Saturday Fasting

[Resurrexi]

[quote]hey,
so i'm reading True Devotion to Mary and I stumbled across a part about Saturday fasting!?!?!? I thought it was Friday fasting? i mentioned it to a friend this morning and he said, "yeah, maybe that's a French thing??"
any ideas on this!? thanks in advance! God bless!
peace & love in Christ,
mj[/quote]

Traditionally in the Universal Church there was abstainance on both Fridays and Saturdays, but the United States was dispensed of Saturday abstainance before 1950.

[Laudate_Dominum]

Do you have a source on that? My understanding is that the Saturday fast in honor of Our Lady is a venerable private devotion, but not something that has ever had the public status of the Friday fasting.

Thank you!

[Resurrexi]

[quote][b]1917 Catholic Encyclopedia article Abstinence:[/b]
(2) Saturday

As early as the time of Tertullian, some churches occasionally prolonged the Friday abstinence and fast so as to embrace Saturday. Tertullian (De jejunio, xiv) calls this practice continuare jejunium -- an expression subsequently superseded by superponere jejunium. Such prolongations were quite common at the end of the third century. The Council of Elvira (can. xxvi, ap. Hefele, op. cit., I, 147) enjoins the observance of one such fast and abstinence every month, except during July and August. At the same time the fathers of Elvira abrogated the "superposition" which had up to that time been obligatory on all Saturdays (Duchesne, op. cit., 231). Moreover, Gregory VII (1073-85) speaks in no uncertain terms of the obligation to abstain on Saturdays, when he declares that all Christians are bound to abstain from flesh meat on Saturday as often as no major solemnity (e.g. Christmas) occurs on Saturday, or no infirmity serves to cancel the obligation (cap. Quia dies, d. 5, de consecrat., ap. Joannes, Azor. Inst. Moral. I, Bk. VII, c. xii). Various authors have assigned different reasons to account for the extension of the obligation so as to bind the faithful to abstain not only on Fridays, but also on Saturdays. Some hold that this practice was inaugurated to commemorate the burial of Christ Jesus; others that it was instituted to imitate the Apostles and Disciples of Christ, who, together with the Holy Women, mourned the death of Christ even on the seventh day; while others claim that it owes its origin to the conduct of St. Peter, who passed Saturday in prayer, abstinence, and fasting, to prepare to meet Simon Magus on the following day (Acts, viii, 18 sq.; cf. Migne, P. L. XLIX, coll. 147, 148). [b]Though the Roman Pontiffs have constantly refused to abrogate the law of abstaining on Saturday, special indults dispensing with the obligation have been granted to the faithful in many parts of the world. [/b]
[i]http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01067a.htm[/i][/quote]

and

[quote][b]1917 Catholic Encyclopedia article Abstinence:[/b]
APPLICATION OF THE LAW IN THE UNITED STATES

Diversity in customs, in climate, and in prices of food have gradually paved the way for modifications of the law of abstinence. [b]Throughout the United States the ordinary Saturday is no longer a day of abstinence.[/b] During Lent, in virtue of an indult, the faithful are allowed to eat meat at their principal meal on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, the second and last Saturdays excepted. The use of meat on such days is not restricted to the principal meal for such as are exempt from fasting by reason of ill health, age, or laborious occupations. Eggs, milk, butter, and coagulated milk, formerly prohibited, are now permitted without restriction as far as the day of the week is concerned. The use of lard or dripping in preparing fish and vegetables at all meals and on all days is allowed by an indult issued 3 August, 1887. It is never lawful to take fish with flesh, at the same meal, during Lent, Sundays included (Benedict XIV, Litt. ad Archiep. Compostel., 10 June, 1745, ap. Bucceroni, Enchiridion Morale, 147). At other times this is not prohibited (Bucceroni, ib.). On Wednesdays and Fridays, as well as on the second and last Saturdays of Lent, flesh meat is not permitted. Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays during Ember Week are still days of abstinence and fasting. The vigils of Christmas, Pentecost, Assumption, and All Saints are also days of abstinence and fasting. In virtue of faculties granted by the Holy See, workingmen, and their families as well, may use flesh meat once a day on all abstinence days throughout the year except Fridays, Ash Wednesday, Holy Saturday, and the vigil of Christmas. This indult was issued for ten years, 15 March 1895, and renewed for another decade on 25 February, 1905. (See "Exposition of Christian Doctrine", Philadelphia, 1899, II, 528-529 Spirago-Clarke, "The Catechism Explained", New York, 1900; Diocesan Regulations for Lent.)

