Why can’t you eat meat on Good Friday? – Blog

Many people ask why you can’t eat meat on Good Friday, but, even without knowing why, they follow the habit, usually learned in childhood. The Catholic Church recommends this deprivation as a way of remembering the sacrifice Jesus made, dying on the Cross to save us.

Abstaining from meat and fasting on Good Friday is a centuries-old practice of the Church. Learn in detail what the Bible says about the celebration of Easter and what to eat instead of meat on Good Friday.

Eating Meat on Good Friday: History

The Code of Canon Law (the Catholic Church’s rulebook) recommends that abstinence from meat should be done on every Friday of the year, not just on Good Friday. This deprivation must be accompanied by fasting and Bible study. However, over time this reference fell into disuse.

The question goes beyond why you can’t eat meat on Good Friday. We cannot forget that, in order to respect the sacrifice of Jesus Christ described in the Bible, we must not, first of all, cause suffering to anyone. His teaching is to love one another as he loved us.

Many Catholics abstain from meat every Wednesday and Friday during Lent (the 40-day period leading up to Easter), but this practice is no longer as common as it used to be. Children, the elderly and sick people are exempt from this sacrifice.

What does the Bible say about eating meat on Good Friday?

The Bible doesn’t specifically talk about whether or not to eat meat on Good Friday; what is spoken of is fasting and abstinence, representing the sacrifice of Christ.

In Genesis 9:3, after the Flood, God gives all the animals to man as food. Abraham offered beef to the angel of the Lord to eat (Genesis 18:8). Many of the Jewish rituals presented in the Old Testament involved eating the meat of sacrificed lambs or calves.

In the New Testament, we see that Jesus ate fish (Luke 24:41-43) and probably lamb as well. At the beginning of the Church, with the conversion of people who were not Jews, there was a lot of doubt about whether it was allowed to eat meat and what kind. The apostles came to the conclusion that it was good to eat meat and that one should not distinguish between animals for food, just as one should not distinguish between people.

After all, why can’t you eat meat on Good Friday?

Nowadays, the Church no longer talks about “obligation” or “prohibition”, it just makes a “recommendation” to fast and not eat meat on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. You might choose another sacrifice that demonstrates your willingness to give up something in your everyday life to show Jesus Christ your gratitude for the great sacrifice He made to save us from the sins of the world.

If you wonder why you can’t eat meat on Good Friday, know that the Catechism of the Catholic Church sees fasting and abstinence from meat as a “moral virtue that moderates the attraction to pleasures and seeks balance in the use of goods.” created”. This practice “ensures the dominion of the will over the instincts and keeps the desires within the bounds of honesty.”

The CNBB, the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil, states that the Brazilian Catholic faithful can substitute abstinence from meat for a work of charity, an act of mercy or even substitute meat for other food that will not be consumed during this period, as an act of faith.

What to eat on Good Friday

If you therefore want to avoid eating red meat on this special date, the ideal is to switch to fish meat. Many people doubt whether they can replace red meat with white poultry meat, but several Catholic priests and bishops explain that, as meat symbolizes the body of Christ, and poultry also bleeds profusely when cut, it should not be eaten.

Among all fish, the classic Good Friday dish is cod. The tradition came with the Portuguese settlers, who had easy access to fish and, when they came to Brazil, they realized that it was possible to import it without losing quality and flavor.

However, some priests follow another line and do not recommend the consumption of cod, as it is a very expensive fish in Brazil. As Easter celebrates abstinence, using the date to consume something sophisticated can have the opposite meaning.

More than what is put on the table on Good Friday, the important thing is to be with the mind and heart in contact with God, giving thanks for the salvation that Jesus Christ provided us with his death on the cross. Celebrate: it’s time for renewal!

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