Would beef flavored ramen count for no-meat Fridays during Lent?
Does this help? "According to Father John Huels in The Pastoral Companion (Franciscan Herald Press), abstinence does not include meat juices and liquid foods made from meat. Thus, such foods as chicken broth, consomme, soups cooked or flavored with meat, meat gravies or sauces, as well as seasonings or condiments made from animal fat are not forbidden. So it is permissible to use margarine and lard. "Huels states that even bacon drippings which contain little bits of meat may be poured over lettuce as seasoning. And Huels notes that no one considers gelatin or Jell-O to be meat." http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/lent/faqle9902.asp
Can you eat eggs on Fridays during lent?
Yes, you may eat eggs on Fridays during Lent. It is only red meat (in the US, that mainly means beef, chicken, and pork) which is not allowed. One could make the argument that an egg is a chicken product, so it should count. But that wanders down the road toward legalism away from the main point of abstinence from red meat during Lent. Indeed, making such an argument wanders away from the whole point of Lent itself. The point is not about making fussy little restrictions on what you can and can't eat, what counts as what, and so forth. The point of the Lenten season is to be mindful and reflective on our general sinfulness. And the whole point of abstinence from red meat during Lent one day a week is that we should sacrifice something that, while small, is a painful little pinch to remind us of Christ's enormous sacrifice to relieve us from the consequences of those sins.
Can we eat fish during lent fasting?
Days of fasting are Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Fasting is eating only 1 meal, and 2 small snacks not enough to equal more than 1 meal. Days of abstinence are fridays during lent. That is the day you should not eat meat but fish is OK.
Why can Catholics eat eggs during lent if they can't eat meat?
To fast means to eat only one full meal during the day ("Penitential"). Current Roman Catholic law allows up to two small meals or snacks, known as "collations to be taken as well Together, these two smaller meals cannot be greater than a full meal. Church requirements on fasting only relate to solid food, not to drink, so any amount of water or other beverages may be consumed. Ash Wednesday, along with Good Friday, is a day of strict (no eating between meals, and only one full meal, with two smaller ones, for all Catholics between the ages of 18 and 60) and abstinence (no meat or food made with meat for all Catholics over the age of 14), and this also includes eggs.
As a Catholic, am I allowed to abstain from eating meat during Lent on another day of the week besides Friday?
Ah Catholics…During Great Lent you're supposed to abstain from meat the entire length of Lent. Fasts are an ongoing thing not something you just do on Friday. That's the whole point of meat fare and cheese fare and mardi gras, you're getting rid of the foods you shouldn't be eating during Lent. You're getting it out of your system as it were. The exceptions to this are the frail, weak, and sick. For instance I am not expected to participate since I'm diabetic, however I'm not about to bow out and use that as an excuse. I give up meat but not dairy for the length of Lent I also cut out drinking, junk food, and any other intoxicants. The expectation is lowered for me but I'm not about to be so spiritually irresponsible to just fast on Friday. I wonder how you feel about the other major fasts during the year.
What are Catholics supposed to do during Lent?
During the season of Lent, Catholics over the age of 14 are required to abstain/avoid meat on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent. Catholics over the age of 18 are required to also fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Fasting does not mean a total fast. It means rather that you eat one normal meal during the day and two smaller meals that together do not equal that normal meal. It is also a good time to return to the sacrament of confession if you have been away for a while. The real minimum of confession is to confess at least once a year. :)As for other practices during Lent, there are an abundant variety of options to help you grow closer to God. And that is the key to always remember, whatever you are doing, may it draw you into a deep personal relationship with God and help you to better live your faith, and in this case, your children as well. So skipping a meal once a week and giving that money to a local food bank, soup kitchen, or St. Vincent de Paul Society would be great. So would adding some kind of prayer to your life or with your children. This could be something you do each evening or perhaps every Friday of Lent. You could do a shortened version of the Stations of the Cross with them as well. These links provide some other ideas as well. 40 Ideas for 40 DaysCelebrating Faith, Family and Fun from a Catholic PerspectiveHappy Lent! :)