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Another Perspective
Something Fishy
It’s Lent and some folks have never eaten so well, especially on Friday.
Catholics, the world over, are in the midst of the Lenten season. Lent, of course, means many things to many people. For some, it is a time of preparation. For others, it is about sacrifice. For me, Lent has always meant, first and foremost, fish on Fridays.
When we were kids, every Lenten Friday’s menu — whether at school or home — featured Mrs. Paul’s fish sticks. Not only did this offal directly challenge my faith in an omniscient and loving God, but it instilled in me a lifelong fear and loathing of seafood. According to Mrs. Paul’s website, the villain behind fishsticks was a power plant worker named Ed Piszek. I’m sure Mr. Piszek was a swell guy and a capable power plant worker, but suffice it to say, he was no Julia Child. Piszek began selling devilled crab cakes in a Philadelphia saloon to earn money while the plant workers were on strike. One day, in 1947, Piszek made too many cakes. “There was a freezer in the back of the bar, so we threw ‘em in there,” he recalled. “It was either that or the trash can.” I guess the freezer was closer.
Piszek took on a business partner named John Paul. For some reason, they decided to name their frozen seafood company after Paul’s mother. Needless to say, it was Piszek and Paul’s gustatory atrocity that has turned me against seafood to this very day.
Even now there is no escape. Every Friday evening I somehow end up at the all-you-can-eat fish fry at our parish. Here in the Midwest, fish fries are both a traditional family outing and a cheap date night. Parishioners and non-parishioners alike indulge in greasy platters of deep-fried cod cut-ups, French fries, and gallons of draught Budweiser. (I fail to see how any of this counts as a Lenten sacrifice.) Still, I dutifully attend, if only for the camaraderie and because my girlfriend is the dessert lady. (How ironic that I, the least devout of all, should be the one making the greatest sacrifice.)
I GOT A REPRIEVE last Friday when I was invited to dinner at my brother’s house. My brother is something of a gourmet (doubtless a reaction to all those fishsticks); he prepared a lovely salmon pasta with San Francisco vinaigrette, a shrimp salad and copious amounts of cabernet sauvignon, and strawberry cheesecake dessert. Here was a meal fit for king. Again, I ask: where’s the sacrifice?
I know good Christian people who spend meatless Fridays at a local Cajun restaurant gorging on Acadian crawfish etouffee, lobster pie, and Oysters Rockefeller, all washed down with an expensive Beaujolais Nouveau. They may not be violating the letter of the law, but its spirit is being violated. As my younger brother — who also dislikes seafood — says, the Friday meal should be limited to stale bread and tap water, or just forget the whole thing. At the very least, everyone should have to eat fish sticks.
Often you will hear — mostly from fish-haters — that the reason for the Church’s ban on meat was that some medieval pope owned a large share of the Roman fish market, or some variation on that theme. Like most things that are too good to be believed, this appears to be an urban legend. Church history shows that around AD 600, Pope St. Gregory was writing to St. Augustine of Canterbury, and issuing the following rule: “We abstain from flesh, meat, and from all things that come from flesh, as milk, cheese and eggs.” (If that prohibition were still followed, that would rule out cheese pizza, toasted cheese sandwiches, as well as my brother’s pasta.) What’s more, the pope said, a Christian was only supposed to have one meal a day.
I dimly recall reading Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House in the Big Woods, and what has stayed with me all these years was Charles’ (or Pa’s) description of Sabbath at the Ingalls’ prairie homestead. Because it was the day of rest, the whole family was made to sit on a rough, splintery bench the entire day, unable to laugh, smile or even swing their feet. These were people living on the 19th century Illinois frontier. You would you think they suffered and sacrificed enough in their every day life…
I’m glad we’ve relaxed the rules, but Lobster Newburg and chocolate mousse for Friday’s Lenten dinner? I’ll make a deal with you: you can have your gourmet seafood and wines and desserts. All I ask in return is a couple slices of pepperoni on my cheese and mushroom pizza.
About the Author
Christopher Orlet writes from St. Louis.
Kitty| 2.26.10 @ 6:39AM
In our family, Lent has always meant giving up candy.
Does anyone remember Lenten boxes, the little paper banks handed out in church (or Sunday school)?
...
