩs only one offered on the day.
I can understand moving Epihany, and frankly IтАЩd be in favor of making even Christmas itself a feast moveable to Sunday, as neither of them has any particular reason to be celebrated on any particular date or day of the week.
But Jesus himself picked a Thursday to ascend to heaven, as recorded in scripture, so I rather feel like we should give his choice the benefit of the doubt. ItтАЩs clearly an exact forty days after Easter Sunday.
Huh? That's the first I have heard of it.
In England, or generally? I didn't know England reinstated it, although I think there were some countries where it was never removed.