mom. craft. cook. photo. talk. blog

  • Home
  • start here
  • blog
  • sponsor
  • shop
  • 30 Days to Calm
  • contact jenna
You are here: Home / Daily Dose: Catholic Living / Ideas for Friday Abstinence

Ideas for Friday Abstinence

January 5, 2015 By Jenna 13 Comments

Everyone knows Catholics don’t eat meat on Fridays in Lent. Butt. Pork Butt. But, did you know that every Friday all darn year is a day of penance? It’s true. Kendra said it best:

As Catholics, most of us probably observe the mandated fasting days of Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Hopefully we observe the Fridays of Lent as days of abstinence. Many of us don’t even realize that every Friday is a day of penance, but there it is, in Canon Law:

1. 1250 The penitential days and times in the universal Church are every Friday of the whole year and the season of Lent.

You don’t HAVE to give up meat each Friday during the year though. You can abstain from a number of other things as well. We usually do meat just because it is easier to keep track of. But, there are days when we know we are going to friend’s house who will be BBQing or that we have to eat the many luscious steaks we ALWAYS have in the fridge before the leftovers go bad. So, it’s great to have a backup plan for when Fridays get meaty.

Here are my go-to abstaining choices for days when I am carnivorous.

Did you know that most Fridays are days of abstinence for Catholics? We like to abstain from meat (vegetarian recipes, please!), but it’s not required unless it is Lent. But, we like to have backup ideas in case there is a day where we need to eat meat. Here are my best ideas for Friday abstinence that don’t require meat. And I know: number 11 is hardcore.

© Vankad / Dollar Photo Club

  1. Social media – the world will still turn
  2. Put focus on not being sarcastic, negative or down-putting
  3. No shopping or spending money
  4. Drink only water. No coffee, alcohol, etc.
  5. Eliminate sweets or your favorite food
  6. Use only non-secular TV and music – or give up TV and music all together
  7. Add an extra prayer time to your day
  8. Go for a prayer walk by yourself or with family
  9. No snacking between meals
  10. Give away something or purge an area of your house
  11. Don’t wear makeup – it’s not like you’re ugly
  12. Read a spiritual book – maybe a chapter every Friday?
  13. Attend daily Mass that day
  14. Pray a family Rosary
  15. Go to confession
  16. Go to bed an hour early or get up an hour early to pray
  17. Forgo condiments…mmmm ranch
  18. Take a cold shower
  19. Park in furthest spot and only use the stairs
  20. No carbs. I said it.
  21. Pray about what is standing in the way of you and a relationship with God – go with that. Always go with that.

Remember: whatever small sacrifice you make on Friday, it should be meaningful to you, and it should hurt just a little bit. Give until it hurts, baby.

 

red-pinterest-button-1

 .

some text

Moar...

  • The Simplest and Most Filling Meatless Meal I’ve FoundThe Simplest and Most Filling Meatless Meal I’ve Found
  • Sometimes you just want an easy dinner without all of the fuss. This tuna noodle casserole is as basic as it gets. And, there are options to make it a healthy version in parentheses. | tuna casserole | dinner recipes easy | easy recipes | comfort foodTuna Noodle Friday Comfort Food
  • My Journey to Living LiturgicallyMy Journey to Living Liturgically
  • Before you start searching for Easter basket ideas, check out my list of 40 simple Lenten activities for kids. They are so simple you can do one for each day of the season. 15 & 39 - such easy outings!40 Simple Lenten Activities for Kids
  • When I am just a soul. My Final Wishes.When I am just a soul. My Final Wishes.

Filed Under: Daily Dose: Catholic Living, Meatless Friday

« 7QT: Was I supposed to do that?
#5Faves: Essential Oil Tricks »

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Liesl says

    January 5, 2015 at 10:32 am

    Someone told me once that they slept without their pillow on Fridays when they had to eat meat. I tried it once and it was the best/worst sacrifice ever… give me back my 5 pillows! Never again. But maybe.