MikeBee| 2.26.10 @ 9:17PM
Kitty,
Yep! We were supposed to put some change in there, instead of buying food for ourselves to eat. The $$$ was supposed to go to the poor somewhere; I always thought that it went to "those starving kids in Biafra," the same kids in whose honor we were supposed to eat cold peas and other horrid stuff that we wanted to leave on our plates after dinner.
Alan Brooks| 2.27.10 @ 8:35PM
A midwestern Catholic guy told me he cuts down on cigarettes during these weeks.
From a pack and a half down to one pack a day. Now there's a pious fellow for you.
Stuart Koehl| 3.1.10 @ 6:54AM
This is still done at my parish, Holy Transfiguration Melkite Greek Catholic Church.
Pingback| 2.26.10 @ 7:15AM
http://www.uschristianfinder.com/wp/?p=27210 links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Tim| 2.26.10 @ 8:35AM
Pancake suppers.
Al Adab| 2.26.10 @ 12:24PM
Latkes and grilled talapia. Asparagus with Hollandaise. Heck, Lent works for me.
Stuart Koehl| 3.1.10 @ 6:59AM
For the Slavs, piroghi and cabbage, sauerkraut mushroom soup, eggplant "caviar".
For Greeks and Middle Easterners, spanokopita, hoummos, babaganouj, falafal, dolmades and tabouleh.
Ryan| 2.26.10 @ 8:43AM
I'm from Louisiana.
Who needs fish sticks?
John - TMF| 2.26.10 @ 8:58AM
Fish Hater here... yuck... tastes like bad pond water after a dunking... eeeiuuw... bones... "not quite there" texture.. odd poison smell... yeesh...
1. Growing up Catholic during Lent and hating fish meant... grill cheese, mac and cheese, veggie or cheese pizza, eggs - cheese omelets mostly... spaghetti with marinara sauce. It means the same thing today. Since well, I still hate fish.
2. Add to that growing up Italian Catholic meant that even Christmas Eve was spoiled with the pungent noxiousness of various fish products. Though Nana did do a small pot of marinara for those of us that couldn't stomach eating bait, or baccala, or that evil black concoction of olive oil, sardines and anchovies cooked with enough garlic to frighten every vampire for miles.
Of course she also made up for it with the tons of Christmas cookies - all homemade, yummy bread... and pasta with grated cheese.
For Lent, what waited at the end of the grind was an Easter basked loaded with my Grandpa's hand made Easter chocolates (he sold them in his lunch counter/ice cream store for decades...), copious jelly beans, and PEEPS!!!!
Of course Providence dictated that my birthday be in Lent, and often on Friday. No dispensations were offered. However, there is no complaining about a mushroom, onion, and black olive New York style pizza with lots of fresh Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. Boston Creme Pie and a scoop of vanilla fudge ice cream sort of makes it all better.
Peace in this Lenten Season.
The Mighty Fahvaag
maximumrandb| 2.26.10 @ 11:06AM
Outstanding! So, so true about Lent, John - TMF, if I didn't know any better I'd think youy were my brother! You from Boston area?
Ryan| 2.26.10 @ 11:12AM
Poor soul. You've never been to New Orleans, have you?
KyMouse| 2.26.10 @ 9:08AM
This is a charming article, but the answer to "where's the sacrifice?" is found in the Letter to the Hebrews: "By one offering He has forever perfected those who are being sanctified" (Heb. 10:14) and "Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer daily sacrifices" (Heb. 7:27-28). It's always nice to do good deeds (including making personal sacrifices) in order to show our love for Jesus, but we must remember that nothing we can do, or need to do, adds to the salvation purchased for us by Jesus on the cross. "Through His blood, God made Him the means of expiation for all who believe" (Romans 3:25).
As we near the fifth anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II, I'm reminded of what "World" cultural editor Gene Edward Veith wrote in that magazine's April 23, 2005 issue:
"Evangelicals watching the pope's funeral could only be glad to hear passages of Scripture translated into voice-overs heard around the world. They could enjoy the ethereal music of the Psalms sung to Gregorian chants and appreciate the commentators talking about Christ. But though the pope was eulogized for all of his good works, the prayers begged God to let him into heaven, calling on Mary and the saints to intercede for him. Sadly missing was the liberating gospel of salvation through faith in the free forgiveness won by Christ alone."
