Eating meat on Friday Mortal Sin?

[ShannonMcCatholic]

No, they are not. Salvation comes through Christ, not the Church. It is not something we earn. That is clearly outlined in Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition and the Catechism. The precepts exist to help us stay faithful to the Gospel.

I think someone outta go back and read their Baltimore Catechism:

How does Jesus help all men to gain heaven? Jesus helps all men gain heaven through the Catholic Church.


And the CCC (2042)tells us that " The obligatory nature of these positive laws decreed by the pastoral authorities is meant to guarantee to the faithful the indispensible minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in the growth in love of God and neighbor."
-emphasis added

Jesus did indeed saitisfy for the sins of all men through His sufferings and death on the Cross-- but that doesn't mean we don't need to do anything to merit heaven. Not everyone is saved, simply because Christ died.The Church gives us the Sacraments to strengthen the life of Christ within us as our surest means to heaven.

We are bound through obligation to obey the Laws of the Church-- whether you think so or not abstaining from meat on all Fridays in Lent is obligatory for those age 14-59 of good health. If you knowingly and purposefully fail to abstain -- you are purposefully and knowingly disobeying the laws of the Church-- you cannot tell me that that is not grave matter.

Let me ask you( all other conditions being met- ie full knowledge and full freedom) - is it mortal sin to miss Mass on Sunday? What about on a Holy Day? Is it mortal sin to divorce and remarry without an annulment? What about marrying your cousin? Is it mortal sin to marry in front of a judge? Is it mortal sin to fail to financially support the Church? What about failing to confess mortal sins at least once a year??

 

[Dream]

I think folks oughtta worry about their own souls, ie removing the log from their own eye before taking out the speck from another's.

Hey, nobody's claiming to be without sin here. Canadian asked if it was a mortal sin, and most people here used their knowledge and made a judgemental call that, yes, it is a mortal sin to purposely disobey Church teaching. Nobody was accusing anybody of committing a mortal sin.

If I started a thread asking if controceptives were sinful. Everybody would reply back "yes." That doesn't mean they are condemning me or trying to pass of judgement.

 

[Dream]

I cannot possibly see how eating a chicken leg on a Friday during lent can be classified in the same way as mowing down ten people on the street in your hummer. It just doesn't scream "damnation" to me. How can a manmade law be made into a sin? Granted, I do believe that abstaining is a good thing to do, but I just can't see how not doing it is terrible.

Straight from the Catechsim, indigo:

1858 Grave matter is specified by the Ten Commandments, corresponding to the answer of Jesus to the rich young man: "Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and your mother." The gravity of sins is more or less great: murder is graver than theft. One must also take into account who is wronged: violence against parents is in itself graver than violence against a stranger.

 

[Canadian75]

Hey, nobody's claiming to be without sin here. Canadian asked if it was a mortal sin, and most people here used their knowledge and made a judgemental call that, yes, it is a mortal sin to purposely disobey Church teaching. Nobody was accusing anybody of committing a mortal sin.

If I started a thread asking if controceptives were sinful. Everybody would reply back "yes." That doesn't mean they are condemning me or trying to pass of judgement.

Yeah, it was just a question. For the record, I had a delicious halibut dinner with onion rings last night. I appreciate the views expressed here. But, we have to stop getting so hostile when our views conflict.

 

[BAChristian]

...it's like 7 days a year with no meat- how bloody hard is that??

Pretty bloody hard.

Actually, it's all about forgetting on other days of the year for me. Shewt...I bet I only did penance on a few Fridays during non-Lent, because I just straight up forget...

I hate it too...somethin' I gotta work on.

 

[BAChristian]

I abide by the laws and precepts of the Church. I'm tired of people coming on this board and labeling every little thing people do as a mortal sin. It's ridiculous.

I'm not advocating disobeying the Church and thumbin' your nose at Her by eating meat on Fridays during Lent. But if you do that, make an Act of Contrition and go talk to your priest.

