Friday - A Day Set Apart
Sunday is the Lord's Day. The Christian Sabbath. But down through the ages, Catholics in particular, and Christians is general, have always attached a special meaning to Friday.
Friday of course, is the day of Christ's suffering and death on the cross. And the heart of the day is traditionally three o'clock in the afternoon. At that sacred hour Jesus offered his life as a sacrificial gift to the Father. On the arms of the cross Jesus became the bridge of love uniting heaven and earth.
Catholics have traditionally marked the special character of Friday by performing works of penance. Some fasted from certain foods. Others attended Mass and offered special prayers of reparation. And almost universally, Catholics were obliged by the Church to abstain from eating meat. It was our common penance. A public gesture of solidarity with Jesus.
The Church still calls Catholics to works of penance on Friday. And surprise, surprise, Canon law still requires us to abstain from meat on Friday. The law remains on the books. But ... recognizing that "one size fits all" doesn't always work in a universal Community of Faith, the Church allowed bishops to substitute other more suitable works of penance in place of abstaining from meat. And so, in Canada at least, Friday abstinence has almost disappeared.
Unfortunately, although everyone knows that it's now okay to eat meat on Friday, not everyone heard the part about substituting another suitable penance. For so many of us, Friday is just another day. We've lost that sense of connection with the saving death of Christ on the cross. We no longer see the little "Fish" icon on our calendars, reminding us to unite our hearts to the sacrificial death of the Lord.
As we enter into the first days and weeks of Lent, I'd like to challenge you to rethink the idea of abstaining from meat on Fridays. Make it a conscious act, a true sacrificial dying to self. I say a "true sacrifice" because obviously, substituting lobster tails for a T Bone steak doesn't really meet the challenge. And this year, abstain from meat for a special intention. Offer your sacrificial gift for our brothers and sisters who are suffering because of the Corona Pandemic. Ask God to bring the world's suffering to a speedy end.