Tony in Central PA| 2.26.10 @ 1:59PM
If I could write about theology, I'd probably write a small book about the " Faith versus Works " issue that so often seems to divide Catholics and Protestants. The older I get, the more I think the problem has less to do with the answer than the question.
There seems to be a dichotomy in the minds of many between faith and works. Is that realistic ? Is truly it possible for anyone on their own to do anything " good " without faith ? Is faith simply a feeling that we experience that is disconnected from our actions ?
I've spent my share of time in evangelical congregations but never once heard a single reference to the hair - raising warnings from Jesus himself contained in Matthew 25 : 31 - 46. He bluntly indicates what we actually do figures into our salvation. Many are fond of quoting a few brief words from Ephesians 2 : 6 " saved through faith " but omit the context of the full passage and distort its meaning, most importantly Eph 2 : 10, " For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do " ( NIV ).
Catholics don't believe anybody can " earn ' their way into heaven. If that were the case, Christ's incarnation, death and resurrection would have been unnecessary. I think the answer to the " faith versus works " question lies entirely in how faith is defined.
For the record, I think eating fish instead of a hamburger on Friday and calling it a sacrifice is a little silly.
Ted| 2.26.10 @ 3:10PM
So you missed the point. The essay was tongue in cheek. And, before you criticize the Catholic Church, learn what the Church actually teaches AND why. Otherwise, please do us the favor and "abstain" from making commentary. No Lenten pun intended.
Quartermaster| 2.26.10 @ 6:27PM
Ted, he wasn't criticizing the RCC. The business about Lenten sacrifices are silly, however.
Stuart Koehl| 3.1.10 @ 7:01AM
Lent is not about sacrifice, it is about "metanoia", a "change of mind", a new beginning and a new way to relate to God.
Ted| 3.3.10 @ 5:25PM
Quartermaster, KYMouse was most likely critizing the Catholic Church; I've heard the tale too many a time. Lenten sacrifices are not silly, done for the right reason. And Stuart below is correct, it's about a change of mind. Some could say heart. It's about turning away from sin and towards God and His Gospel. Stuart, I have also seen "metanoia" translated as repentance. Your Greek is better than mine. By the way, Holy Transfiguration is a beautiful church.
Charles R. Williams| 2.28.10 @ 6:09PM
Jesus assumes that his followers will fast. He tells us what kind of fasting is pleasing to God. We know that Christians fasted from the earliest post-NT records. All of the churches with organic continuity with the New Testament church fast - both corporately and as individuals.
Tony in Ohio| 3.1.10 @ 11:29AM
KYMOUSE…As with most who presume to know the teachings of the Catholic Church, but really don’t, you and Veith have missed the point completely. It always has been and always will be the teaching of the Catholic Church that one is “saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.” Specifically it is taught in the Catechism of the Catholic Church #2005 “Since it belongs to the supernatural order, grace escapes our experience and cannot be known except by faith. We cannot therefore rely on our feelings or our works to conclude that we are justified and saved.” Contrary to popular belief (continually being taught from non-catholic pulpits to perpetuate the myth and prejudice) the Church does not believe in salvation through works. The point you and others miss is the glory of John Pauls “works” were not being merited to him…they were being merited to the grace of God working though him. #2008”…The Fatherly action of God is first on His own initiative, and then follows man’s free acting through his collaboration, so that the merit of good works is to be attributed in the first place to God, then to the faithful…” But you wouldn’t understand that because you don’t understand Catholic theology. If you want to know Catholic theology I suggest you read the Catechism of the Catholic Church instead of fiery sermons from Catholic haters. Better yet, read the writings and teachings of the first century Christians…Bishop Henry Newman, a Catholic convert, once said “to be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant”. This is evident by the number of protestant ministers coming to the Catholic church in droves once they have read the early Church Fathers and see they mirror the true teachings of the Catholic Church. We fully understand and follow the “liberating gospel of salvation through faith in the forgiveness won by Christ alone”. See #1992 of the Catechism: “Justification has been merited for us by the Passion of Christ who offered himself on the cross as a living victim, holy and pleasing to God, and whose blood has become the instrument of atonement for the sins of all men.” The Catechism references Romans 3:21-26 as it's foundation for our belief that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone. WE GET IT!