I couldn't agree more bro...

 

[nyj]

Whoa... no one was coming in here and labeling "every little thing people do as a mortal sin".

Shannon spoke the truth. If one intentionally disobeys the Catholic Church, no matter what issue it may be on... whether it's using contraception, or failing to abstain and fast on days of abstinence and fasting, or blowing someone's head off with a shotgun, and does so with the knowledge that that is a grave offense, and does so willingly... it's a mortal sin.

She's right.

If you slip up and forget, obviously it's not a mortal sin. And Shannon didn't come anywhere near indicating that it was.

 

[Dream]

To clarify, disobeying the Church is a grave sin.

But of course, one also needs full knowledge and delibarate consent for a sin to be mortal.

 

[RedTulipMom]

Its stuff like this that sometimes makes me question my Catholic faith, I'll be honest. Ok so if the church has the power to lose and bind on earth why on earth would they make it a mortal sin to not eat meat during a friday during lent? think about this for a sec. If you were the one in charge and you know by making something a discipline of the church you would be sending people to eternal hell would you make a silly little rule like no meat on fridays KNOWING that many would go to hell because they would die before getting to confession after not eating meat on a friday? I certainly wouldnt. I could see the no meat on friday thing as a discipline of the church, but as a mortal sin that sends you to HELL, thats going to far. And i just cant fathom God sending me to burn forever in eternity for eating meat on a friday that isnt JUST. sorry for speaking out but sometimes i think people get so legalistic that it hurts others. We are no longer under the law, but grace. We are to follow the spirit of the law not the letter. Yet then we go making more laws to follow. why? I know nobody has an answer for me. i am just venting. I usually just nod and shut up but i cant do that forever. This just ticks me off.
karen

 

[nyj]

Ok so if the church has the power to lose and bind on earth why on earth would they make it a mortal sin to not eat meat during a friday during lent? think about this for a sec.

It's proper parenting.

When you teach your children discipline and responsibility when it concerns the "small things", they don't commit the "big things".

The Catholic Church, is given the task to ensure that as many people obtain Heaven as possible. That is her main goal. To lead the flock. That obviously means keeping the flock safe from wolves. The Catholic Church does what she does out of love, not out of a desire to be controlling. The Catholic Church must adhere to the objective moral code as God would have it. And everything that she teaches is done with this unchaging moral code in mind.

 

[Dream]

Its stuff like this that sometimes makes me question my Catholic faith, I'll be honest. Ok so if the church has the power to lose and bind on earth why on earth would they make it a mortal sin to not eat meat during a friday during lent? think about this for a sec. If you were the one in charge and you know by making something a discipline of the church you would be sending people to eternal hell would you make a silly little rule like no meat on fridays KNOWING that many would go to hell because they would die before getting to confession after not eating meat on a friday? I certainly wouldnt. I could see the no meat on friday thing as a discipline of the church, but as a mortal sin that sends you to HELL, thats going to far. And i just cant fathom God sending me to burn forever in eternity for eating meat on a friday that isnt JUST. sorry for speaking out but sometimes i think people get so legalistic that it hurts others. We are no longer under the law, but grace. We are to follow the spirit of the law not the letter. Yet then we go making more laws to follow. why? I know nobody has an answer for me. i am just venting. I usually just nod and shut up but i cant do that forever. This just ticks me off.
karen

Karen, not everybody that eats meat on Fridays during Lent is committing a mortal sin. They need to full know what they are doing and deliberatly do it. If you have a Catholic friend that chooses to eat meat on Friday, it's most likely that they are not committing a mortal sin. Very few people are going to delibarately turn their back to the Catholic Church, and ultimately God, and say "I'm not following your rules!" Most people that don't follow the disciplines of the Church do not fully understand them or know their importance.

Also, if the Church were to just completly lift all rules, would that be beneficial? The Church could refuse to teach that abortion is sinful. That would spare a lot of women from being in a state of mortal sin. But is that the right thing to do? No. The Church is not is not here to simply make people feel better about themselves. God established His Church in order to teach the Truth.

