Anything you want, so long as it's fish. **

“Blow the trumpet in Zion! Proclaim a fast, call an assembly; gather the people, notify the congregation; assemble the elders, gather the children and the infants at the breast; let the bridegroom quit his room and the bride her chamber. Between the porch and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD weep, and say, “Spare, O LORD, your people, and make not your heritage a reproach, with the nations ruling over them! Why should they say among the peoples, ‘where is their God?’” Joel 2:15-18

 

Wednesday begins the penitential season of Lent. As a public service, here's a briefing and reminder about the corporate act of penance we do as Catholics in order to recognize this season of self-denial and spiritual growth:

The Holy Season of Lent begins this year on Ash Wednesday, February 13, 2013, and ends just before the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, March 28, 2013, when the Easter Triduum begins. Lent is the principal penitential season in the Church year. All the Christian faithful are urged to develop and maintain a voluntary program of self-denial (in addition to the Lenten regulations which follow), serious prayer, and the performance of deeds of charity and mercy, including the giving of alms. 

Abstinence: Everyone 14 years of age and over is bound to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and all the Fridays of Lent. 

Fast: Everyone 18 years of age and under 59 is required to fast on Ash Wednesday and on Good Friday. On these two days of fast and abstinence, only one full meatless meal is permitted. Two other meatless meals, sufficient to maintain strength may be taken according to each person’s needs, but together these two should not equal another full meal. Eating between meals is not permitted, but liquids (including milk and fruit juices) are allowed. To disregard completely the law of fast and abstinence is seriously sinful.

A few notes:

• "Meatless meals" may include fish and seafood such as shrimp, mussels, turtles, frogs, and even, by way of papal indult to Spanish missionaries in the 16th century capybara (which you will be pleased to hear is the world's largest rodent -- here's a mildly-unrelated Princess Bride reference to help your imagination along). The distinction between "meat" and "fish" comes from a distinction made in the very early centuries of Christianity between "flesh meat" (mammals, birds, etc) and cold-blooded (fish, amphibians, reptiles) creatures. The taxonomic precision of our day may confuse us and perhaps even seem contradictory as to what is 'meat' and what is not, but the idea is not really about what we eat and what we don't, so much as it is that under the authority and common action of the Church we are doing something all together that witnesses to the penitential season we are observing. Oh, that we as Catholics were so unified in purpose to heal society and politics and the ills of our world today! So many marginal and even non-Catholics do observe the Lenten Abstinence to one degree or another because this corporate action does speak to our hearts and imaginations about something that is important about this season and something that is important about doing this act of penance together.
• It would seem that it is advisable to make sure that the Lenten fish meal is somewhat penitential in nature... to simply go to Red Lobster and eat salmon and coconut shrimp instead of having a steak at the Texas Roadhouse is perfectly OK by the letter of the law, but seems contrary to the spirit of the law. It would seem that this is a judgment that is best left to a well-formed conscience (not too lax, not too scrupulous) in the individual involved.
• My (**) in the title of this post is meant to explain that one is not required to eat fish on abstinence days, but that fish simply considered one of several 'meatless' options. While growing up, my mom had the mistaken impression that we had to have fish on Fridays during Lent. This is simply not true, but Mrs. Paul, no doubt, appreciated it. Enjoy fish or not... it's your call.
• Back in Springfield, I invite you to consider supporting one of the organizations that have fish fries on Fridays during Lent. In particular, I am thinking of the K of C #4175 on the Northend of Springfield that hosts an award-winning Fish Fry every week. The profits from this operation support the many charitable and fraternal activities of the council through the year. One's participation and patronage in this project is a great way of doing almsgiving along with abstinence.
• The last line that says to carelessly disregard these regulations is seriously sinful-- these are 'code words' meaning that if one ignores this call to penance with full knowledge and consent of will, it should considered a mortal sin which must be confessed before receiving Holy Communion. This of course does not apply to those whose health is compromised by illness, pregnancy, or extreme manual labor.
• One should also consider that if one truly has an unintended 'accident' and completely forgets about a day of abstinence, this may very well not be an act with full consent of will constituting a mortal sin. My very first Lenten Friday as a priest (!), I made the mistake of fixing and eating a bowl of chicken noodle soup... completely innocently, without thinking about it being a Friday in Lent. I don't think I EVER in my life I had had meat on a Lenten Friday, but I screwed up right out of the box as a priest out of simply not paying attention. It happens. I did take it to confession, but in my examination of conscience, I found my sin was not so much breaking abstinence (which I did not intend to do that by a blatant act of disobedience), but in my carelessness in remembering that we were now in Lent and in a time of penance and abstinence. My confessor told me to just acknowledge it as a mistake and move on... and to take the following Monday as a 'make-up' day for abstinence.

Our little acts of penance and self-denial are not simply ends to themselves, but instead, invite us to a deeper consciousness of God's grace and mercy. The way we respond to this invitation--with a welcoming heart, desiring renewal and deliverance--is more important than simply following the rules.   Happy Lent, everyone.   May God's grace and mercy help you have a most wonderful observance of Easter just over six weeks from now.