Jeremiah| 2.26.10 @ 9:11AM
My family was fundamentalist and poor. We used to go to my grandparents on Fridays for hamburgers. The rest of the week we ate veggies such as butterbeans and corn bread.
As the family got a little more prosperous, we started dining at home on Fridays. But it was still the only day with meat. Once we invited some friends who were Catholic over for a big dinner on Friday. To Mom and Dad's horror, they only discovered after the friends arrived that they couldn't eat meat. I was horrified. I could not imagine never eating meat. Then they explained to me that Friday was the ONLY day they didn't have meat. I sometimes suspect that my long journey into the Catholic Church began that evening.
And for the record, I have a peculiar fondness for fish sticks and such other delicacies as a piece of bologna between two slices of white bread or a hunk of cheese on wheat. No mayo, mustard or anything else. Just plain.
Bon Appetit!
Stuart Koehl| 3.1.10 @ 7:02AM
Whatever happened to the Wednesday fast? In the Middle Ages, the Western Church fasted on Wednesdays, too.
JP| 2.26.10 @ 10:05AM
Almost everyone in my family loves fish; but, eating at our parish fish fry was worthy of at least one pennance. The fish was an oily mess. This year our family has soup and bread on Fridays.
Much of my childhood was like Jerimiah's. My father must have had a dozen ways to prepare bean soup. He'd normally make a 20 gallon pot for the week on Sundays. We'd have bean soup every evening including Lent.
Sandra_in_Severn| 2.26.10 @ 10:49AM
A little more to that bann on flesh and derivatives (butter, cream, cheese,...) In most European countries, late winter and early spring, before the crops are set and the surviving farm animals breed and have their offspring... It was "the starving time." You are coming to the end of your stores for the winter, and fresh food is not yet available. Even eggs would be scarce.
Surviving the winter was no means guaranteed, no matter what your "station" in life. This is true in some areas today, and very true, not all that many years ago nearly everywhere, even in America.
During these Forty days of penance and fasting (that conveniently match-up) the instruction to "do without" is a "blessing" may have saved a few lives. Those that had "stores" in surplus were urged, if not commanded "by G-d" to share them with those that had nothing.
In this era of over abundance, it is well that we too, do simplicity. If lobster is all that is available, have it; but don't make a show of how pious you are and then go to an "all you can eat lobster feast," and call it good for Lent.
Matt Morehouse| 2.26.10 @ 10:56AM
In the '60s I was in a Catholic fraternity in college. We had a friendly rivalry with the Jewish fraternity.
Once they invited our chapter to join with them for dinner at their house on a Friday evening. They served Prime Rib, which of course we couln't eat. They had great fun shoveling in great mouthfuls of succulent roast of beef while we ate the mashed potatoes and veggies.
The next week (not on Friday) we invited them to dine with us. We served a great ham draped with bacon.
Quartermaster| 2.26.10 @ 6:29PM
LOL!
Stuart Koehl| 3.1.10 @ 7:20AM
You should have eaten the prime rib. The Jewish injunction against pork has to do with ritual purity. Christians are not under any such restriction: all of God's creation is good, all foods are available to us. We abstain from certain foods at certain times not because the food is unclean, but to learn mastery of our passions.
After becoming a Greek Catholic, one of the first things about fasting that was drummed into me was not to be a jerk about it. The rule of hospitality comes first. If someone offers you meat during Lent, be a gracious guest and accept what is offered; give thanks to God for his bounty and his infinite mercy, and eat up (just don't go out of your way to be invited to places where meat will be served).
Andrew B| 2.26.10 @ 10:59AM
Lent always leaves me conflicted. I am an Anglican who was reared by a High Church Episcopalian and a lapsed Catholic. Accordingly, I overcompensate. We have soup and bread suppers on Wednesday and fish on Friday.
I love fish, and am an avid (if somewhat erratic) cook, so it is a challenge to make our fish dinners "plain" enough to avoid guilt. I love seafood of all types, so it requires a bit of work to make eating it a sacrifice. The most reliable way I have found so far is to make sure that, on Fridays NOT in Lent, I eat a big, thick, rare ribeye steak. Reflecting on that, even the most delicious fish dinner feels like self-deprivation.
astorian| 2.26.10 @ 11:10AM
My family was Irish, but we lived in a largely Italian neighborhood. On Fridays (all Fridays, not just during Lent), my Mom just took us around the corner for pizza. So, “meatless Friday” never seemed like much of a sacrifice!
