Götterfunken.

humblebear:

agentsama:

crusadermaximus:

This picture has been going around a lot lately.  I would like to respond to it.  The entire spirituality surrounding “No meat on Fridays in Lent” is to better conform ourselves to the poor.

Think about it.  In older times, livestock required a great deal of land and labor to produce.  The poor obviously didn’t own land in old times.  As such, meat was a luxury and delicacy, especially to the poor.  Fish on the other hand were considered a poor mans food.  Anyone can go to a river, lake, or ocean, throw out a line, and catch a fish.  Fish don’t need the land and labor costs the livestock requires.

Now this is tricky to us because at the moment in the US, meat is generally cheaper than fish.  In older times though, the Church banning meat on certain days was directed at the rich in order to remind them of the poor.  In other words, “You shall eat like the poor eat.”

Now on to the beaver.  The beaver and the capybara are traditionally eaten by the poor.  The Church allowed them to be eaten on days when meat was restricted because to not do so would harm the poor.  Remember the spirituality of the practice is to conform the rich to the poor, not to punish the poor.  The Church doesn’t subscribe to ignorant zoology.  Just that for the purposes of penitential disciplines, those animals could be eaten without breaking the fast.

Where does this leave us today?  Because meat is often cheaper in the US than fish, we have to keep the spirituality in mind on Lenten Fridays.  This means that giving up a burger to go eat at a fancy lobster restaurant shouldn’t fly with you.  The poor aren’t eating at fancy lobster restaurants, and neither should you.  Eat something simple.  Eat tuna sandwiches, make a tuna helper, go to your parish fish fry.  The point of the day is to conform ourselves to the poor.

I hope this is found helpful as Lent approaches.

It’s time to get informed.

Reblogging for commentary.