In this short article, we will answer the question “Can you eat meat on holy Thursday?” and will discuss the days you should not eat meat according to catholicism and why.
Can you eat meat on holy Thursday?
There is no broad prohibition against consuming red meat on Maundy Thursday, as there is on Good Friday. This is so that we can commemorate Jesus’ crucifixion on this day. It is advised to maintain this restriction even on the Sabbath of glory.
Which days are prohibited by the church from eating meat?
Catholics who choose to fast on Ash Wednesday, Lenten Fridays, and Good Friday are currently given advice. Children, the sick, and the old are exempt from this advice.
The words obligation and prohibition are avoided by the Catholic Church nowadays. She simply recommends avoiding red meat as a sign of conversion.
Fasting is a custom that dates back to the Ancient Age and was solidified during the Middle Ages when modest people ate little meat. Red meat was exclusively eaten at feasts, at the courts, and in the nobility’ homes at the time when people lived in faraway countries.
She then became a symbol of gluttony, associated with sin. In this way, the Church encouraged its followers to indulge in the meat before Lent, which gave rise to “Carnevale” feasts and carnival and to abstain from meat for the 40 days leading up to Easter.
Because the presence of fish was unimportant during mediaeval feasts, it was excluded from the list of prohibited foods. Over time, the meat lost its significance as a symbol of sin and was no longer only present at banquets.
On Good Friday, why don’t some people consume meat?
Good Friday, also referred to as Good Friday, is a day set aside for abstinence according to Catholic tradition. The Catholic faith’s 2,000-year-old custom forbids the ingestion of chicken and red meat on that day.
Within this custom, it is common that on this day people replace the consumption of these meats with the consumption of fish.
Fasting on Good Friday is a custom that most likely dates back to the Middle Ages. This is due to the development of another Catholic tradition around this time: the practice of Friday fasting.
All Christians over the age of seven were required to abstain from meat every Friday during Nicholas I’s pontificate in the ninth century.
Before the development of this custom, Wednesdays and Fridays were frequently observed as days of fasting, and people also avoided consuming dairy products and eggs.
However, the custom has become less popular, and the Church now solely encourages fasting on Fridays. The tradition of skipping meat on Good Friday is still in place today.
Every Friday of the year is designated by the Code of Canon Law as a day of fasting from meat and other foods, but fasting can be substituted, for example, by performing acts of charity.
For the sake of Easter, fasting was observed during the entire Lenten season (40 days before Easter). Some people continue to fast on Good Friday and Ash Wednesday. The practice of fasting only on Good Friday is the most typical among those who engage in it.
But why is it acceptable to eat fish on Good Friday?
Christianity holds that Jesus was crucified on Good Friday and died in exchange for our sins. He sacrificed his flesh in the process.
On the anniversary of Christ’s death, the church advises its members to refrain from eating any meat that comes from warm-blooded animals. I would have no issues eating fish. After all, it is considered to be a different kind of meat because it comes from the sea.
“Land animals” were mentioned expressly in church law. “Meat is only considered to come from land-based animals, such as chickens, cows, lambs, or pigs, according to abstinence laws. The term “meat” also includes poultry.
What is Lent?
The 40 days running up to Easter are known as Lent, and they symbolise the time that Jesus spent in the desert. Many Christians observe this time period by making personal sacrifices, such as refraining from eating particular foods.
One of the most important holidays in the Christian calendar, Easter commemorates Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and marks his resurrection.
It occurs during Holy Week, which starts on Palm Sunday—the day on which Christ entered Jerusalem—and finishes on Easter Sunday, which is preceded by Good Friday.
Conclusion:
In this short article, we answered the question “Can you eat meat on holy Thursday?” and discussed the days you should not eat meat according to catholicism and why.