But then, was it really SUPPOSED to be a sacrifice?
To look at it another way, if I were asked now to start following the kosher laws, it would seem like a major burden. But if I’d grown up in an Orthodox Jewish household, following the kosher laws might seem perfectly natural, and the idea of eating ham might well seem as weird and unthinkable as eating cats or dogs. And I’d no more think of putting cheese on my hamburger than I would of putting mustard on my Rice Krispies.
So, if Italians had lasagna onFridays, or Mexicans had cheese enchiladas, were they "suffering" or "sacrificing"? No! The ywere just observing a discipline, which they'd made a part of their normal routine, and still enjoyed a great meal.
Skipping meat can be viewed as a discipline and a habit to be embraced, rather than as a punishment to be stoically endured.
Derek Leaberry| 2.26.10 @ 12:10PM
Catholics are supposed to sacrifice and even suffer, to a degree, during Lent. And so I stick to two small snacks and one large meal at supper with meat five days a week. Fridays I have two snacks with one meatless large meal. Sunday is a feast day, of course. Not only is Lent wonderful for you spiritually, I know I lose five or six pounds during the ordeal.
Senior Chief| 2.26.10 @ 12:41PM
I grew up in the heavily Catholic town of Kearny NJ in the Sixties. Back then, every Friday was 'fish' Friday. I would be the one to go up to main drag, Kearny Ave., and get the Fish & Chip dinners for the family, from one of the many chip shops on the avenue at that time.
I was a real picky eater when it came to meat in those days. So I really looked forward to Fish & Chips on Fridays. To be honest, I didn't consider it much of a sacrifice.
I live on the West Coast now. But about a year ago, I was Back East on business and decided to visit the old home town to treat myself to an order of Fish & Chips. Sadly it didn't measure up to my childhood memories of that wonderful Friday night feast. I guess you never can go back. Can you?
JGress| 2.26.10 @ 1:00PM
As other commenters have noted, at one time Catholics abstained from meat every Friday. Even after the Church dropped that rule we abstained, probably out of habit as much as anything else.
I would favor bringing back that rule. If not for the "sacrifice" then for the reminder of who we are and where we come from.
If it wasn't fish it was waffles and ice cream.
Jeannine| 2.26.10 @ 3:10PM
Actually, the Church dropped the specific requirement to abstain from meat on Fridays other than Lent only if you replaced it w/a substitute, such as performing an extra charitiable act, extra praying or abstaining from your favorite food item ---- to remind us that Friday was the day that Christ died. I think the Church wants the faith practiced w/enthusiasm. One doesn't have that if it becomes a habit.
Stuart Koehl| 3.1.10 @ 7:16AM
The problem is pastoral: few if any Latin priests or bishops stress the point of substituting some sort of spiritual or corporal act for abstinence on Friday. It was probably a mistake to do so in the first place, but understandable, since in its previous pastoral teaching, the Latin Church had gotten into the habit of treating the Friday fast in a juridical manner; i.e., if you ate meat on Friday, even inadvertently, you committed a sin. That was a perversion, even an inversion, of the original reason for fasting, and the Latin Church wanted to get back to that more Patristic understanding. They failed to realize the importance of ritual and discipline in training the mind: once the body is habituated, the mind (and soul) will follow.
In the Eastern Churches, Catholic and Orthodox alike, fasting is not an end in itself but a means to an end. It is a tool for achieving spiritual maturity, and therefore cannot be approached in a mechanical or legalistic manner.
When I was baptized into the Greek Catholic Church back in 1996, the fasting rules looked daunting indeed, and I wondered how I could possibly manage. Fortunately, I had a very good spiritual father who advised me not even to think about doing that. Choose something you think you can do, and then do a little more, he said. Next year, do a little more than that. Eventually, fasting will become second nature to you.
He was absolutely correct: at first, I obsessed over what I could and could not eat, but over time, the natural rhythms of the liturgical year took over, and everything was internalized. Today, I hardly give it a second thought (I certainly do not read the fine print on food labels to find out if some small percentage of animal products were used in its making), except when I travel internationally--when I occasionally forget what day it is, in which case, I know that God understands and will accept the offering a day early or a day late, as the case may be.
