Fish Fridays?

[MC IMaGiNaZUN]

Now this is just something i am very curious about.

Last year i was doing research on Lent, and i got a really informative essay by Abbot Gueranger OSB, which i would recommend:

[url="http://www.ewtn.com/library/LITURGY/HISTLENT.TXT"]http://www.ewtn.com/library/LITURGY/HISTLENT.TXT[/url]

Anyways, it does mention that one of the reasons for abstinence from meat is that the bible talks about a time when humans didnt eat meat, and that the animals were not afraid of them. It was, i think it was sometime after the fall. That in our fallen nature we crave meat now, but in our glorified state, we don't need it.

But anyways, for whatever reason the church has decided for us to abstain from meat.

Why is there an exception for fish?

I mean, sure i know people who go all vegetarian on fridays, and thats fine, it seems to make more sense according to the above rationalization...

SHALOM

[homeschoolmom]

Fish are made out of vegetables. Everyone knows that.

[crazymaine catholic]

[quote name='homeschoolmom' date='Apr 11 2006, 11:39 AM']Fish are made out of vegetables. Everyone knows that.
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[AngelofJesus]

[quote name='homeschoolmom' date='Apr 11 2006, 07:39 AM']Fish are made out of vegetables. Everyone knows that.
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Is that why they turn green when left out too long? Hmm... interesting.

[OLAM Dad]

Peter was a fisherman, it was good for business.

**OLAM Dad ducks and hides**

[AngelofJesus]

[quote name='OLAM Dad' date='Apr 11 2006, 08:41 AM']Peter was a fisherman, it was good for business. 

**OLAM Dad ducks and hides**
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Buy them by the dozen and you get an indulgence with it.


**where'd you hide? Let me in**

[MC IMaGiNaZUN]

I was actually looking for a real answer... I really wanted to know?

SHALOM

[amandaplus5]

I think it may just be because fish was really common during biblical times, so when people abstained from meat (which was a big deal, since meat was considered a luxury) all they really had was fish.

[rufiokicks]

In Biblical times there was a big difference between animals of the land and animals of the water. We allow fish on Fridays because it was the peasant food. It's just one of the sacrifices we're called to make.

[Balthazor]

LOL speak for yourselves.
I love fish. I grew up in a meat and potatoes household...for me fish WAS the luxury......it still is.
SO really my dad, who just about dies if he doesn't have red meat daily, was doing penance for a few weeks...while those Fridays in Lent were the days when I was really in luxury.

I suppose it is all perspective.

[musturde]

Like everyone else said, fish was easy to catch. Meat was expensive because of the fact that a person had to raise the cattle then slaughter and skin it.

[AngelofJesus]

Yeah, you can even eat the fish raw while your catching it. Just a little wassaaabi and some soy sauce. mmmhmmm...

[Balthazor]

OOOOO....I LOVE Sushi.

especially the red tuna!
And anything rolled in tobiko....

[Paladin]

I've always heard it explained that meat is abstained from because you notice it more. Just about everybody eats meat, and meat is tasty. It's a good penance to take it away. In the middle ages, eggs and dairy weren't eaten either, for the same reason.

The difference between fish and land meat is mostly grammatical. The word the Church uses to describe the food abstained from is "carnis." In Latin, it means meat, but it refers to warm-blooded land animal meat. "Pisces" would refer to anything you eat from the sea. So the people just went ahead and ate fish instead of meat, pisces instead of carnis.

[bx_racer]

actually, i read somewhere that fish was a peasant food back then. since of course, it was cheaper, people would give the money they saved on it to the poor. and well, the tradition carried on.

i'm not 100% sure on it, but its convincing. hopefully some more research will clear it up

Edited April 16, 2006 by bx_racer

[beautyon]

My friend, who's Jewish, told me that Judaism draws the same distinction between flesh (uh, land meat?) and fish. So it comes from that, as rufiokicks pointed out.

[Farsight one]

What I've been told by professors is that, like others have said, fish was a poor man's food way back when. That was ALL they could afford. Not even bread was a plausible aquisition. So, to ban meat all together (which would include fish) would force the poor to simply not eat at all. Rather than have people starve to death, they allowed fish and it has simply stayed that way ever since.

[MichaelFilo]

Lets get more specific, would do people living next to a sea eat?!?! Fish. What was their mainstay, fish and bread, and wine. Thats what it came across as when Jesus multiplied the loaves. Meat is a luxury item, and so is proper to abstain from, while fish is more (or was more) a staple food.

Figure it this way, the Church could change it as it pleases.

God bless,
Mikey

[MC IMaGiNaZUN]

quote=AngelofJesus,Apr 12 2006, 08:33 PM]
Yeah, you can even eat the fish raw while your catching it. Just a little wassaaabi and some soy sauce. mmmhmmm...
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so much for self-mortification.

Thanks for the answer. Peasant food, that makes sense.

I guess we could always go get a Po'Boy sandwhich.

Now that Lent is over... Wheres MY MEAT!!! ALLELUIA!!!


SHALOM

[OLAM Dad]

[quote name='Farsight one' date='Apr 17 2006, 07:53 PM']What I've been told by professors is that, like others have said, fish was a poor man's food way back when.  That was ALL they could afford.  Not even bread was a plausible aquisition.  So, to ban meat all together (which would include fish) would force the poor to simply not eat at all.  Rather than have people starve to death, they allowed fish and it has simply stayed that way ever since.
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Sounds to me like they should change from allowing only fish to allowing only pork skins.