Ever since the Bishops of England and Wales announced the return of Friday abstinence some of my Catholic friends from the Clegg wing of the faith have set up wails of:
"But fish is a luxury, how can that be a penance?"
Sad, I know but many do seem to labour under the misapprehension that one HAS to eat fish on a Friday from now on.
The rule is, of course, to abstain from meat; you are then free to consume eggs, cheese, fish, pulses, tofu, quorn and any other item of food other than meat!
The point is, of course, that this should be a small penance, not, as the BBC phrased it on this morning's Radio 4 News "a form of voluntary punishment for Catholics".
A penance could be regarded as self punishment but that is not how we Catholics perceive it.
A penance is more of a willing acceptance of a form of suffering or denial made as an offering to Almighty God. It is essentially, both penitential and sacrificial in nature.
The Friday penance is also a very important nudge in the ribs so that we may be reminded that it was on a Friday that Our Lord died for us on a cross.
A penance is also a source of God's grace and an essential part of our spiritual growth and improvement.
The school history books of the 1960s used to claim that fish on Fridays was introduced by Henry VIII, (if I recall correctly) as a move to support the ailing fishing industry of the country. That would mean that eating fish was compulsory every Friday. A difficult law to enforce.
What twaddle! Even a fourth form schoolboy could see through that lie; fish in the 16th century would have been salted or pickled, if it was available at all in inland England. Fresh fish would have been the preserve of those living around the coast and, to top it all, we were all probably living off gruel and cabbages in those days.
"But fish is a luxury, how can that be a penance?"
Sad, I know but many do seem to labour under the misapprehension that one HAS to eat fish on a Friday from now on.
The rule is, of course, to abstain from meat; you are then free to consume eggs, cheese, fish, pulses, tofu, quorn and any other item of food other than meat!
The point is, of course, that this should be a small penance, not, as the BBC phrased it on this morning's Radio 4 News "a form of voluntary punishment for Catholics".
A penance could be regarded as self punishment but that is not how we Catholics perceive it.
A penance is more of a willing acceptance of a form of suffering or denial made as an offering to Almighty God. It is essentially, both penitential and sacrificial in nature.
The Friday penance is also a very important nudge in the ribs so that we may be reminded that it was on a Friday that Our Lord died for us on a cross.
A penance is also a source of God's grace and an essential part of our spiritual growth and improvement.
The school history books of the 1960s used to claim that fish on Fridays was introduced by Henry VIII, (if I recall correctly) as a move to support the ailing fishing industry of the country. That would mean that eating fish was compulsory every Friday. A difficult law to enforce.
What twaddle! Even a fourth form schoolboy could see through that lie; fish in the 16th century would have been salted or pickled, if it was available at all in inland England. Fresh fish would have been the preserve of those living around the coast and, to top it all, we were all probably living off gruel and cabbages in those days.
"we were all probably living off gruel and cabbages in those days."
ReplyDeleteHow about pease pudding in those days?
Hard aka mushy peas, the trad English pulse, forget yer lentils and your samozas and your chick peas and your humus anf farfalels (None o which Id turn my noble nose up at of a Friday, mind you!)
Loverly stuff! Mind you, an ham bone helps it along it's way
My recollection is that Henry VIII added Wednesday as a day of abstinence for the benefit of the fishing industry.
ReplyDeleteAlso- medieval monasteries frequently had fishponds so as to have a ready supply of fish, carp being a favourite.