Derek Leaberry| 2.26.10 @ 4:40PM
At the Latin Mass church my family and I attend in northern Virginia, we abide by the old standard. And as it is late afternoon, I am very much looking forward to supper.
Stuart Koehl| 3.1.10 @ 9:15AM
Where is this place? St. Catherine of Siena in Great Falls?
Derek Leaberry| 3.1.10 @ 12:10PM
St. Athanasius of Vienna, VA.
Stuart Koehl| 3.1.10 @ 1:16PM
That would be the SSPX-affiliated chapel. Is there any particular reason you don't avail yourself of the Tridentine Mass in a canonical parish?
Derek Leaberry| 3.1.10 @ 4:45PM
When my wife and I decided to attend the Latin Mass, the Diocese of Wilmington offered only two, both at oddball times like Sunday evening or Saturday afternoon. Thanks to the Internet, we found St. Athanasius. St. Athanasius is independent of SSPX, however much it is in sympathy. I find the Latin Mass more solemn and worshipful than the Novus Ordo. Beyond that, my family has been fortunate to be enriched by the many friendships we have with the people of the parish. The people of the parish live their Catholicism faithfully. For instance, families with five, seven and even ten children abound.
Kell Brigan| 2.26.10 @ 1:04PM
Personally, I think this is one of God's great lessons. At first glance, giving up anything edible for Lent seems like a sacrifice. However, with a little culinary creativity, a great meal can be had regardless of what particular food group is (not) on the chopping block that day. Kind of like life -- you just have to know about to cook with the ingredients you have available. (I discovered this while thinking about doing a religous bread & water fast for a day. If I were spending the day noshing on, say, my homemade butternut squash & rosemary sourdough, even this would not exactly fall under "hardship.") Personally, I go meatless every Friday for religious reasons, but, since I spent about fifteen years of my life as a avegetarian (and collecting recipes), it's pretty hard to find a way to make this painful.
GregA| 2.26.10 @ 1:34PM
My rule is: I won't eat anything that swims in its own toilet.
Reynold| 2.27.10 @ 5:35PM
But, do you eat anything that walks on and fertilizes its own dinner?
Ric| 2.26.10 @ 1:47PM
Lent Lutheran-style: Wednesday soup suppers with sermon at the church.
jaydee| 2.26.10 @ 4:38PM
As the families only catholic i get tired of explaining that I don't have to eat fish..I just can't eat meat on Lent Fridays.
justplainbill| 2.26.10 @ 5:54PM
I. TIMOTHY 4
1. "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2. Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
3. Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth."
John II| 2.27.10 @ 9:10PM
In this passage Timothy is put on guard by St. Paul against teachings that deny the goodness of God's creation (you left out the fourth verse; see also Romans 8, and Genesis 1:31). By the time of this letter (first century A.D.) there was already an incipient form of Gnosticism abroad, which preached against the physical world as evil and called its adherents to rise above the demands of the physical life. Timothy is being cautioned not against asceticism but against deviant forms of asceticism that arise from the denial of the reality and goodness of the physical universe.
Roman Catholics are often faulted by their Protestant and evangelical brothers for their sacramentalism--i.e., for taking physical reality seriously. For the Catholic, though, abstinence during Lent is not merely symbolic but rather an acknowledgment that the physical, moral, and spiritual are inseparable strands in the fabric of God's creation. Heresy (from a Greek verb meaning to pick and choose for oneself) is selective about truth; the Roman Catholic, when he's being faithful, does not favor any particular gaming table, but is stuck with the whole casino.
When we abstain, we do so as sacrifice to mirror the principal means by which the Gospel plainly teaches that we may attain true and lasting happiness. It's all a recollection in both senses of the word: (1) to remind us of our fallen condition and its need for repair, and (2) to collect ourselves yet again from the scattered condition that comes with what the Holy Father recently called the "easy superficiality" of daily living and its consequent "moral mediocrity."