 

[tjboie2001]

Yes it is a mortal sin if you eat meat on fridays during lent and on ash Wednesday. According to the Catholic church. And I strongly agree with Shannon again.

 

[BAChristian]

Very few people are going to delibarately turn their back to the Catholic Church, and ultimately God, and say "I'm not following your rules!"

I would actually disagree with you on that. You haven't been around the folks I have. LOL.

 

[nyj]

Yes it is a mortal sin if you eat meat on fridays during lent and on ash Wednesday. According to the Catholic church. And I strongly agree with Shannon again.

Only in certain circumstances.

The whole point of contention in this thread is the wrongness of blanket statements... what you said is a blanket statement.

 

[Paul S]

Eating meat on Fridays is grave matter. Whether or not it is a mortal sin depends on the other two elements.

 

[ShannonMcCatholic]

Its stuff like this that sometimes makes me question my Catholic faith, I'll be honest. Ok so if the church has the power to lose and bind on earth why on earth would they make it a mortal sin to not eat meat during a friday during lent? think about this for a sec. If you were the one in charge and you know by making something a discipline of the church you would be sending people to eternal hell would you make a silly little rule like no meat on fridays KNOWING that many would go to hell because they would die before getting to confession after not eating meat on a friday? I certainly wouldnt. I could see the no meat on friday thing as a discipline of the church, but as a mortal sin that sends you to HELL, thats going to far. And i just cant fathom God sending me to burn forever in eternity for eating meat on a friday that isnt JUST. sorry for speaking out but sometimes i think people get so legalistic that it hurts others. We are no longer under the law, but grace. We are to follow the spirit of the law not the letter. Yet then we go making more laws to follow. why? I know nobody has an answer for me. i am just venting. I usually just nod and shut up but i cant do that forever. This just ticks me off.
karen

This is from the St. Joseph's Baltimore Catechism No. 2-- Whence has the Catholic Church the right to make laws? The Catholic Church has the right to make laws from Jesus Christ, who said to the Apostles, the first bishops of His Church :"Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound also in heaven."

--We have seen that the purpose of laws is to guide us to God. Christ sent His Church into the world as a living guide to point out new dangers that would arise in the course of time, and to apply the laws of God to new times and circumstances.

--The Church has power from God to make laws and to change laws that it makes. It has no power, however, over the laws of God themselves. The Church can never change them alright, for example, to steal or to lie.

As nyj said this matter of fasting is one of good parenting-- we need to relinquish or passions and desires of the world. If the Church didn't help us do this- what kind of Mother would she be??

From the same Balt. Cat: Why does the Church command us to fast and abstain? The Church commands us to fast and abstain in order that we may control the desires of the flesh, raise our minds more freely to God, and make satisfaction for sin.

--Our Lord tells us we need penance. This means making ourselves do things we don't feel like doing to control our feelings (the desires of theflesh). For example, study when you don't feel like it, etc.

 

[tjboie2001]

Only in certain circumstances.

The whole point of contention in this thread is the wrongness of blanket statements... what you said is a blanket statement.

Can you please point out what the blanket statement was and I will correct it for you.

 

[nyj]

Can you please point out what the blanket statement was and I will correct it for you.

You said eating meat on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent was a mortal sin.

That's only partly true. It's a mortal sin only if all three conditions of a mortal sin are met. If even one of those conditions isn't met, it's not a mortal sin.

 

[tjboie2001]

You said eating meat on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent was a mortal sin.

That's only partly true. It's a mortal sin only if all three conditions of a mortal sin are met. If even one of those conditions isn't met, it's not a mortal sin.

If it is only part true then what are the other 2 conditions. Please explain to me.

 

[Paul S]

Mortal sin requires three things: grave matter, full knowledge, and full consent. If you don't know it's wrong, you can't intend to reject God by doing it.