In Great Britain and Ireland, Fridays during the year, Wednesdays during Advent, weekdays during Lent, Ember Days, the vigils of Christmas, Pentecost, the Assumption, All Saints, Sts. Peter and Paul, and St. Andrew (in Scotland only) are days of abstinence. Meat is allowed by indult at the principal meal on all days during Lent except Wednesdays, Fridays, Holy Thursday, and the second and last Saturdays. Eggs are allowed at the principal meal during Lent except on Ash Wednesday and the last three days of Lent. Milk, butter, and coagulated milk are allowed at the principal meal, and at the collation during Lent, except on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Lard and drippings are allowed at the chief meal and at the collation, except on Good Friday. Suet is prohibited whenever meat is not allowed. Fish and flesh are never allowed at the same meal on any fast day during the year (Catholic Directory, London, 1906). In Australia, Fridays during the year, Wednesdays and Saturdays during Lent, Holy Thursday, Wednesdays during Advent, Ember Days, the vigils of Christmas, Pentecost, the Assumption, Sts. Peter and Paul, and All Saints are days of abstinence. There is a somewhat general practice whereby the use of meat is allowed at the chief meal on ordinary Saturdays throughout the year. For the rest, the application of the law of abstinence is much the same as in Ireland (The Year Book of Australia, Sydney, 1892). In Canada, Fridays during the year, Wednesdays during Lent and Advent, Ember Days, the vigils of Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, the Assumption, Sts. Peter and Paul, and All Saints are days of abstinence. The abstinence incident to the feasts of Sts. Peter and Paul and the Assumption is transferred to the eve of the transferred solemnity. Milk, butter, coagulated milk, and eggs are allowed during Lent even at the collation; lard and drippings as in the United States. (See "Expos. of Christian Doctrine", Philadelphia, 1899, II, 528, 529.)
[i]http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01067a.htm[/i][/quote]

[Era Might]

In the early Church they apparantly fasted on Wednesdays and Fridays. From the Didache:

[quote]But let not your fasts be with the hypocrites, for they fast on the second and fifth day of the week. But do ye fast on the fourth day and the Preparation (Friday). Neither pray as the hypocrites, but as the Lord commanded in His Gospel, thus pray: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our debt as we also forgive our debtors. And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one; for Yours is the power and the glory for ever. Thrice in the day thus pray.[/quote]

[kateri05]

ps. what the heck are Ember days??

[Laudate_Dominum]

Thank you StThomasMore!

[Resurrexi]

[quote]ps. what the heck are Ember days??[/quote][url="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05399b.htm"]http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05399b.htm[/url]

[quote]Thank you StThomasMore! cool.gif[/quote]

np

[kateri05]

hey thanks i saw them referenced in fr. laus' church history book and had no clue what they were. huh, wonder where they went?

[Resurrexi]

[quote name='kateri05' post='1235889' date='Apr 9 2007, 12:13 AM']hey thanks i saw them referenced in fr. laus' church history book and had no clue what they were. huh, wonder where they went? [/quote]

They were abrogated with the new Code of Canon Law

Edited April 9, 2007 by StThomasMore

[Moneybags]

[quote name='StThomasMore' post='1236610' date='Apr 9 2007, 07:12 PM']They were abrogated with the new Code of Canon Law [/quote]

It doesn't matter if they were abrogated or not. We can continue to observe them through fasting by our own will on those days.

[url="http://acatholiclife.blogspot.com/2006/09/ember-days.html"]http://acatholiclife.blogspot.com/2006/09/ember-days.html[/url]

I also tell people to observe the Traditional fasts on Holy Saturday (until Noon) and on Christmas Eve

[Resurrexi]

[quote name='St. Benedict' post='1237209' date='Apr 9 2007, 10:25 PM']It doesn't matter if they were abrogated or not. We can continue to observe them through fasting by our own will on those days.

[url="http://acatholiclife.blogspot.com/2006/09/ember-days.html"]http://acatholiclife.blogspot.com/2006/09/ember-days.html[/url]

I also tell people to observe the Traditional fasts on Holy Saturday (until Noon) and on Christmas Eve[/quote]

Of course, and I continue to do so. It just saddens me that I am no longer bound under pain of mortal sin to practice them

[Birgitta Noel]

[quote name='StThomasMore' post='1237265' date='Apr 10 2007, 12:44 AM']Of course, and I continue to do so. It just saddens me that I am no longer bound under pain of mortal sin to practice them [/quote]
I don't know I think that would increase the value of such a penance as it would be done with "perfection" that is with no fear of punishment.

[Resurrexi]

[quote name='The Little Way' post='1237381' date='Apr 9 2007, 11:33 PM']I don't know I think that would increase the value of such a penance as it would be done with "perfection" that is with no fear of punishment.

[/quote]

Well, according to the Catechism, the Penance imposed by the priest is more meritorious than one's own penance:

[quote][b]The Catechism of Pope St. Pius X:[/b]
117 Q. Which penance is the more meritorious, that which the confessor gives, or that which we do of our own choice?
A. The penance which the confessor imposes is the most meritorious, because being part of the sacrament it receives greater virtue from the merits of the passion of Jesus Christ.
[url="http://www.ewtn.com/library/CATECHSM/PIUSXCAT.HTM"]http://www.ewtn.com/library/CATECHSM/PIUSXCAT.HTM[/url][/quote]

So I would assume the penances which the Church proposes for us, because she uses the authority given to her by Christ when imposing them, are also more meritorious.

[stuckinamo]

hey, well some of that is really over my head but thank you thank you for your input!!