Okay--you didn't ask. But one of my Lenten vows is to explain my faith now and then to people who won't listen. The negative vow is much harder: I gave up alcohol. Boy, what a pain THAT is for an Irish-French Catholic! Dangerous too: for a wretch like me, the effort is so colossal as to risk pushing me into a sinful state of moral pride. But I take the fact that I'm doing it as proof that we can accomplish nothing good without the Lord's help.
Any questions?
Stuart Koehl| 2.28.10 @ 9:19PM
See my post below with regard to differences between Western and Eastern Lenten observances. Note that the idea of "giving up" something for Lent is relatively new. In the first millennium, the Western Church and the Eastern Church alike viewed Lenten fasting as a matter of spiritual discipline, not atonement or sacrifice. Certain foods were avoided because they were rich and flavorful and bore high status; by avoiding them, we would win mastery over our appetites; hunger, or gluttony, being the most basic of the passions, would therefore be both the first and easiest to master.
Rather than "choosing" to give up a particular food or pleasure, the Christian West followed its own regime of fasting, which included abstinence from meat and dairy products (hence the importance of fish). Unlike the East, the West extended the Fast to include both Saturdays and Sundays, hence it starts later and ends earlier than in the East.
During the Second Millennium, the meaning of Lent, and of fasting, and the nature of the fasting discipline in the Western Church began to change, perhaps in response to the doctrine of vicarious atonement. The reforms of Vatican II as implemented seriously downplayed the importance of fasting. We in the Christian East, both Catholic and Orthodox, are quite happy to see increased emphasis on fasting in the Latin Church, not just at Lent, but also in the rediscovery of Advent, which is equivalent to our Nativity Fast.
Brad in Texas| 2.26.10 @ 6:32PM
Growing up in a predominately Southern Baptist/Methodist suburb in Dallas/Fort Worth in the late 60's to early 70's we didn't have too many Catholics but I do remember my elementary school faithfully serving fish sticks on Fridays during Lent so the very few Catholic kids we did have could eat. We all had to eat them but I enjoyed them myself. Heck, we lived in Texas far from the Gulf and my uncle was a dairy farmer so all we ate was steak from the cows he'd slaughter each year. We rarely ate fish so it was a treat to me. Now, what would be considered a Lenten sacrifice would be having to eat at Long John Silver's every Friday!
IzeHavitt| 2.26.10 @ 11:38PM
Re. Fish Sticks: Hey, they ain't bad w/ a slice of cheese, kosher pickle slices and ketchup on toasted bread. Cheap, too.
Pingback| 2.28.10 @ 12:46PM
Lenten Fridays: Mrs. Paul’s Meets Lobster Newburgh In The American Spectator | NewsRe links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Stuart Koehl| 2.28.10 @ 2:16PM
When people talk "Catholic", invariably they mean "Roman Catholic", i.e., members of the Latin Church, the Church of Rome. But there are also 22 other "particular Churches" that comprise the Catholic communion, and these are all "Eastern Catholic Churches".
I happen to belong to one of those--the Melkite Greek Catholic Church--which follows the Byzantine rite. That means in matters of liturgy, spirituality, theology, doctrine and discipline, we follow the same Tradition as the Eastern Orthodox Churches.
So, let me tell you about our Lent. To begin literally at the beginning, the start of Lent is not Ash Wednesday, but the previous Sunday, at Sundown, with the celebration of Forgiveness Vespers. We don't put on ashes, but rather, we follow Christ's injunction to wash our faces and look joyful.
And while we are looking joyful, we try to live according to the follow fasting regulations: no meat, no fish, no dairy or eggs, no olive oil or wine, except on weekends. Shellfish are allowed, but only because in the fourth century AD, shellfish were considered highly undesirable and were eaten only by those too poor to get anything else. Times have changed, so most of us abjure shellfish and eat fish.
This, by the way, is the normal fasting regime for Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year. There are also three other fasts: the Filipovka or Nativity Fast that begins forty days before Christmas and ends Christmas Eve; the Apostles Fast, that varies in length from the second Sunday after Pentecost until the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul on 29 June; and the Dormition Fast from 1-15 August. In all, about 180 days throughout the year are fast days.
The purpose of fasting is not to atone for our sins, or to mortify the flesh, but rather to gain control over our passions, the domination of the soul by the flesh--and in this case, quite literally the needs of the flesh. It is hoped that mastery over the belly will lead to mastery over other tyrannies of the flesh.