    Reply
  2. Abby says

    January 5, 2015 at 10:33 am

    One of my goals this year, in addition to learning more about the Catholic faith, is to find ways to live a Catholic life with passionate devotion in a Hindu country. Your post is a good reminder that there are small ways to live out the faith on a daily basis. I’d love to hear more about the daily actions we can take to keep our faith dynamic.

    Reply
  3. Heather says

    January 5, 2015 at 1:50 pm

    Yeah, we need to get on that train… Honestly, I had no idea about this whole fasting throughout the year deal. Yes, I grea up Catholic. And, went to a Catholic school. But, not once did I know about this until this past year. Kinda like the whole never knew about NFP thing (but that’s another story for another time). I wonder why somethings are just never taught or spoken of?

    Anyway, thanks for this list! We are definitely going to try this year!

    BTW – love your last lines!! ;)

    Reply
  4. Janine says

    January 5, 2015 at 1:58 pm

    I love this!! Great to keep as a reminder as I have a husband who HATES fish and Eggs… so that leaves very few options for Fridays!

    Reply
  5. Marie Bernadette says

    January 5, 2015 at 8:35 pm

    good ideas. we do meat because, well, it’s usually easy! but i like the variety.

    this one confused me though… “Use only secular TV and music – or give up TV and music all together” <– is this because most Christian-themed music is so terribly awful it's penitential to NOT listen? Or perhaps you meant the opposite. Made me giggle though ;)

    Reply
  6. Giedrė (@WalkingDotPhoto) says

    January 6, 2015 at 2:54 pm

    Love these ideas! I always observed Friday abstinences during my childhood, but then throughout college I had someone tell me it wasn’t actually mandatory and I (whoops) stopped making it a point to abstain without actually checking the facts. It was only actually over Christmas that my mom, sister, and I got into a conversation about it and I realized that you ARE still supposed to abstain from something. Soooo….now I’m trying to get back into the habit of remembering to do that. Your ideas are wonderful, though – I especially love the “going to mass” one. I have two churches within a block of my apartment and waking up early to go to mass would be a wonderful way to start the weekend.
    xox
    giedre

    Reply
  7. Arlene says

    January 6, 2015 at 7:57 pm

    Just do an act of Charity

    Reply
  8. Jamie says

    January 6, 2015 at 9:42 pm

    Awesome! I usually get pretty anemic during my pregnancies and think that if meat sounds palatable on a Friday then I should probably eat it…but I’ve needed a list like this to look at for subbing in something else because…hello, pregnancy brain… :)

    Reply
  9. Jamie says

    January 7, 2015 at 11:39 am

    This is a great list! I needed some ideas for when my “Fridays get meaty” (lol!) but I also want to be Coke-y. Pinning this for later use! :) Thanks

    <3 Jamie

    Reply
  10. Aileen says

    January 28, 2015 at 1:53 pm

    This is a great list! I’m saving it. Thanks Jenna!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 7QT: if that person understood the silent treatment, she'd be getting it - call her happy says:
    January 9, 2015 at 4:19 am

    […] Ideas for Friday Abstinence […]

    Reply
  2. Happy New Year . . . A Little Late | Real Mama Joy says:
    January 12, 2015 at 12:58 pm

    […] Jenna at Call Her Happy recently posted about ideas for Friday abstinence. A little over a year ago, our priest let us know that abstinence on Fridays is not just for Lent. […]

    Reply
  3. tl;dr February - call her happy says:
    February 1, 2015 at 1:20 pm

    […] taught you how to take a pregnant selfie, gave you some ideas for Friday abstinence, shared my favorite essential oil tricks and makeup tips, helped you beat the winter blues, […]

    Reply
Follow

weekly digest

Follow Jenna @ Call Her Happy's board Best of Call Her Happy on Pinterest.

My Book

30 Days to Calm: Create Your Own Anxiety Toolbox

Search this blog

Categories

Lovely Sponsors

 photo 90d4a609-1acc-4b4b-89ad-331ee3af4f95_zpszr6xwooy.png

    Copyright © 2023 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress

    sign up for my free weekly digest

      • trendy mom tips
      • strategies for dealing with anxiety
      • daily dose of motherhood and faith

    ×