Do we have to fast today for the Ember fasts?

[PeteC]

Pope Paul VI, I believe, abolished the Ember Days fast and partial abstinence, among other things. The current regulations, found in the 1983 Code of Canon Law, are such: fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, abstinence on Fridays (U.S. law is a bit modified).

Pope Paul VI had no right to abolish fasting and abstinence on the Ember Days and Lent, and abstinence on Fridays. These traditions have been part of the Church from the very beginning (the Orthodox fast for over half the year) and as such they cannot be abolished legally, as the Church has always taught that these fasts be kept, and Church teaching cannot change. I presume that Pope Paul VI abolished these fasts to be ecumenical (just like he did with the Traditional Mass) and to please the Protestants. Protestants do not generally fast, as they believe that Jesus suffered on the Cross for them and they say "He suffered for us! Why do we have to fast when He took the penalty for our sins? He is risen! Let's focus on that instead!"

With a group as diverse as the Protestants you can make a blanket staetement like that. I don't doubt what you are saying, but these are two examples from my experience.

Liturgical Protestant wise, the Anglicans also had ember and rogation days  listing the Saturday, Wednesday and Friday after First Sunday of Lent, Pentecost, Sept 14, December 13.

Non-liturgical wise- my parents used to be heavily involved with  several groups after they left the Church which had regular periods of 'fasting and prayer and intercession'. I remember one particular incident where they were urged to fast and intercede for the missionaries and spread of the gospel in the 10 by 40 window (the unsaved and unevangelised people of the world )Many other denominations I know have fasting but they don't believe it should be prescribed.

[CounterRevolutionary]

"Episcopal Conferences".

Oh goodie, more democracy, just what the Church needs to keep Her on the straight and narrow.

Soon we will be relieved of our Sunday obligation and told to stay at home because there is simply nothing left.

I've actually had a bad dream about that once. Its strange. I was in FedEx Field (Redskins Stadiun) and some "priest" in ugly vestments told us he would still offer Mass, but we didnt need to come anymore. I started yelling at him and woke up very angry.

[Quo_Vadis_Petre]

Friday is full abstinence from flesh meat as it always is anyway.

Why is this? I was never told, please do excuse my ignorance.

Thank you,

God bless you,

Meat abstinence on Fridays was never abolished. But the U.S. bishops modified this, allowing Catholics to do some other kind of penance on all other Fridays of the years. The abstinence during Fridays in Lent was kept.

[jovan66102]

 

Pope Paul VI had no right to abolish fasting and abstinence on the Ember Days and Lent, and abstinence on Fridays. These traditions have been part of the Church from the very beginning (the Orthodox fast for over half the year) and as such they cannot be abolished legally, as the Church has always taught that these fasts be kept, and Church teaching cannot change.

 

Not true.  These are disciplinary laws, not doctrines, and they can change.  Otherwise, how do you explain the fact that the church mitigated the earlier Lenten fasting rules (no meat at all during Lent) to allow for meat at the main meal?  And do you deny that Pius XII had the right to mitigate the rule that the Eucharistic Fast had to begin at midnight?

 

Of course, there is no denying that fasting has been all but abandoned by Catholics, and that is a bad thing.

 

Bingo! Spasi!

[AGtoTrad]

Spasi hit it right on, stole my thunder. Wrote out a nice long reply for Michael and no need, as Spasi said it shorter and more eloquently. Hope your listening Michael!

 

Great day all

 

 

Notice creimmann around sooooo nice to see that baldheaded avatar again, really missed ya creimann!

 

 

[GrumpyTroll]

Friday is full abstinence from flesh meat as it always is anyway.

Why is this? I was never told, please do excuse my ignorance.

Thank you,

God bless you,

Meat abstinence on Fridays was never abolished. But the U.S. bishops modified this, allowing Catholics to do some other kind of penance on all other Fridays of the years. The abstinence during Fridays in Lent was kept.

Why is there meat abstinence on Fridays in the first place?

[Quo_Vadis_Petre]

From the Catholic Encylopedia article on Abstinence:

DAYS OF ABSTINENCE

 

(1) Friday  

From the dawn of Christianity, Friday has been signalized as an abstinence day, in order to do homage to the memory of Christ suffering and dying on that day of the week. The "Teaching of the Apostles" (viii), Clement of Alexandria (Strom., VI, 75), and Tertullian (De jejun., xiv) make explicit mention of this practice. Pope Nicholas I (858-867) declares that abstinence from flesh meat is enjoined on Fridays. There is every reason to conjecture that Innocent III (1198-1216) had the existence of this law in mind when he said that this obligation is suppressed as often as Christmas Day falls on Friday (De observ. jejunii, ult. cap. Ap. Layman, Theologia Moralis, I, iv, tract. viii, ii). Moreover, the way in which the custom of abstaining on Saturday originated in the Roman Church is a striking evidence of the early institution of Friday as an abstinence day.

[GrumpyTroll]

Thank you very much, Quo_Vadis_Petre.

God bless you,

[Quo_Vadis_Petre]

No problem. It is good to look at the history of why we do such and such practices.

[spasiisochrani]

Spasi hit it right on, stole my thunder. Wrote out a nice long reply for Michael and no need, as Spasi said it shorter and more eloquently. Hope your listening Michael!

 

Great day all

 

 

Notice creimmann around sooooo nice to see that baldheaded avatar again, really missed ya creimann!

 

 

 

Sorry.  I'd still like to see your reply.