Fasting is just one leg of our Lenten journey. The other is prayer. While the Latin Church celebrates the stations of the Cross, we have our own unique Lenten services, which include the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, the Akathist to the Virgin, the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, and Lenten Vespers. Something is happening literally every evening of Lent. Most of these services are highly penitential, while at the same time looking forward to the Resurrection of Christ; the late Father Alexander Schmemann described the atmosphere as one of "bright sadness".
The final leg of the journey is almsgiving--for in helping the poor among us we also are giving comfort to Christ in whose image they are made. All three aspects of Lenten discipline together--fasting, prayer and almsgiving--are preparation for the glorious feast of Pascha, the great Feast of the Resurrection, which for us in the Byzantine Tradition is by far more significant than Nativity, and the center of our spiritual and liturgical life.
John II| 2.28.10 @ 4:35PM
Interesting. Whenever I attend an eastern rite service, I leave feeling a bit like a spiritual piker--rather like the effect of attending a Holy Week service at a Carmelite monastery. It's all I can do to handle the lay RC thing; I suppose the humiliation is good for me. Pray for me, Stu.
Stuart Koehl| 2.28.10 @ 7:41PM
John Chrysostom's Paschal Homily says all that needs be said:
Let the one who has borne the burden of fasting now receive his pay, and the one who has toiled since the first hour, let him obtain his due reward.
If anyone came after the third hour, let him gratefully join in the feasting; and the one who tarried until the sixth hour, let him not be afraid of missing anything.
If there is one who has waited until the ninth hour, let him come unhesitatingly; and even the laborer of the eleventh hour, let him not fear for his sloth.
For the Lord is generous, and receives the last even as the first; He gives rest to the worker of the last hour even as to the one of the first.
He has pity on the last and He serves the first; He rewards the first and gives freely to the last.
He receives the fruits of labor, and accepts good intentions; He honors the deed and praises the effort.
John II| 2.28.10 @ 11:15PM
Whoa. The eloquence comes through even in translation. He was named patron saint of preachers by Pope Pius X about 1600 years later. There's a magnificent painting of him (I forget the artist) denouncing the Empress Eudoxia in one of his stem-winders as Patriarch of Constantinople, with the Empress staring icily into the middle distance from a gallery above. He paid dearly for his habit of preaching the Truth to power.
Pete2| 2.28.10 @ 5:55PM
Got to laugh. I grew up Catholic also and every Friday was fish day, Lent or not. Actually, it was a meatless day so my mother would often have fried dough and hot chocolate. We also varied it with Salmon P wiggle or a bona fide fish fry, usually fresh caught perch or smelt in the winter. Too bad you weren't able to enjoy such a diversity if all you had was fish sticks. Kind of miss those days.
maire| 2.28.10 @ 9:23PM
Growing up Catholic in Chicago we had our share of spaghetti with tomato sauce and fish sticks. But we also had halibut and other whitefish, which were fairly inexpensive at the time. I used to ask for more "chicken" when we had that, or so my dad told me.
I am Anglican now, and a guest preacher speaking on Christ's temptation during His 40 days likened the Lenten experience to an effort to create our own "desert" experience prior to Resurrection Sunday.
Cuneo| 3.2.10 @ 5:51PM
Pete, like you, I remember when all Fridays of the year were meatless, and Wednesdays were meatless during Lent (maybe I'm wrong about this, but it seems the fish icon was pictured Wednesdays and Fridays on the Cataholic Calendars during the lenten period).
My mother made mushroom pizzas from scratch, pasta ioulia (I owe you some meat!), and the occasional fried shrimp or fish (bream or crappie caught from the local lakes).
The joke at the time was to give up something for Lent that was out of season, like watermelon. According to church law, we are to stay away from a MacDonald's burger, but we can enjoy a seafood feast. Like Mr. Orlet wrote, where's' the sacrifice?
Anne | 3.2.10 @ 7:01PM
Several years ago I went to a Good Friday service at an African-American friend's Baptist church. It was immediately followed by a feast. Yes, I ate the hickory smoked ribs lathered in sweet barbecue sauce. Major mistake. That night I received a worse punishment than anything a battle ax nun could mete out: a black widow spider bit me on the leg. Went to confession later, the priest said I'd done my penance in the ER.
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