I’m not going to lie. I’ve eaten meat on Fridays during lent. Even though I’m Catholic, I don’t feel that bad. The whole “don’t eat meat” was created by the head of the church and not the scripture itself. It’s nothing but a man-made ritual. I try to follow it, but I’m not that disciplined when it comes to that. If you’re not familiar with why we don’t eat meat during lent on Fridays, or Ash Wednesday, it’s because Jesus died on Friday and gave up his body (the flesh). I used to wonder why we could eat fish; aren’t they animals too? Apparently the catholics only count the warm blooded animals as meat.
Jesus’ words, “What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them” (Matthew 15:11).
Even though I’m half-ass catholic when it comes to things like fasting, I still try.
Friday night for dinner, I made spaghetti squash with a side of Muir Glen pasta sauce, a piece of garlic toast made from whole grain bread, and my homemade salad dressing. My homemade salad dressing has: 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/8 cup Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, 3 tablespoons honey, 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder, pinch of sea salt, and 1 teaspoon of italian seasoning.
Linda @ The Fitty says
I eat meat and I don’t do lent. we can be buddies. 😀
Amanda says
I’ve seen pink salt at the market but its way more expensive! It sounds fancy for salad!
Velvet Frogg says
What the heck is pink of sea salt??? I’ve seen you mention that in several posts! I’ve heard of pink Himalayan salt. Is that what you’re using?
kelly says
Being a follower of Jesus is definitely more important, so I wouldn’t worry 🙂
Kristin C says
So true! 🙂
Cassie says
Ahhh, spaghetti squash! So jealous!
Kristin C says
I didn’t realize Catholics did that on Good Friday. I learned something new 🙂
But you are right, what God (the scriptures say) is what you should follow more closely than what a leader in the church says. You aren’t doing anything wrong if you eat meat on Good Friday.
I hope you had a fantastic Easter as we celebrated Christ’s gift!
ps- as a protestant, I eat lots of meat to celebrate Jesus 😉
Crystal says
Hi Taralynn I too am Catholic and I hope to shine some light on this. By all means, just read what I have to say and take whatever can help you and please I hope not to offend anyone. This is what we as Catholics believe to be true: Jesus established the Church and we are guided by the Holy Spirit. We know this to be true because Jesus told us, His church that He established on the Rock of Peter would never fail or be broken. Catholicism has never disappeared- it has only continued through the 2,000 + years of its existence.
It is the only Church that can be rooted back to Jesus’s establishment of His Church as described in Matthew 16:19. In doing so, Jesus gave the keys of Heaven to Peter, our first Pope. It is through the continuation of this lineage of Papacy and Priesthood that we are strengthened and guided in our daily conversion to God.
It is through this lineage that we continue our tangible works of the Holy Spirit. Think of Tradition as a river in which God’s instructions flow towards us to pass on for generations. The stream is guided towards our everlasting eternity. It is not Tradition that counters Scripture but rather a beautiful unison in which Tradition is able to work together in bringing forth God’s Will.
Therefore, when you see this Tradition of abstaining from meat on Fridays, think of it as good works! It has been accepted into Canon Law as something to enrich our spiritual journey. It helps us to focus on God’s love and the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus. It is not something created through humans to distract us from the meaning of Lent or Good Friday or Ash Wednesday. Rather it is to help us deny ourselves for God and to do a Penance of a small scale, through a heart of gratitude.
Remember, God is with us till the end- we fulfill that with our everyday good works and communion with the Angels and Saints! Most importantly through listening to the Holy Spirit!! God tells us He will not leave us, in Matthew 28:20.
I encourage you to look at Tradition with the same eyes you see Scripture- as a vessel of Grace and Truth. Lastly, pray about it to God and ask Him to bless you with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Other wonderful resources (books) are:
The Catechism of the Catholic Church by U.S. Catholic Church
Why Be Catholic by Patrick Madrid
Rediscover Catholicism by Matthew Kelley
The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic by Matthew Kelley
The Lamb’s Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth by Scott Hahn
Jessie says
I second what Crystal said! Scripture and tradition weave together to create our beautiful catholic faith. I encourage you to read one (or all!) of the books she mentioned. I love your blog Taralynn, and I appreciate your honesty in your posts!
abby says
I also second what crystal said! But as a Catholic turned just plain Christian, I’m with you in that I also eat meat on Fridays, though if I remember I try not to. For some reason that “rule” just doesn’t seem important to closeting my relationship with Jesus..
But…. that verse in Matthew has nothing to do with physical food! It’s about the sins we are exposed to on a day to day basis, and not talking about food we eat, lol. BUT when taken out of context, I’d totally use it to back my meat-consuming-self on Fridays, too. 🙂 Love the blog, as always!
Mandy says
Can you do a tutorial on how to cook spaghetti squash?
felih says
Love making spaghetti squash!