I walk into the cafeteria for dinner on Friday, and begin my hunt. Let's see if I can find something acceptable for the end of the week. The plate fills with carbs, but I need a protein. Food groups, you know? Is there any fish?
Each station has a protein. Beef. Pork. Chicken. All different kinds. Rotisserie chicken, hamburgers, turkey burgers, beef in a sauce, chili (with beef). But I can't have that today. Not on Fridays. Every Friday is a minor fasting day.
From most normal encounters, people never guess that I'm a very traditional and old-fashioned person. That includes my Catholic faith. So on Fridays, even though it's no longer required by the Roman Catholic Church (a post-Vatican II decision), I abstain from meat on Fridays. Now this article isn't supposed to be a narcissistic "look how religious and moral I am". That's not the point. I just want, as a Catholic, to explain a small part of my faith that seems arbitrary to others, but has a big impact on my life and routine.
Before Vatican II, one of the common and consistent practices of Catholics was to abstain from meat on every Friday of the year. This is because according to the account of Christ's Passion, He died on Calvary on a Friday. Because of this, we abstain from flesh of a mammal as a sign of piety and thanks for His sacrifice. It isn't arbitrary for us; by abstaining from meat we remember the flesh of Christ and the consequence of sin and our salvation. So when I don't eat meat on Fridays, it's not to be the 'suffering servant'. It is my solemnity and solidarity with Christ as I recognize, in a way other than Sunday Mass, the constant debt I owe to God for my life and hope.
That can seem like a lot of meaning to attach to not having steak and potatoes on Fridays, but it really is so contemplative. Think about it. You're not a vegetarian, so once a week you have to remember to not eat meat. You get up and go to breakfast before class. Seeing bacon, you almost ask for it until you remember that it's Friday. You leave the bacon. And think about why. Similar things happen when you go to lunch, and have an all veggie sandwich. Then you finish classes, and think about dinner. What kind of fish will the cafeteria have, if any? If I want protein for the day, I better go buy fish and make it myself in the dorm's kitchen. It may seem like it's too much to ascribe to no meat, but if it were just the no eating meat, it wouldn't be very meaningful. It is the constant reminder of why I'm doing it that makes me stop and think more each Friday about what I'm doing and for Whom I'm doing it. And then I feel grateful. I feel humbled. I feel closer to God. So it may be a little annoying if you're eating with me on a Friday, and it takes me a little longer to find something I'll eat. But it's something small that I do in God's name, and really, it's just a bit of meat. I'll have bacon tomorrow.
