Why abstain from meat on Fridays?

There are a variety of reasons that exist why Catholics abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays during Lent. Technically and traditionally, Catholics should abstain from meat every Friday of the year as penance. Unfortunately, many of us have forgotten that, and just abstain during the Lent season.

 

Since the earliest days of the Catholic Church, on every Friday throughout the year, Catholics are required to do some kind of penance. Most Catholics do not eat meat on Friday as a penance. As far as research says, no Pope introduced this practice, but it gradually became a practice.

Abstaining from something helps us refocus on what is important and it cuts out the things that might have seemed important. By abstaining, we have better ability to concentrate on God.

During the Season of Lent, however, the Catholic Church asks Catholics to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Catholics also should carry on the tradition of not eating meat on Fridays through Lent.

One belief of why meat was chosen is because most people feel that giving up meat (beef and chicken) is an inconvenience. The Church asks us to inconvenience ourselves sometimes to serve as a reminder that they should always have God as a top priority and pleasures as a lesser priority.

Another belief is that in many poorer countries, beef is a specialty. For us to give it up, helps us to remember about people who are less fortunate than we are.